Following the outstanding success of Grounded, National Theatre of Parramatta presents the Australian premiere of another powerful and provocative work, Girl in the Machine by Stef Smith at the Riverside Theatres from 20 June 2019.
Wildly in love, Polly and Owen have successful careers and feel ready to take on the world, until a new form of wearable technology, equally seductive and dangerous, threatens to destroy it all. This “Black Box” drives a wedge between them. The line between the real and the virtual rapidly dissipates and as the population begins to rebel, Polly and Owen are forced to question whether their definitions of reality and freedom are the same.
Directed by two-time Sydney Theatre Award Nominee Claudia Barrie (Dry Land at KXT, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo at the Old Fitz), Girl in the Machine features Chantelle Jamieson (Peter Rabbit, STC’s Still Point Turning: The Catherine McGregor Story) and Logie Award Winner Brandon McClelland (Sydney Theatre Co’s The Present, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Foxtel’s Devil’s Playground).
Reminiscent of Charlie Brooker’s Black Mirror series, Girl in the Machine is a sharply-written play about what it is to be human as technology intrudes further and further into everyday life, and is a profound exploration of connection, love and the enduring power of the human spirit.
“In this play we see the blurred lines between reality and fantasy spurred on by the temptation of a utopian paradise,” says Director Claudia Barrie. “Our protagonists are pulled further and further into a promise of something that may or may not be real. I think it’s a story that will encourage conversation and debate and one the audience will find frighteningly relatable.”
Director: Claudia Barrie Featuring: Chantelle Jamieson, Brandon McClelland Set and Costume Design: Ella Butler Lighting Designer: Benjamin Brockman Sound Designer: Benjamin Pierpoint Playwright: Stef Smith
Girl in the Machine
Lennox Theatre – Riverside Theatres, Corner Church and Market Streets, Parramatta
Season: 20 – 29 June 2019
Information and Bookings: www.riversideparramatta.com.au
Image: Girl in the Machine – Illustration by Aidan Roberts