Dear Mr. Thompson:
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You write that Remote is a satire on reality television. I admit, if I thought that I had written a show satirizing such an already-laughable medium, I would agree with your opinion. However, Remote has as much to do with reality television as Romeo and Juliet has to do with speaking in iambic pentameter. The reality-TV framework is merely a telling device, made simple and recognizable to engage an audience. To suggest this work is about reality television is to mistake an invitation to a party for a party itself.
Further, the assertion that I, as author, wish the audience to “pity the innocents” is perhaps more off target. By the conclusion of the final act, there is not a single character whose self-interest has taken a backseat to the benefit of others. That is a substantial part of what Remote is about: a reflection of the self-adoring, blame-storming culture we continue to devolve into. I reject the declaration that I wish anyone to “pity the innocents,” because, as demonstrated frankly in this production, there are no innocents to pity.
