Plays About Technology

In this age of artificial intelligence, live theatre is the perfect way to explore how technology impacts humans and the world. Plays can be curious, asking questions like: Does technology enrich or hinder people’s daily lives, or possibly obstruct our communication with others? Discover these brilliant theatrical works set in the past, present and distant future.

An Experiment with an Air Pump by Shelagh Stephenson (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Drama / 4w, 3m)
1799 – On the eve of a new century, a Northern English house buzzes with scientific experiments, furtive romance, and farcical amateur dramatics. Present Day – In a world of scientific chaos and genetic engineering, the same house reveals a dark secret buried for 200 years. This impressive tapestry of complex issues addresses everything from the changing role of women to the ethics of biotechnology across the turn of two centuries.

Golden Shield by Anchuli Felicia King (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Drama / 4w, 4m)
A riveting work about loyalties, intrigue and the delicate art of translation. In this tense drama, two Chinese-American sisters lead a class action lawsuit to expose an American tech giant’s involvement with the Chinese government’s firewall, Golden Shield. The play is a whirlwind tour of social and political locales ranging from American courtrooms to Chinese boardrooms to Beijing dive bars, and the story’s transnational events are supported by The Translator, who bridges the gap between Mandarin, English and everything in between.

In Facebook Wii Trust by Lien Le (US)
(Short Play, Comedy / 3w, 3m)
Let’s travel far into the future to a time when technology has taken over the world. In this dystopia of txtspeak, video game domination, and Wii Church, John has difficulty connecting with the people around him. He spends all of his time reading books, which results in being sent away by his own family. He is taken to The Facility, in order to be “fixed.” Here he must plead his case with the Agent, a domineering woman who takes her job quite seriously. Will John succeed? What will happen to him in this curious place?

Judy by Max Posner (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Comedy / 3w, 3m)
It’s the winter of 2040, and the world has changed… but maybe not by much. Timothy’s wife has just left him, and he isn’t taking it well. His sisters, Tara and Kris, are trying to help him cope while wrestling with their own lives and loves. The three of them seem to spend a lot of time in their basements, and the kids are starting to ask questions. This subterranean comedy explores how one family hangs on when technology fails and communication breaks down.

Legacy of Light by Karen Zacarías (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Comedy / 3w, 3m)
“What is the science of love?” Two female scientists, living hundreds of years apart, explore the meaning of love, motherhood, family, art and science in this contemporary comedy.

Machine Learning by Francisco Mendoza (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Dramatic Comedy / 1w, 3m, 1 boy)
When his estranged, alcoholic father is diagnosed with liver cancer, computer scientist Jorge dreams up a nursing app to manage the disease in his stead. As the machine’s capabilities grow, however, the possibility of leaving it in charge of the treatment becomes more real, forcing Jorge to reckon with his responsibilities as a son and as a creator. Dealing with issues of immigration, legacy and life dreams, this outstanding new sci-fi explores what it means to be children – and what it means to be parents.

Marjorie Prime by Jordan Harrison (US/UK) 
(Full-Length Play, Drama / 2w, 2m) 
It’s the age of artificial intelligence, and 85-year-old Marjorie – a jumble of disparate, fading memories – has a handsome new companion who’s programmed to feed the story of her life back to her. What would we remember, and what would we forget, if given the chance? In this richly spare, wondrous new play, Jordan Harrison explores the mysteries of human identity and the limits – if any – of what technology can replace.

McNeal by Ayad Akhtar (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Drama / 5w, 2m) 
A darkly comic drama about a new Nobel laureate whose literary career collides with a period of great personal turmoil, where addiction, fractured relationships, and the threat of an exposé threaten his reputation. Amidst the heat, McNeal himself must confront the ethical perils of using artificial intelligence and figure out how far he’s willing to go to chase greatness.

New Golden Age by Karen Hartman (US/UK) 
(Full-Length Play, Drama / 2w, 2m, 1 any gender) 
In the New Normal, two sisters face a big tech dystopia. Sunlight, founded by a boy genius, has expanded during the Pause, bringing every corner of our lives into its fold. Now folk-hero Professor Lin defends the Right to the Dark, while her sister Polly attempts a perilous inside maneuver with a new gig: the company InLight. Will we ever meet unobserved again? New Golden Age is a revolutionary tale about reclaiming human connection in an age driven by data.

