I need to be honest; I wasn’t really sure how to go about writing this review. I considered the idea of shooting a video or recording a voice memo about this performance, only to feel that a 7-minute video or voice-recording would not present well when it comes to expressing my emotions on this piece. A month has passed, and I recall Louise Orwin’s performance daily with every second I spend on my phone doomscrolling through social media apps that ironically keep me from being social. Performed for one night only in Malta on the 14th of June, 2025, at the Spazju Kreattiv Theatre while also livestreamed on TikTok, FAMEHUNGRY by Louise Orwin is a social-experiment-turned-performance-art piece that takes live (physical and online) audiences on a ride at breakneck speeds of self-awareness.
Orwin, in her joggers, a corset, and a Brat Green ‘famehungry’ tank top, introduces the audience to the reality of TikTok fame-dom through the cycles and experimentation process she went through to gauge the TikTok algorithm, while trying to outsmart the said algorithm. Staged in a make-shift bedroomscape, with a pink dresser, fluffy plushies, props, and consumables, she choreographed an algorithm-friendly routine of hypersexual and disturbing performances based on real TikTok Lives you and I can scroll through on our phones.
She begins the performance by stating that should ‘we’ reach 20,000 viewers on TikTok Live, she would show us a surprise. And we couldn’t help but root for her to reach that number, because who doesn’t like surprises? As she spirals from one trend to the next, escalating the performativity of each trick like a circus animal afraid of being put down, she takes us down with her, reaching new depths of learned helplessness as a performer and us as audience members. This move presents us with a challenge: are we as the audience members also contributing to the commodification of ‘self’ by engaging in her acts? In a post-truth society, Orwin demonstrates the fine line of different realities; the reality experienced by the online audience, and the reality experienced by the physical audience.
The reality experienced by the online audiences is curated by Orwin, while the reality in the physical space had a double-performance aspect, with Orwin’s live actions being projected onto a screen through the TikTok Live. This resulted in a meta-viewership element as we could see ourselves being streamed to thousands of strangers, becoming fellow performers. An hour-or-so of acts like dousing herself in questionable liquids, random cucumbers, grotesque laughter and repetitive TikTok dances, is juxtaposed by breaking the fourth wall for the audience in the physical space. This created a form of hierarchical viewership where only those in the theatre could access the full performance which included projected prompts, scripted choreographies, and video interviews, revealing the honest reality of being an online content-creator in a gig economy.
I myself am an avid fan of performance art, and in a world where art has become an advert, I fear that the majority of the current definition of ‘creativity’ is consumerist in nature with a best-by date shorter than fresh milk. When our monkey-brain itch is scratched with video after video of dances, lipsynching, makeup tutorials, and 24-hour livestreaming, we feed conglomerate media-hungry algorithms consuming our human agency, selling our attention for pittance. At first, I was apprehensive to attend this performance out of pure creative and content fatigue. I am grateful that I pushed myself to attend, as a month has passed, and I still recall this performance whenever I engage with the online space.
Orwin’s performance has been etched into my memories. In fact, I have restricted my time on social media. I haven’t been on TikTok for over a year, I only use Instagram for work, and I kept my Facebook account active to stay connected with older family members. I am uncomfortable to say that it sometimes takes me watching a video twice to detect AI manipulation. Kritikarti never posts according to the ‘best time’ as prescribed by algorithms on our website and social platforms. We rarely edit videos or voice recordings unless to remove filler words or repetitive arguments. While our social media interaction and engagement are booming, the average clicks per article is a small fraction of these numbers, showing how as a society, we prioritise brain rot over critical thinking. To be fair, with about 30 audience members in the theatre as opposed to over 20,000 online, it only goes to prove as much.
You can watch the livestream here.
Creative Team
Written, Conceived and Performed by: Louise Orwin
Collaborator / Performer / TikTok Star: Jaxon Valentine
Sound Designer: AJ Turner
Musician: Nicolas Bertin
Additional TikTok Cameos: Arthur Jones, Emily Haldane, Ella Simms
Lighting Designer: Lily Woodford Lewis
Movement Director: Jenni Jackson
Dramaturgical Support: Rachel Mars
Digital Dramaturg: Jason Crouch
Production Manager: Benji Huntrods
Set Design Consultation: Emma Bailey
Set & Props Designer: Dan Stubbs
Producer: Cassie Catchpole
Partners & Collaborators:
Arts Council England, The Space, Colchester Arts Centre, The Place, Pleasance, Theatre Deli & BAC.
Made in partnership with Dr Amy Orben, University of Cambridge
