←Recommendations of Ada

An eerie sci-fi horror that manages to incite unease without any stereotypical "horror" tropes such as gore or jump scares. This play manages to discuss everything from sexual assault to the morality of AI to anti-capitalist views in a mere 87 pages. I found myself rooting for Ada, and Amy, making the ending all the more effective. A challenging work in the best way.

This is an exciting, frightening, and all too topical play. Aeneas has created a world that feels all too close to ours, and it's the journey of getting to know Ada and her superiors (and maybe sometimes allies) was thrilling and heartbreaking. This is a play that will challenge and get under the skin. It will quite literally grab you in a robot-grip vice, especially in the last few scenes.

I had the privilege of getting to experience the reading of this play at Signature Theatre, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I was particularly interested in how trauma response is portrayed within this play, and how that shapes Joan's relationships with her daughter, and with Ada. I could see this being a really great fit for a theatre looking at science fiction, plays about machine learning, and representation of real versus unreal.

A powerful exploration of our humanity in an ever increasingly technologically driven world and the repression of trauma. Gripping and well done.

A masterfully executed piece of theatrical science fiction that feels very of the moment! Aeneas Sagar Hemphill uses the stickiness of and morality around AI sentience to explore trauma, PTSD, and the repression of traumatic events. All of the characters are well drawn and the piece moves along at a brisk pace leading up to its startling but inevitable end. Joan's predicament concerning what power she can wield to affect change is haunting and of our world today. I hope to see this onstage some time in the near future!

Reading Ada brought up so much about not only the future but where we came from and where we are now. I've heard this script a few times during different stages of its development and find myself deeply connected to the characters and wonderfully not sure what, or could happen next. This is a play that will definitely sit with you and make you think. Well done, Aeneas.

A disorienting exploration of what it means to be human and how to express feelings we can’t quite access or have words to interpret. Full of surprises and left turns, this play offers exciting opportunities for actors and designers.

A thoughtful exploration of the question, how do we treat "people" we don't consider to be human? And while we're at it, what does it mean to be human, and who gets to decide? A chilling glimpse into our future relationship with technology, working-class folks, women, and our corporate overlords. Sci-fi on stage in its most compelling form, asking questions we don't like to think about in a funny and engaging way.

What excites me about this play is the way Hemphill has economically and effortlessly blended elements of science-fiction and workplace comedy to produce a full-throated attack on Weinstein-esque predation and the capital-warped culture that permits it. Ada is a terrific role. The design possibilities are thrilling to ponder. Can't wait to see it!

A thrilling and thought-provoking exploration of humanity in a technologically fraught world. How do we define consciousness? What is our collective responsibility to the life-like things we create? As the characters struggle with questions of identity, morality, and revenge, it becomes impossible not to turn those questions on ourselves.