ALL STORIES BEGIN IN OUR ENDINGS. WE INVENT THEM BECAUSE WE DIE
To Be a Machine, Mark O’Connell
An early iteration of a future project, To Be a Machine (Version 1.0) is an adaptation of the Wellcome prize-winning book by Mark O’Connell: an exploration of Transhumanism, a movement whose aim is to use technology to fundamentally change the human condition, to improve our bodies and minds to the point where we become something other, and better, than the animals we are.
In the midst of a global pandemic, where our bodies have become biohazards, transhumanists offer a way into a disease-free digital age. We follow Mark from cryonic storage facilities to basement biohacking labs as he meets the prophets of our techno-future. We use the theatre to hold a wake for the very idea of congregating together in a room, and a meditation on humanity’s attempt to solve the modest problem of death.
This adaptation was presented as a live-audience-upload-experience, as part of the Dublin Theatre Festival. Premiere: October 1, 2020, streamed live from Project Arts Centre.
Version 2.0 (in production) is expected to premiere at the Dublin Theatre Festival 2023 in the Boys School at the Smock Alley Theatre. It will be a 360 VR film that will put the audience in the shoes of an actor making their debut.
This is a collection of taxonomy terms that allow a type of immersive or XR performance to be categorised.