Alexa, Play Dystopia

“Alexa, Play Dystopia” is a digital age revival of The Thurber Carnival. In an era where Alexa might be our closest confidant, and our phones know us better than our families, the play reimagines James Thurber’s satirical genius for a world obsessed with likes, algorithms, and virtual reality. This fast-paced theatrical revue features twelve interconnected skits that dance between sharp comedy and unsettling truth, examining our increasingly complicated relationship with technology. From a game show where contestants can’t distinguish between real and fake news to a support group for phone-addicted humans being counseled by their own devices, the show holds up a black mirror to our digital dependencies. A versatile ensemble of ten performers transforms seamlessly between roles, becoming everything from AI prophets to virtual reality refugees and social media influencers to digital detox rebels. The production creates a world where the lines between human and artificial intelligence blur with hilarious and haunting results, making us laugh at our digital dependencies while questioning how much of ourselves we’ve uploaded to the cloud.