anthropology

I have no answers. I have nothing but rage and sorrow. And so yes I built you because this is what I do. And honestly it’s not that hard, you’re basically a chatbot.

Merril is one of Silicon Valley’s leading software engineers, but her life disintegrates when her younger sister Angie vanishes on her way home from college. A year later, when the police have long abandoned their search, Merril assembles all the digital material Angie has left behind and sets about building herself a digital simulation of her sister. The resultant ‘virtual Angie’ offers her some solace – until, that is, it starts to reveal new details about the real Angie’s disappearance…

A moving exploration of the intersection of family, technology, and legacy, anthropology is the timely new play from award-winning playwright, Lauren Gunderson.

This edition was published to coincide with the world premiere at London’s Hampstead Theatre, in September 2023.