Other Hands by Laura Wade (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Drama / 2w, 2m)
In a world of systematic, high-speed technology, some people expect to live life as efficiently as the machines they depend on… and when a machine breaks down, there is usually someone with the skills to fix it. But in an age where things that don’t work and can’t be mended are thrown away, what do we do with something as human and messy as love?

Pinocchio 3.5 by Eric Coble (US/UK)
(Short Play, Comedy Drama / 2w, 3m, 4 any gender)
Computer magnate Gill Bates has the greatest software company on earth, billions of dollars, and more power than he ever dreamed of… but there’s still something missing in his life: children. So he builds a little robot named Pinocchio to keep him company. But this mischievous little bundle of microchips has his own head filled with ideas about how to enjoy life, including following two shadowy characters into worlds of increasing consumer frenzy.

Start Down by Eleanor Burgess (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Drama / 2w, 4m)
A San Francisco programmer latches on to an idea for a startup that will automate the work teachers do in a classroom. As the idea begins to take off, it becomes clear that Will’s new company may threaten his fiance’s job. Larger economic trends hit home in this cutting-edge drama.

Surprises by Alan Ayckbourn (UK)
(Full-Length Play, Comedy / 3w, 3m)
Who is the amorous stranger who materializes in young Grace’s bedroom, and can she believe he is who he says he is? For her parents, does love everlasting still hold true if death is postponed indefinitely? Can lawyer Lorraine, who prides herself on her infallibility, finally discover the ideal partner, one who is also never wrong? Will lonely secretary Sylvia, after unhappy affairs with everyone from deep-sea divers to space shuttle pilots, ever find her Mr Right? A comedy with its head in the future and its heart in the past.

Taisetsu Na Hito by Leah Nanako Winkler (US/UK)
(10-Minute Play, Dark Comedy / 2w, 1m)
Bethany and Charles, a wholesome American couple, become owners of Android Minami, a Japanese robo-maid. As Minami becomes integrated into their mundane lives, repressed emotions arise and the line between servitude and fetishism begin to collide in this OOB Festival-winning short play.

The Antiquities by Jordan Harrison (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Dramatic Comedy / 4w, 4m, 1 boy)
At the Museum of Late Human Antiquities, the curators are fiercely committed to bringing a lost civilization to life again: What were humans really like? What did they wear, what did they eat, how did they die out? By casting us into the far future, Jordan Harrison’s play gives us an uncanny view of the present moment, as we straddle the analog world that was and the post-human world to come.

The (curious case of the) Watson Intelligence by Madeleine George (US/UK) 
(Full-Length Play, Drama / 1w, 2m) 
Four versions of Watson – Holmes’ sidekick, a telephone engineer, a Jeopardy! super-computer and an amiable techno-dweeb – become one in this brilliantly witty, time-jumping, loving tribute (and cautionary tale) dedicated to the people – and machines – upon which we all depend.

The Gradient by Steph Del Rosso (US/UK) 
(Full-Length Play, Dramatic Comedy / 2w, 3m) 
In this sharp satire set in the not-so-distant future, a new facility promises to take men accused of sexual misconduct and rehabilitate them into responsible citizens. Steph Del Rosso’s bold new play asks: Can we mass-produce forgiveness?

The Nether by Jennifer Haley (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Drama / 1w, 3m, 1 girl)
The Nether is a virtual wonderland that provides total sensory immersion. Just log in, choose an identity and indulge your every desire. But when a young detective uncovers a disturbing brand of entertainment, she triggers an interrogation into the darkest corners of the imagination in this Susan Smith Blackburn Prize-winning sci-fi thriller that explores the consequences of living out our private dreams.

Uncanny Valley by Thomas Gibbons (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Drama / 1w, 1m)
Drawing on current research in artificial intelligence and robotics, Uncanny Valley charts the relationship between Claire, a neuroscientist, and Julian, a non-biological human. This futuristic two-hander explores the painful divide between creator and creation, the inherent unpredictability of consciousness, and how we are redefining what it means to be human in the twenty-first century.

Discover more genre-bending plays on Concord Theatricals in the US or UK.