Scarborough's Stephen Joseph Theatre has announced the cast for Alan Ayckbourn’s 89th AI-based play, Constant Companions.
Georgia Burnell, Andy Cryer, Tanya-Loretta Dee, Alexandra Mathie, Naomi Petersen, Richard Stacey and Leigh Symonds will be directed by Ayckbourn himself in a tale of the not-too-distant future.
Lorraine is a fabulously successful lawyer of a certain age, Jan Sixty is the janitor of her building and an android of indeterminate age. Humans have turned to artificial friends for companionship without compromise. Can Lorraine and Jan find true love?
Sir Alan said: “Reading so much about the inevitable arrival of AI into our society – it’s already here in some ways – I felt a cautious look forward might be in order. “Are we really prepared for an encounter with another race – not one from outer space, but of our own creation, which will inevitably turn out to be a lot smarter than we are? "Honestly, the human race! As if we didn’t have enough problems already…” Ayckbourn is the UK’s most successful and prolific modern playwright. Inducted into American Theatre’s Hall of Fame and a recipient of the Critics’ Circle Award for Services to the Arts, he became the first British playwright to receive both Olivier and Tony Special Lifetime Achievement awards. Constant Companions opens at Scarborough’s Stephen Joseph Theatre (September 7-October 7), before touring to The Old Laundry, Bowness-on-Windermere (October17-21), and the New Vic, Newcastle-under-Lyme (October 24-November 4).
More info and tickets here