Eliza

Inspired by true events, this world premiere by award-winning playwright Tom Holloway is a gripping psychological thriller about the birth of AI, and the ethical consequences of outsourcing our humanity. ABOUT THE SHOW As society grapples with the ethics of rapidly advancing and increasingly invasive technologies, director Paige Rattray ( Black is the New White , Fangirls ) delivers an urgent and unnerving depiction of the birth of artificial intelligence. From four-time Australian Writers’ Guild AWGIE Award winner Tom Holloway ( The Museum of Modern Love , Double Indemnity , Storm Boy ) comes this riveting new psychological thriller based on real events. Dr Joseph Weizenbaum ( Dan Spielman : Black Snow , The Newsreader ), a brilliant professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, carries the trauma of a childhood fleeing Nazi Germany. When he begins testing a new computer program designed to simulate talk therapy – using details from his secretary Becky’s ( Manali Datar : The Wrong Gods ) private life – the lines between code and connection begin to blur. The project is lauded by colleagues, but as wider interest in his breakthrough intensifies, Weizenbaum begins to question the true cost of his innovation Developed through Melbourne Theatre Company’s NEXT STAGE Writers’ Program , with the support of our Playwrights Giving Circle. Produced by Melbourne Theatre Company. Originally commissioned by Sydney Theatre Company. This production has been supported by Melbourne Theatre Company’s Eliza Production Patrons: Martin & Loreto Hosking Andrew & Sonya Nash , Hugh Williams, The John & Myriam Wylie Foundation Malcolm Allen, Leigh & Andrea Jasper , Adam & Susie Lewis, Patrick O’Brien and Susan Weller