Mainlining the Internet with JOB’s Max Wolf Friedlich
We all kind of believe in the magic of the internet—but what happens when the curtain is lifted? Step inside 'JOB', New York’s buzziest new play by Max Wolf Friedlich.
By Ali Royals
Photos by Emilio Madrid
Published
“My missions in life are getting young people to see theater, making theater accessible, and making the Internet fucking dumb again,” Max Wolf Friedlich is explaining to me over a symphony of Friday rush hour traffic outside Three of Cups in Soho.
His job has recently relocated to the neighborhood—quite literally. His play, JOB, just extended its limited run at the Soho Playhouse around the corner. Today, it won the New York Times Critic’s Pick. “I feel really strongly that it’s not the play that’s being celebrated, it’s the production,” he says. We’re here with Hannah Getts, Max’s (and JOB’s) effortless and brilliant dramaturg-producer-creative-director-partner. Both Max and Hannah agree they’re unsure if there’s a singular title that encapsulates all Hannah does for the play, but Max insists on one certainty: what Hannah is doing is pure artistry.
Max and Hannah’s partnership is effortless. They build upon each other’s thoughts with an ease akin to a quilt sprouting two arms and stitching itself together. The pair initially met in LA about filming a TV show. After meeting once, Hannah tossed out Max’s name to a producer seeking writers for a show about kids in New York. “I would’ve never been that nice,” Max jokes. Max got drinks with said producer. Hannah happened to be grabbing drinks at the same bar. The two took it as a sign to grab coffee and talk about work. “We were in a moment of feeling drawn to creating things ourselves and having more autonomy in our lives. We put on a reading of his play in a Chinatown gallery and felt like. Wow. This is what theater could be,” Hannah says.