Inis Nua presents Tim Price's 'How to Ruin a Life from the Comfort of Your Own Beanbag'

David Pica performs this dramatized lecture in Fergie's upstairs bar, speaking from a music stand next to a projection screen. He plays Darren Davidson, and the screen displays lively PowerPoint slides as he explains the lessons he's learned as a convicted hacker.

Degrees of convenience

Pica's Scottish burr sounds authentic, as does his hilarious braggadocio detailing his approach to "life-ruining," which he defends by explaining there are many socially acceptable ways of ruining others' lives as well. Plus, the government does it: As our degrees of convenience increase, so do their degrees of exploitation. He's honed his skills in "identity and the dismantling of it," citing his relentless cyberattack on an annoying poster on a golf site with the screen name "EaglesRule2000" — and, yes, that's our Eagles.

His plot to ruin the guy's life is funny, though one of the biggest laughs was particularly bitter for Americans: he mentions canceling his victim's National Health Service insurance card. But the show takes an eerie turn when Davidson’s PowerPoint slides are no longer what he prepared. Has the hacker been hacked? How to Ruin a Life… twists from what seems like a sharp comedy about cyber-aggression to a surprisingly nuanced tale about digital love and loss, convincingly performed by Pica under Tom Reing's astute direction.

Imitation = flattery

Inis Nua's Pop-Up Play in a Pub resembles Tiny Dynamite's U.S.-based version of A Play, a Pie, and a Pint (PPP), and why not? It's a great idea, and Inis Nua has frequently contributed productions to PPP. Patrons show up at 6pm and receive a savory meat or veggie pie and a drink (quality draft beers or wine). The 45-minute play starts around 6:30; the audience sits at communal tables or at the bar. The atmosphere, accented by a happy din of downstairs bar noise, feels relaxed and comfortable. It's a great way to see a play in a social atmosphere, and a rare opportunity to see plays of this length performed outside the Philly Fringe Festival.

Reing travels to Scotland's Edinburgh Fringe each August, consistently discovering gems like this one that become Inis Nua's American premieres of plays from England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. They've already scheduled another Pop-Up Play in a Pub at Fergie's next season.