A new play at Young Vic dives into the dark side of tech in society
London: A community theatre group is gearing up to debut its first-ever show this month. The Collective is bringing AiTopia to the Young Vic, running from January 25 to February 1.
This play paints a pretty grim picture of the future. It’s set in a community where the police have been defunded, and things are getting tense.
In this dystopian world, there’s a promise of an AI After Life that sounds great on the surface. But five families are about to find out that every shiny new tech has its downsides.
As the story unfolds, relationships start to crack under pressure. AiTopia dives deep into how fast-changing technology can mess with our connections.
Shereen Jasmin Phillips, the creative director at the Young Vic, shared that community theatre often gets overlooked. With this production, they’re showing that their work is professional and super relevant.
She added that with everything happening in the world—protests, wars, and tech spiraling out of control—this play shines a light on AI and what a world without police could look like.
Featuring over 50 artists, AiTopia is a product of The Collective, led by director Michelle Payne. This new group is made up of artists from Southwark and Lambeth, all of whom have roots in the Young Vic’s Neighbourhood Theatre project.
For eight months, they’ve been working hard to create and perform this show from scratch. Alisha Artry, the Neighbourhood Theatre Producer, expressed how exciting it’s been to see The Collective bring such a timely production to life.
She emphasized that giving these talented artists a platform to tackle community issues while having creative control is a game-changer for collaborative theatre.
Tickets are free, so if you’re interested, you can grab them here: https://www.youngvic.org/whats-on/aitopia
Pictured top: The Collective in rehearsals for AiTopia (Picture: Courtesy of Taking Part)
