Ever wonder how certain videos or photos online get deemed unfit for viewing? Believe it or not, there are people in charge of completing that task. Jane is one of those people, and now she finds herself forced into a therapy session to be allowed back to work. Max Wolf Friedlich’s Job, artfully directed by David Ferry, highlights the stress and intense expectations of those in big tech, while also showing how the dark side of the internet can even affect those who are trying to keep it hidden.

Jane has had a meltdown at work, and has been given indefinite paid leave until she gets a note from a qualified therapist saying she can go back to work. Having gone viral for all the wrong reasons, yet working for a major tech company herself, Jane’s time off has made her fearful of the outside world who suddenly know what she looks like. Audiences meet Jane at this therapy session, with her gun drawn on the therapist. Loyd handles it well, in all fairness, and manages to talk Jane down from her paranoid state. As the two go through her session, tensions shift and change as more is revealed about both people in the room.

Friedlich’s text is jarring, slingshotting the audience through the internet and Jane’s mind as we witness her interactions with the therapist. Through Ferry’s direction, these interruptions of sounds and actions eventually begin to piece themselves together. It begins with the first scene: a woman holding a man at gunpoint, with flashes of various scenarios all ending with a bang. It then moves to interjections of sounds – sudden shifts in the lighting and sounds which don’t seem to have any origin. Then there’s an intriguing portion where Jane’s mind wanders and the Memes she’s thinking about are acted out by her scene partner until Loyd himself interjects and she snaps out of it. While she has a panic attack, the scene is far more gruesome. Only once Jane divulges what she does, which is more than two thirds of the way through the piece, does it start to click about what these interjections have been.

Essentially, the audience is unwittingly thrown into Jane’s consciousness, and we’re not fully made aware of this until the final moments when she’s revealed every bit of her story. Then everything clicks into place, but there’s certainly a great deal of confusion which leads to this moment of clarity at the end of the piece. Job leaves you absolutely breathless, heart racing, and questioning everything you’ve just watched.

Loyd’s office, designed by Nick Blais, is a posh office complete with funky bookshelves, cushions and rugs, and various comfy chairs. The hanging art piece/light fixture is a dominating element of the room as it dangles from a faux skylight. This fixture turns along with the conversation – as things begin to shift and the power dynamics change, so too does the angle of that light fixture. Wesley Babcock has more lighting elements cleverly placed amongst the bookshelves which are suspended above the two side seating sections. Finding out the Loyd is a hippie-type living in California is no surprise from the vibe of his office.

This dynamic two-hander is deftly navigated by Charlotte Dennis and Diego Matamoros. Dennis is intense, passionate, and moving as Jane. Her ardour and tears are heartbreaking. Matamoros brings his signature charm and a sense of calm to Loyd. The two clearly fuel one another on stage; once can feel the ebb and flow of energy as the tensions between their characters shift. Yet never for a moment do we lose the sense of danger which has entered the room with Jane, even during the longer monologues.

Job explores the potential for darkness within us all, and so we remain in the dark about these characters even once the house lights have come up. The lack of resolution to the text is simultaneously exhilarating and infuriating: did Loyd do the heinous things of which Jane has accused him? Do any of Jane’s initial visions come true? Friedlich doesn’t tell us, but I’m certainly dying to know.

Job runs at The Coal Mine Theatre until May 18. For more information and tickets, visit: https://www.coalminetheatre.com/job-2025

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Cover Photo: Charlotte Dennis and Diego Matamoros. Photo by Elana Emer.

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