“Marjorie Prime,” August 14 through 24

Thursday, August 14, through Sunday, August 24

Richmond Hill Barn Theatre, 600 Robinson Drive, Geneseo IL

Hailed by The New Yorker as "clever in conceit, alive with humor, surprising in its turns, and terribly haunting by the time the lights go out," playwright Jordan Harrison's science-fiction tale Marjorie Prime makes its debut at Geneseo's Richmond Hill Barn Theatre. Its August 14 through 24 run is sure to demonstrate why the New York Times deemed the stage piece an "elegant, thoughtful, and quietly unsettling play" that "keeps developing in your head, like a photographic negative, long after you have seen it."

In Marjorie Prime's not-too-distant future, with artificial intelligence deeply embedded in our daily lives, 85-year-old Marjorie struggles with disparate, fading memories. That is, until the appearance of Walter, a mysterious and charming young visitor programmed to help the woman recall her past. Harrison’s 2015 Pulitzer Prize finalist consequently burrows into thoughtful questions of the digital age. What would we remember, and what would we forget, if given the chance to re-write our own stories? Will we be any less human after computers know us better than we know ourselves? A wondrous, touching, and clever play that The New Yorker said "has all the hallmarks of the best science fiction," Marjorie Prime explores the mysteries of human identity, collective family memory, and the limits – if any – of what technology can replace.

Directing Marjorie Prime, as well as designing and operating its lighting and sound, is Richmond Hill veteran Jennifer Kingry, whose recent productions in Geneseo have included 84 Charing Cross Road, Over the River & Through the Woods, Silent Sky, and Outside Mullingar. Portraying Marjorie is fellow Barn Theatre favorite Jalayne Riewerts, the director of shows including The Diviners, California Suite, and Noises Off whose on-stage credits boast You Can't Take It with You for the Barn and Steel Magnolias for the Clinton Area Showboat Theatre. A trio of additional Richmond Hill veterans – Kevin Babbitt (The 39 Steps, Outside Mulingar), Eric Friedman (The Tell-Tale Farce, Laura), and Lorrie Lord (Dearly Beloved, Christmas Belles) – complete Kingry's cast. Members of the creative team, meanwhile, include: stage manager Cali Van Zandt; set builder Mike Skiles; stage crew Janet VanDerSchaaf, Julie Bauman, Perry Farley, Larry, Lord, and Mimi Sweetser; and set builder Jim Skiles.

Marjorie Prime runs at Geneseo's Barn Theatre August 14 through 24, with performances Thursdays through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday's at 3 p.m. Admission is $12, and more information and tickets are available by calling (309)944-2244 and visiting RHPlayers.com.