Double Telling present "Good Day"
Zara lives in a perfect world. No poverty, no war. She’s even been implanted with an electronic chip that will extend her life forever. So, why does she want to end it all? To be allowed to die, Zara must debate her fate with an android therapist and overcome the human drive to survive. “Good Day” is a dark comedy that explores how we find meaning in our lives and asks whether immortality is really all it’s cracked up to be.
Written by Daniel Bainbridge and Cam Scriven, “Good Day” is a darkly comic exploration of what it means to be human when mortality is removed, and thoughts and emotions can be mimicked by AI. The production will combine spoken dialogue, movement, and video – including creative captions – to examine the relationship between humanity and technology. Theatre company Double Telling, led by Director Marlie Haco, are delighted that “Good Day” is on at this year’s VAULT Festival.
Cameron Scriven is a writer from the West Midlands. Good Day is his second collaboration with Bainbridge after the 2018 run of their play MAD at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. As well as being a writer, he is qualified and works as a freelance dialect and voice coach. Cam has provided accent coaching for venues such as the National Theatre and Leeds Playhouse, and for various screen projects.
Daniel Bainbridge is a writer & director based in London. After working with Scriven on MAD, he went on to study at Drama Centre, graduating with an MA in Directing. Since graduating, Daniel has been working as an assistant director, most recently on Operation Mincemeat at Southwark Playhouse, whilst also developing his own work for the stage.
Marlie Haco is a theatre director and dramaturg based in London. She trained in acting and directing at Central School of Speech and Drama, before completing an English degree at Cambridge University. She now works with scripts and writers at all stages of development, but has a particular interest in directing plays that ask urgent social and psychological questions.. Marlie, is currently resident director at Hampstead Theatre.
I caught up with Marlie to ask her about how she has worked on characterisations for this play. “I’m interested in how “Good Day” exploits an unusual therapeutic relationship to present a compelling conflict: Zara wants to die, and Alex, her therapist and an android, wants to be alive. I love how comedy and tragedy lie so closely together in the writing. In directing the play, I want to find ways to hold both simultaneously in order to shed light on important contemporary issues such as suicidality and euthanasia."
"Above all, I am excited by the challenge of using live theatre – where we can incorporate elements like movement, music, and video – to dramatise the deeply human story at the heart of a play set in an age of advanced AI. Although “Good Day” tackles serious themes, there is plenty of light amidst the dark. The spoken dialogue is also combined with non-verbal elements, where movement is accompanied by an original score that is woven throughout the production, which I hope audiences will enjoy."
"Finally, there will be video, including creative captions, throughout which will make the show more visually immersive as well as accessible, while providing another means of questioning the extent to which people have agency in a technology driven world. , this is one of the dilemmas the protagonist is struggling with – she’s become jaded because she believes there is nothing new to experience and this has left her “feeling empty”. This is central to how the play engages with what it means to live in a world without the social, financial, and physical stresses we face in our lives today – does this necessarily equal perpetual happiness? "
“Good Day” runs from the 7th to 12th March at the Network Theatre 246A Lower Road, London, London, SE1 8SJ Tickets are available from https://vaultfestival.com/events/good-day/ Beyond the vault Festival they hope that “Good Day” will transfer to another London venue and/or tour to regional theatres. If you are interested in being part of the future of the show - whether as an audience member or theatre looking for new plays - please get in touch! You can email us at team@doubletelling.com To find out more about the show, you can follow them @doubletelling on Instagram & Twitter or visit Marlie's website https://www.marliehaco.com/productions/goodday
