"The US playwright Sarah Ruhl explains that ‘social ties’ are the reason we go to see community theatre, not good reviews."

"On stage and on the internet, neighbours and friends are transformed into heroes and villains. It’s not always pitch-perfect, but here we can try on new ways of being – and being with each other."

"In the 1840s, a similar interest in amateur play took hold in the United States. ‘Home amusements’, as one guidebook dubbed them, ranged from elaborately scripted and staged theatrical entertainments and living pictures (tableaux vivants) to simple charades, pantomimes and optical illusions."

"The Dutch historian Johan Huizinga argued in the late 1930s that we transmit culture through play."

"For Huizinga, play ‘promotes the formation of social groupings’ that last long after the end of the game, whether it’s a card game, amateur sports or children’s make-believe."

"Authors in the 19th century praised amateur theatricals for their ability to teach ‘a certain knowledge of the emotions and passions of humanity, which can rarely be acquired elsewhere.’"

"Even for an audience accustomed to digital filters, the transformations shown on video are hard to believe – and harder still to confirm without repeated viewings."

"Bodily transformation, especially grotesques, take on new meaning in times of social uncertainty. In medieval folklore, vampires expressed a fear of contagion that breached the limits of the body."

"Part of the appeal of watching young people at play may lie in their blissful disregard for the consequences, especially when dangerous or socially threatening play escapes the boundaries of make-believe and crosses into the real world."

"What benefits might young TikTokers get from play that potentially disfigures the body permanently?"

"The contemporary grotesque is not just form but also feeling."

"Adolescents are hardly alone in their resistance to returning to in-person activities."

"From university campuses to corporate offices, many working adults quit their jobs, filmed their exits, and posted them to TikTok under quitmyjob."

"With a little choreography and playful post-production, TikTokers collectively staged what some management researchers have described as ‘The Great Resignation’ – final acts fuelled by long-withheld dreams."

"Play is liberating because it can transform the most familiar circumstances into fantasies."

"It is challenging for the same reason."

"We’ve all been reduced to amateur players during the COVID-19 pandemic, struggling to learn our roles. Our challenge is in learning where to draw the magic circle."