Play explores limits of human identity, technology
Photo courtesy Whitefish Theatre Co David Reese, Constance See and Penny Carpenter star in the Whitefish Theater Co. production of “Marjorie Prime.”
The Whitefish Theatre Co. presents its first Black Curtain theatre production of the 2016-2017 season with “Marjorie Prime” at the O’Shaughnessy Center in Whitefish.
This compelling and compassionate play has performances on Sept. 24 and 25 at 7:30 p.m.
The New York Times hails “Marjorie Prime” as “a tender, searching comedy ... a thought-provoking piece about memory, its corruption, and our insistence that technology can help us outwit death.”
It’s the age of artificial intelligence, and 85-year-old Marjorie Prime, 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 sensitive and provocative Pulitzer Prize-nominated story, playwright Jordan Harrison (Netflix’s “Orange Is the New Black”) explores the mysteries of human identity and the limits, if any, of what technology can replace.
“Our Black Curtain Theatre productions are about exploration for both actors and audience,” says Director Gail Cleveland. “Actors have scripts in hand and rehearsal time is short, but it is so rewarding to dive into humane, intelligent plays.”
“On one level, “Marjorie Prime” is a story of the near future and our dependence on artificial intelligence. On a deeper level, it is a story of humans dealing with tragedy and loss in any way that helps deal with the inevitabilities and unpredictability of life.”
Cast members include Penny Carpenter as Marjorie, Constance See as Tess, Dan Dammerman as Walter and David Reese as Jon. Viewers are reminded that as a Black Curtain production, there will minimal staging, no set or props and actors will be reading from a script.
Tickets are $10 with general seating. Tickets are sold only at the door on the evenings of each show. The Box Office opens at 6:30 p.m. and is located at 1 Central Ave., Whitefish.
For more information, call 862-5371. This show is sponsored by Soroptomist International of Whitefish.