TO BE A MACHINE (VERSION 2.0)

TO BE A MACHINE (VERSION 2.0) By Dead Centre and Mark O’Connell

Dublin Theatre Festival (2023)

To Be A Machine (Version 1.0) meditated on the use of technology to improve the human condition. Version 2.0 goes further, exploring how virtual reality will soon feel more immersive than reality itself. And that might mean we never have to go to the theatre again.

A VR and real-world experience which places the audience at the centre of someone else’s story.

To Be a Machine (Version 2.0) premiered at Project Arts Centre as part of Dublin Theatre Festival 2023

ARTIST

Dead Centre Theatre Company

Founded in 2012 by Bush Moukarzel and Ben Kidd, Dead Centre has gained a reputation as one of Europe’s most innovative and exciting young theatre companies.

Work includes: LIPPY (2013), winner of the Irish Times Theatre Award for Best Production, a Fringe First, a Herald Angel, a Total Theatre Award and two OBIE Awards. It has toured around the world, including to the Young Vic in London, Schaubühne, Berlin and Traverse, Edinburgh; Chekhov’s First Play (2015) which has toured to destinations including Schaubühne, Berlin, Brisbane Festival, Helsinki Festival, Battersea Arts Festival (London), and many more; Hamnet (2017) has toured throughout the world, including BAM in New York, Hong Kong Festival, and the Southbank Centre, London; Beckett’s Room, (2019) has toured to Warwick Arts Centre, Theatre de Liège and to Teatro Piccollo, Milan; To Be a Machine (Version 1.0) was created in 2020 during the pandemic, and was streamed live to audiences around the world. It has since been streamed to festivals in Liège, Hong Kong and Paris. A German-language version, Die Maschine in Mir, was created for Burgtheater, Vienna.

The company has also created work with the ensembles at some of Europe’s major theatres, including Shakespeare’s Last Play at Schaubühne, Berlin (2018), The Interpretation of Dreams (2020) and Alles, was der Fall ist (2021) at Burgtheater, Vienna, and The Silence (2021) at Göteborgs Stadsteater. In 2021 they directed their first opera, Bählamms Fest at Ruhrtriennale, Germany. Their latest work Good Sex premiered at Dublin Theatre Festival 2022. They will be creating new work in 2023 for Burgtheater and Deutsche Oper, Berlin.

Mags was Dead Centre’s company producer initially as maternity cover in 2021, and then on a permanent basis from July 2022 - August 2023. Mags worked on productions including To Be a Machine (Version 2.0) and Good Sex at Dublin Theatre Festival 2022. Mags also worked on Dead Centre’s touring productions including Chekhov’s First Play to MESS Festival, Sarajevo 2021, To Be a Machine (Version 1.0) to Le Cent-Quatre, Paris 2021 and Beckett’s Room to Theatre de Liege, Belgium and Warwick Arts Centre, UK in 2021 and to Teatro del Piccolo, Milan in 2022.

www.deadcentre.org

TEAM CREDITS

Performed by / Jack Gleeson

Additional Cast / Andrew Bennett, Stephen Bradley, Caoimhe Coburn Gray, Faith Jones, Gerard Kelly, Erin McGathy, Faye O’Reilly, Mazana Ronaldson

Technical Direction / Antoine Vanel, Blindsp0t
Set Design/ Andrew Clancy
Lighting Design / Stephen Dodd
Sound Design and Music / Kevin Gleeson
Costume Design / Mae Leahy
Props & Set Dressing / Eugenia Genunchi

360 Filming and Editing / David Slowo, Wombat Media
360 Camera Crew / Linda Curtin
360 Camera Operation / Salma Ataya

Production Manager / Seán Dennehy
Stage Manager / Olivia Drennan
Assistant Stage Manager / Anika Kidd
Chief LX / Sebastian Pizarro Oliveira
VR Technicians / Alexandra Rosenberger & John Wildgoose
Set Technicians / Stephen Maher & Jakub Sobczak
Creative Producer / Mags Keohane
Producer / Tilly Taylor
Directors / Bush Moukarzel and Ben Kidd

LEAD ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

To Be a Machine (Version 2.0) is a Dead Centre production supported by Dublin Theatre Festival, Mermaid Arts Centre and the Science Gallery, Trinity College Dublin. Funded by the Arts Council | An Chomhairle Ealaíon and Science Foundation Ireland

GALLERY