AN AWARD-WINNING actress said working on her latest play made her think hard about her relationship with technology.
Maimuna Memon features in Are You Watching?, which opened at the Royal Court Theatre last Friday (29) and explores the impact of technology and media on people’s vulnerability.
In an interview with Eastern Eye, Memon described she often found herself getting stuck in a scrolling loop.
“You sit on your bed, you’re tired, you do not want to think about anything, so you reach for your phone. When I was a teenager, iPhones did not exist, and something has shifted in the last decade of my life, where this phone I own has become a crutch, an emotional support, a comfort when I feel uncomfortable,” she said.
“Before you know it, an hour is gone. So, I have been trying hard to consciously disengage from doom scrolling, to read more, and to go outside when the weather is nice – trying to understand what triggers me to pick up that phone and scroll.”
Stepping away from technology has been a “real pleasure”, the Lancashire-born actress said, and cautioned that AI has advanced to a point where “sometimes you cannot tell what is real and what is AI-generated.”
Memon said, “There are genuinely important things being shared on social media that people might never have known about otherwise – holding people to account through the justice system, for example. That began with the MeToo movement, and right now we are seeing war crimes documented online, which means people cannot look away, and I think that is important.
“We must engage with those things to understand our place of privilege in the world.
“But, content can also be deeply disturbing and violating.”
'Impossible to differentiate between what is real and what is AI-generated'
The actress described a strand in the play that deals with deepfake pornography and AI, and noted that technology is now so advanced, sometimes it’s not possible to differentiate between what is real and what is AI-generated.
Are You Watching? posterEastern Eye
“I find that terrifying. Because it is moving so quickly, the legal system has struggled to keep pace,” Memon said. “Until very recently, people whose faces had been placed on pornographic images without their consent had virtually no rights. That is beginning to change, but I wonder whether any of it will slow down – or whether people will eventually push back and disengage.”
Reading the script left her feeling “moved, excited, inspired and disturbed”, Memon said.
Directed by Jess Edwards, Are You Watching? is based on the experience of writer Georgie Dettmer who witnessed horror online.
The play follows a journalist wired to a machine and a mother whose grief is sold for clicks; the story examines society’s attitudes towards pornography, the rise of deepfakes, increasing violence against women and the question of who bears responsibility for what people see on their social media.
Born to an Irish mother and a Pakistani father, Memon, trained at the Oxford School of Drama and won an Olivier award in 2025 for Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812, a musical adaptation of a part of Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace.
Recalling how that accolade changed her life, the actress said, “It definitely cemented for me that I was on the right path.”
She did not expect to win, and the recognition felt like confirmation she was making the right choices. Memon added, “For most people, life largely goes back to what it was before. I did not feel a huge shift, but I did feel it was a significant moment for me as an artist.”
Memon during rehearsals of Are You Watching?Madeleine Penfold
Memon previously performed at the Royal Court in 2021 (Living Newspaper Edition C) and said returning to the prestigious London venue felt timely.
“I really think the Royal Court is having a moment. They are producing some of the most exciting theatres in this country,” she said, singling out John Proctor’s Villain as a recent highlight.
Memon is also a writer and composer, with credits such as Manic Street Creature, her selfpenned show which premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2022, winning a Fringe First Award, a Stage Award for Acting and a Mental Health Award, before transferring to the Kiln Theatre. The actress also completed a writing placement with the National Theatre.
Asked whether writing has changed the way she reads scripts, she said it is less about being a writer specifically and more about the accumulated experience of more than a decade in the industry.
She said, “The more scripts you read, the more you understand what you connect to and what excites you.”
Writing and acting inform each other in practical ways, she said.
“You have to ask the writer what they meant, push yourself out of your comfort zone and find a way to honour their words and what they want to say.”
That discipline, she added, has considerably deepened her respect for writers. “I understand how much work and time goes into a script, and it matters greatly to me that I do their words justice.”
As for which is easier, Memon said both present distinct pressures. Her own work, she admitted, is “all-consuming” – harder to leave behind at the end of the day because the instinct to rewrite and improve is ever present.
Asian representation in arts
Memon said Asian representation in British arts has made progress in recent years, but said it lacks nuance.
“The Asian diaspora is so varied and diverse, so many different points of view, cultural backgrounds and religious perspectives, and too often everything gets lumped into one broad category,” she said.
Memon is equally firm that Asian artists should not be defined solely by their heritage. Her own writing has ranged from explorations of south Asian identity to mental health – the subject of Manic Street Creature – and she wants to continue telling a wide range of stories.
“I want to be able to tell a multitude of stories – some involving my culture and some that do not and I will always push for diversity in every aspect of what it means to be British.”
Her advice to young Asians hoping to pursue a career in the arts is straightforward and warm. “If you want to do it, just do it,” she said. She encouraged aspiring artists to write to those who inspire them, noting that she tries to say yes whenever people ask to meet her for advice.
“Work hard, be kind to people, and write to people that inspire you. People will take notice,” she said.
Are You Watching? runs at the Royal Court Theatre until July 4
