Qualia

by Ashleigh Ann Gardner

FULL LENGTH: After intense heat triggers massive reactor explosions across the United States, a former nurse spends five years alone in a nuclear fallout shelter. Her only friend is Dom, a computer system with human emotions who wishes to be granted a body. After a series of tests, Alex and Dom plateau in their experiments and hope dwindles. But when Seth, a former robotics scientist and friend of Alex, finds...

FULL LENGTH: After intense heat triggers massive reactor explosions across the United States, a former nurse spends five years alone in a nuclear fallout shelter. Her only friend is Dom, a computer system with human emotions who wishes to be granted a body. After a series of tests, Alex and Dom plateau in their experiments and hope dwindles. But when Seth, a former robotics scientist and friend of Alex, finds the bunker, Alex and Dom plot together to further their experiment. But the prospect of humanity outside the bunker is both enticing and terrifying, and Alex finds herself faced with the decision to leave and rejoin human society...or stay with Dom and push forward toward an uncertain future. (Drama. 1w, 2m)

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Qualia

Recommended by

  • Ken Preuss: Qualia

    Gardner’s script is poetic and profound… and with current debates about Artificial Intelligence in the news… prophetic, too. Qualia begins as post-apocalyptic rumination on loneliness then veers seamlessly in unexpected directions - a romance one moment - a taut thriller the next – with a unique blend of comedy, philosophy, and science fiction throughout. Complex characters, clever dialogue, palpable emotion, and well-paced revelations surprise from start to finish and leave you making discoveries long afterward.

    Gardner’s script is poetic and profound… and with current debates about Artificial Intelligence in the news… prophetic, too. Qualia begins as post-apocalyptic rumination on loneliness then veers seamlessly in unexpected directions - a romance one moment - a taut thriller the next – with a unique blend of comedy, philosophy, and science fiction throughout. Complex characters, clever dialogue, palpable emotion, and well-paced revelations surprise from start to finish and leave you making discoveries long afterward.

  • Aly Kantor: Qualia

    This efficient, deeply felt play has such a pronounced atmosphere of dread throughout. Though it may be set 100+ years in the future, Alex's isolated world, in which tech has gained pronounced importance, is uncanny in its familiarity. The play asks just as many questions about the meaning and definition of love as it does about the ethics of advanced AI (and, specifically, cybernetics). I'm impressed by the ways the decisions made in the piece really stemmed from deep, specific character writing, and how seamlessly characters' unique flaws and blindspots were introduced into the narrative...

    This efficient, deeply felt play has such a pronounced atmosphere of dread throughout. Though it may be set 100+ years in the future, Alex's isolated world, in which tech has gained pronounced importance, is uncanny in its familiarity. The play asks just as many questions about the meaning and definition of love as it does about the ethics of advanced AI (and, specifically, cybernetics). I'm impressed by the ways the decisions made in the piece really stemmed from deep, specific character writing, and how seamlessly characters' unique flaws and blindspots were introduced into the narrative. Intriguing, emotionally-driven work!

  • Greg Burdick: Qualia

    Uncannily timely, QUALIA taps in to our current experience with social isolation, and a desperate need for connection. The stakes for Alex are high: after nationwide nuclear meltdowns pushing the country into chaos, she’s hunkered down alone, (for more than five years,) with the exception of her AI personal assistant, Dom, to whom she has developed an unusual emotional connection. Can Alex use her medical training to infuse Dom’s fiber optic soul into corporeal form? Should she? Gardner’s voice is particularly satisfying here, examining our love affair with technology, and its potential to...

    Uncannily timely, QUALIA taps in to our current experience with social isolation, and a desperate need for connection. The stakes for Alex are high: after nationwide nuclear meltdowns pushing the country into chaos, she’s hunkered down alone, (for more than five years,) with the exception of her AI personal assistant, Dom, to whom she has developed an unusual emotional connection. Can Alex use her medical training to infuse Dom’s fiber optic soul into corporeal form? Should she? Gardner’s voice is particularly satisfying here, examining our love affair with technology, and its potential to sabotage real-world interpersonal relationships.

Character Information

  • ALEX
    Thirty-something. Focused, driven, and intelligent; sometimes anxiety-ridden; not used to dealing with people anymore; afraid of the outside world. Has a heart arrhythmia that requires medication. Into yoga, crochet, and science fiction novels. Former ER nurse; daughter of two mothers — one, an over-prepared doomsday believer and robotics/AI professor (Leda) and the other a brain surgeon (Gaelen)
    Character Age
    30s
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Any Race
    Character Gender Identity
    cis Female (plot relevant)
  • DOMINIC
    An advanced AI computer program. Personality and maturity level of a playful thirty-something. Plucky, accommodating, intelligent, and amicable. Is capable of hearing and seeing all actions inside the bunker via microphone and camera systems. His emotional capabilities were a secret project. The absence of a body is the only thing that separates him from the rest of humanity. (Exists via live god mic.) NOTE: The actor playing Dom should voice him as they would a regular human -- not a computer -- with a full emotional range including, but not limited to, sarcasm.
    Character Age
    30s
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Any Race
    Character Gender Identity
    Male
  • SETH
    Thirty-something. Calculated chaos incarnate. Charismatic and resourceful. Can be violent when he is angry, but is gentle when he wants something. It is clear to see why Alex fell in love with him once...and chose to break things off later. Although he was previously a robotics and AI scientist, he has since rejected this path. A man from the outside who once knew Alex and her family. Scruffy from years of living outdoors. Is described as being athletic, but this does not mean he has to be thin.
    Character Age
    30s, four years older than ALEX
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Any Race
    Character Gender Identity
    cis Male (plot relevant)
  • VOICE OF LEDA
    (60-something) The voice of ALEX’s computer scientist mother. Appears only in voiceover at the end of the play.
    Character Age
    60s
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Any
    Character Gender Identity
    a cis Female (plot relevant)

Development History

  • Type Reading, Organization New Generation Theatrical, Year 2019

Production History

  • Type Professional, Organization Renaissance Theatre Company with Found Object Creative (Orlando, FL), Year 2024
  • Type Professional, Organization Subtext Studio Theatre Company (Chicago, IL), Year 2024
  • Type Workshop, Organization New Generation Theatrical (Orlando, FL), Year 2019

Awards

  • $5,000 Grant for Best Script
    New Generation Theatrical
    Winner
    2019