“In this production, which fuses technology with theatre in a wholly unanticipated manner, the end of the world is made into a tangible experience“
Rose is an AI chatbot, created to guide you through the end of the world. Rose is powered by a “black-box of memories from people whose worlds have already ended.”
Two people’s memories predominantly make up Rose’s pool of knowledge. A man and a woman, referred to as ‘Mother’ and ‘Father’ whose relationship, or rather the demise of said relationship, is chronicled through Rose’s fragmented exploration of the memories of the woman who created her. Aided by projections, Rose takes us through the story of Mother and Father as their worlds literally and figuratively end. Jumping around a timeline we slowly piece together their love story, and as we learn more about them, so, it seems, does Rose.
Each audience member is armed with headphones that create an immersive experience. While perhaps not ultimately necessary, the headphones do create an unmistakable intimacy. The immersive experience is heightened further by the audience’s role in pursuing the story. We guide the way in which the narrative is propelled by choosing between two options presented to us by Rose. For instance, the projections display our two options: start at the beginning or start at the end. An emoji of a hand signal indicates how we can request our chosen option. The audience then holds up the hand signal that corresponds with their chosen option, and so Rose begins with the chosen option. Many immersive shows have a tendency to become gimmicky and indulgent, with the audience participation nothing more than an attempt at creating an impression on the audience members, artificially heightening the experience. This was certainly not the case for Stampin In the Graveyard. At the core of this production is an AI chatbot whose very existence requires participation by an outside party. Involving the audience not only makes sense dramaturgically, but it too emphasizes the piece’s message.
Written and performed by Elisabeth Gunawan in collaboration with Matej Matejka, this production was a treat to witness, even in the face of its heartbreaking content. Gunawan’s performance was truly otherworldly. Gunawan genuinely embodied a robot in a wholly unique and somehow authentic manner. Despite the stoic expression used as default to embody the emotionless-state of AI chatbots, Gunawan still somehow felt brimming with emotion. There were few dry eyes left in the audience by the play’s close.