'Dilaria''s Chiara Aurelia and Julia Randall on female friendships and social media after death

Playwright Randall and co-star Aurelia explore uncharted territory in the dark comedy play, which marks both artists' Off-Broadway debuts.

“It’s always been interesting to me the way people respond on social media about death and grief,” said Julia Randall, whose dark comedy Dilaria is currently debuting off Broadway at the DR2 Theatre. “I feel like there’s something inherently wrong with me if I don’t show the same kind of outward compassion for this person.” Randall’s play follows the brash title character, an egotistical young woman (played by Ella Stiller) who stages her own death to see how people will react online.

“Social media has had a huge impact on us as human beings, and I have some concerns for the generation after me who didn’t have the ability to grow up without being so enmeshed in that world,” added actress Chiara Aurelia. She plays Dilaria’s timid pal Georgia, who gains confidence by withstanding the gaslighting of her so-called friend.

Randall might be new to Off-Broadway, but she has deep family roots in show business. She is the daughter of the late actor Tony Randall (The Odd Couple), who met Julia’s mom, Heather, while working on Broadway. Meanwhile, Aurelia is known for playing Jeanette Turner on the TV series Cruel Summer, and she'll follow up her Off-Broadway debut with her Broadway debut in John Proctor Is the Villain, another play centered on teen-girl friendships, from July 15.

Randall and Aurelia spoke with New York Theatre Guide about their Off-Broadway premiere, the central characters’ friendship, and social media’s role in the way we grieve.

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The play has me thinking about how female friendships ebb and flow among young adults. Julia, what does Dilaria explore on that front?

Julia Randall: Sometimes female friendships can be a lot in the way that you can get really close. A lot of my female friendships have gone through ups and downs. Women rely on each other for emotional support in a way that is hard to find in a male-female friendship. There’s a real trust between women.

I based the play’s characters off my personal friendships. These girls, they went to college together, and there’s a certain dynamic in college where you’re busy all the time and you see each other all the time, and then you graduate and you go into the real world, and it’s just not the same. And that inherently changes your friendship.

Chiara, your character starts off as passive, but she strengthens while examining her friendship with Dilaria. Can you tell me about your journey in getting to know Georgia and how her arc influences the play’s outcomes?

Chiara Aurelia: The first time I read the play, I immediately fell in love with Georgia. There are a lot of layers and a lot of colors. The dynamic she has with Dilaria doesn’t necessarily represent who she is as a person outside their relationship.

There’s a transformation about halfway through, before Dilaria has stepped out of the play for a period. That said, I love Georgia’s arc. It was fun to build. We tried out a lot of different things, but I’m happy with where it ended up.

What can we learn from this play about today’s digital ecosystems? The play also made me think about how social media influences how we see ourselves.

Randall: I have experienced a lot of death in my life from a very young age. My father passed when I was 7, and then all of his friends died because he was older. I had a close friend die when I was 21, and everyone was posting online about him. Even if I would have preferred to grieve privately, it felt like I was going to be perceived as someone who didn’t care or wasn’t actually a close friend if I didn’t post about him online.

It’s easy to say nowadays how you actually feel online and a lot harder to say how you feel in person. People can send paragraphs: “This is how I feel, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.” And then the minute you see them in person, it’s a completely different side.

Aurelia: It has affected the way we interact with each other as a culture. Social media has had a huge impact on us as human beings, and I personally do have some concerns for the generation after me which didn’t have the ability to grow up without being completely enmeshed in that world.

Julia, what do you hope an audience will take away from Dilaria?

Randall: I hope people have some sort of self-reflection. A lot of women have come up to me and been like, “Oh my God. That thing you wrote about in the play, I never thought it was okay, and I’m so happy to see that I’m not the only one.” In a way, it makes some women feel a lot less lonely knowing that other people have the same thoughts. So that’s been really rewarding, and I hope other people can relate.

Your work as a playwright continues a talented showbiz legacy. What does it mean for you to follow in your parents' footsteps?

Randall: I actually have my dad’s Tony nominations on the wall, which is really adorable. Growing up, my dad was the artistic director of the National Actors Theatre, and that’s how he met my mom because they worked on three Broadway plays together. But I was introduced to the theatre at a young age.

My dad actually wanted me to have a normal childhood, and I wanted to be an actress so badly, but I waited until I went to acting school, following in the path he took. He went to Northwestern for one year. I went to Northwestern for one year. He went to drama school, and so I went to drama school. But he ended up getting drafted into the army the day before he was supposed to have rehearsal for his first Broadway show.

In a very different way, I have had my own obstacles in this industry. It’s easy to look at someone and be like, “They just took off, had a career,” and it’s actually been slow-moving. But I’m grateful I was able to grow up with such a strong inspiration and someone who had so much artistic integrity.

Chiara, you’re soon taking over for Sadie Sink in Kimberly Belflower's John Proctor Is the Villain on Broadway. What appeals to you about that play and the role of Shelby?

Aurelia: I moved to New York about a year ago in pursuit of doing theatre and becoming a part of this community, and my history is in film and TV, so it’s just a dream come true. Sadie is a dear friend and a fantastic actress. There couldn’t be bigger shoes to fill. I’m looking forward to stepping into this role and getting more familiar with the material. It’s a wonderful play. I am honestly speechless and very grateful.

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Top image credit: Chiara Aurelia and Julia Randall. (Aurelia photo by Emma Beiles; Randall photo by Emilio Madrid)
In-article image credit. Chiara Aurelia (front, left) and Ella Stiller in Dilaria off Broadway. (Photos by Emilio Madrid)