In ‘Qualia,’ the thrill comes from the complexity of humans
Dear readers, some of you are going to see words like “thriller” and “sci-fi,” “robot” and “post-apocalyptic” and think “Qualia” is not for you. But trust me when I say Orlando playwright Ashleigh Ann Gardner’s drama is the kind of thoughtful theater Orlando needs more of. This is theater to enjoy in the moment — and think about after.
Yes, “Qualia” is set in a post-apocalyptic world — but the true nature of humans always emerges under adverse conditions. And “Qualia,” onstage at Orlando’s Renaissance Theatre, is very concerned about the nature of being human. The play’s title is a word philosophers use to describe the stimuli and experiences and perceptions that make us who we are: What we smell, what we taste, the way a sunset makes us feel — those are our qualia.
It’s 2124 as the play begins, and clearly, something terrible has happened. Alex, who dons a protective suit to venture outside, has been living in a bunker for years.
Her companion is an artificial intelligence named Dominic. He has a soothing voice with a charming British accent and is equally adept at making dinner, adjusting the lighting or offering reassuring thoughts. Critically, he has an “emotional capability drive” that lets him recognize and respond with emotions during conversation; in other words, he has a personality.
Alex has a plan to graft Dominic’s intelligence into a flesh-and-blood body, freeing him from the confines of his circuitry. Then Seth — a man with whom Alex shares a past — comes knocking on the bunker door.
Gardner’s play works on multiple levels, taking genre tropes from a classic love triangle to the sentient robot and then craftily playing with them so the audience doesn’t know what’s coming next. That off-kilter feeling helps director J. Marie Bailey maintain suspense.
Jullien Aponte’s Seth has motives that aren’t clear: Could he be faking an injury? Why is he interested in that notebook?
Aponte deftly keeps him passionate but enigmatic. And in a moment where joy suffuses his face as he devours food after going days without eating says as much about being human as any words can.
Jason Blackwater gives a beautifully nuanced vocal performance as Dominic. He makes you feel for this artificial intelligence as much as Alex does. It’s a critical component of the story to make Alex’s ultimate dilemma meaningful.
Philip Lupo’s bunker is on point, part laboratory and part cozy home. It actually might have been made even smaller to emphasize the claustrophobic nature of Alex’s world. Ben Lowe’s lighting complements the design, and Nick Erickson’s sound — the creaking and whooshing of the bunker door — reminds you this is a sci-fi setting.
I was almost disappointed that some of the horrifying things I was imagining could happen did not. But Gardner’s too clever for the old cliches. She’s tickling our minds with thoughts of ethics, the nature of love, the resilience of humans and the difference between existing and living.
Much of this is in the more than capable hands of Megan Borkes, as Alex. Through laughter, tears, fear and determination, she beautifully embodies both the strength of the human condition and its frailties. Her triumph belongs to all of us, and so does her despair.
A coda of sorts provides a twist ending but also gets bogged down in techno-chatter before finally getting to emotional catharsis. It’s a minor flaw, but maybe it also has a purpose: To remind us that no human is perfect. And that’s what makes us special.
‘QUALIA’
Length: 2:15, including intermission
When: Through Feb. 11 Where: Renaissance Theatre, 415 E. Princeton St. in Orlando
Cost: $25 and up (some $10 tickets available online at noon one day prior to a performance)
Info: rentheatre.com