“What does it mean to show humanity?”, that’s the question that came to the forefront of my mind while watching Your Name Means Dream.
Another thoughtful and engaging production from Red Stitch, Your Name Means Dream, directed by Kat Henry, examines our relationship between aging, technology, and life.
Aislin (Caroline Lee), whose name comes from the Irish term for dream (lending itself to the title of the play), has been sent an AI powered, human-like robot to assist her and keep her company, after her son, with whom she has already has rocky relationship with, nominates her to take part in a new trial program. Aislin initially rejects the idea of the robot, Stacy (Lucy Ansell), taking it a sign that no one cares enough about her to send another human companion after the past five have walked out. She nevertheless sees the droid, with its lifelike features of a woman, as a thing of beauty, summing up her initial opinions of Stacy as being “creepy and beautiful”. Stacy comes with one objective in mind: to assist Aislin.
Aislin slowly opens up and shares her memories Stacy, sometimes unintentionally. While not having the newest model’s experimental feature called an “approximation of soul”, Stacy does start to seem to have her own personality, quirks, and even maybe a sense of humour, something Aislin declares as only a distinct human trait. Stacy meanwhile shares her own life and memories in return by answering Aislin’soccasional curiosities.
Stacy tells Aislin how she has been programmed specifically to be with her, and it is the only purpose of her current consciousness, she has no memories from her mind, but her body carries memories of her past. Her body remembers being used as a sex worker in her previous designation, and, as she explains to Aislin, will likely be repurposed as a weapon after Aislin passes, or if Aislin chooses to send her back. The two sharing their vastly different lives both draws them closer together and sparks outbursts. Either way, Aislin begins to see Stacy as more than her initial assessment of “just a toaster”.
Aislin fears dying alone. With her husband passed away, and being rarely in peaceful conversation with her son, the play explores the question of: could a non-human like Stacy alleviate Aislin’s loneliness, or make her feel it even more?
Lee endears the grumpy, snappy and eccentric Aislin to the audience. Her swearing and slang riddled speech comes across distinctly human and the opposite of a typical polished AI speech pattern. Her hesitancy, slow softening towards Stacy, and angry snaps, never isolates the audience, but rather takes you on a journey with her. Past the rougher outside, you can sense her fear and loneliness.
Ansell showed exemplary acting flexibility, switching characters, tone, speed, language, accents and more throughout the play. The ability to commit to every new piece of wildly varied dialogue is to be commended. For playing a ‘soulless robot’, Ansell’s two stand out scenes cause waves of different emotions, inciting fear and horror, and then a deep sense of sympathy, comfort, sadness, reflection, and even hope.
The set, designed by Hahnie Goldfinch, brings to life Aislin’s sense of stagnation and decrepitness with the grubby windows and paint peeling from the walls. The cast, under Henry’s direction, make full use of the small space of the Red Stitch Actors’ Theatre stage, fashioning the set to feel like a full apartment. Lighting (Amelia Lever-Davidson) and sound (Ian Moorhead) is kept simple for most of the performance, creating even more of an impact when utilised to provide special effects in the more dramatic and emotional pinnacles of the show.
Your Name Means Dream is highly relevant to present times, and to looking at the future. Written by Oscar nominee José Rivera, Your Name Means Dream often carries a comedic and lighter tone, but always with a bubbling undercurrent of something more serious, which every so often rears its head more fully in Aislin’s outbursts, news clips of robot progress, resistance movements outside the walls of the home, and in Stacy’s matter of fact speech patterns. With the gut punch scenes towards its conclusion, Your Name Means Dream is certain to take Melbourne audiences’ breaths away.
Your Name Means Dream is currently playing in Melbourne at Red Stitch Actors’ Theatre until November 26.
For more information and ticketing, visit:
https://www.redstitch.net/your-name-means-dream-2024
Photography by James Reiser.
