It's a Small World (or The Robot Play)

Anne (an engineer in recovery) and Cyrus (a former coffee maker, now robot poet) take the long trip from Disney World to Canandaigua to get Cyrus back home to Anne’s childhood best friend, Adam. Along the way, the duo meet other people and small kitchen appliances that are just as lost as they are while they try to discover what home truly is.
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It's a Small World (or The Robot Play)

Recommended by

  • Ky Weeks:
    18 Oct. 2021
    The real beauty in this play is how Palmer presents the familiar through a decidedly robot lens. And what a lens it is! This robot is compelling in the way he interacts with the world, in the questions he asks, and the human problems he attempts to comfort... and finds himself understanding in his own way. Raises fascinating questions about creation, inspiration, and what we owe to that which we bring into the world. I especially loved the AI poetry, the often strange attempts of a mechanical mind to understand the information it's given.
  • Daniel Repp:
    21 Jul. 2021
    Sometimes in life, you have to decide between plays about A.I., the grief of losing a child, drug addiction, lesbian life, computer-generated poetry, and aquatic animatronics. But you deserve to have it all, and Palmer delivers with this profound and quirky road trip play. You've come to the right place for clever quips and for a story about our attempts to fix other people, be there for others, and fill the void left by departed loved ones.

Character Information

  • Anne
    Early 30s,
    Any
    ,
    Female
    Former mechanical engineer.
  • Cyrus
    Teenager,
    Any
    ,
    Male or Nonbinary
    A robot on his way to sentience. An amateur poet. He used to be a coffeemaker. He could be a puppet.
  • Adam
    Early 30s,
    Any
    ,
    Male
    Computer engineer.
  • Billy/John
    40-50s,
    Any
    ,
    Male
  • Erika/The Curator
    40s-60s,
    Any
    ,
    Female
    Erika: Anne's mother.
    The Curator: Museum of Lost Things Curator.
  • Majorie/Ruby
    20s-30s,
    Any
    ,
    Female
    Majorie: Target employee.
    Ruby: Ageless. Toaster oven.

Development History

  • Reading
    ,
    Flint Repertory Theatre
    ,
    2019
  • Reading
    ,
    Bristol Valley Theater
    ,
    2019
  • Workshop
    ,
    Pegasus Playlab
    ,
    2019
  • Workshop
    ,
    Activate Midwest Theater Festival
    ,
    2018

Production History

  • Professional
    ,
    Bristol Valley Theater
    ,
    2022

Awards

Finalist
,
Princess Grace
,
2021
The Kilroys List 2020
,
The Kilroys
,
2020