By Lonnie the Theater Lady
The New Product Company is not a household name — yet. It was founded by Pria Dahilya and Spencer Byham-Carson, graduates of the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama’s John Wells Directing Program. New Product is described as “An experimental theater company dedicated to boundary pushing original and adapted works that explore digital worlds.” The company uses “hybrid media-driven performance work that explores the contradictions of contemporary life online and off.”
“Play: Body” is set in some unspecified future time when AI is as much a part of life as cellphones are now. Billie (Yin Roquino) is employed by “Immaterial,” a digital company that provides its customers with custom-made avatars (immaterial bodies) that can be used at will.
Once an avatar is created, it can virtually interact (with the use of virtual reality glasses) with other avatars on the “Immaterial” dating site. Billie’s avatar develops a romantic relationship with Francis’s (June Alamonte) avatar. Francis works for “Speakeasy,” a digital listening company that charges their customers by the minute and guarantees a “certified 100% human being” will be on the other end of the line listening to them. The audience is treated to a steamy love scene between the avatars as their immaterial body images are ethereally projected onto two giant screens flanking the stage. (Several onstage screens of varying sizes project images throughout the show).
In addition, Billie is in a relationship with Yasmin. (Shannon Arielle Williams) Their relationship becomes strained when Billie meets (material) Francis face-to-face. After they meet, Billie is confronted with making several life-altering moral and professional choices.
Raquino effectively telegraphs their confusion, and later guilt and regret over some of their decisions.
Williams’ strong performance makes her character likable and sympathetic.
Alamonte’s glamorous Francis is notably comical as she disinterestedly “listens” to her phone clients.
There is much to unpack in playwright Lily Gonzales’ avant-garde workshop piece. It examines a dystopian future where the digital world creates a populace that yearns for close, intimate, personal relationships, while simultaneously creating circumstances that make them more challenging to achieve. Weighty themes such as gender identity, ambition, loyalty and the distinction between virtual and actual reality run through this innovative work.
This unique, tech-savvy play explores what a digital, AI, virtual reality future might hold. It presents (with humor at times) a bleak vision of a confusing future in which it’s challenging to determine what is real. “Play: Body” is guaranteed to spark stimulating and thoughtful discussions about a multitude of controversial topics.
LTL
“Play: Body” Produced by New Product Company Ran August 29 and 30 at the Pierce Theater at Three Stories. For more information, click here.
