The Group Rep presents the World Premiere of The Ghee Ghee Pik. Written by Suzy London. Directed by Kathleen R. Delaney. Produced for The Group Rep by Lloyd Pedersen and Sam Logan.
Can artificial intelligence enhance human brains? Playwright Suzy London creates a fictionalized dystopian scenario where neuronal implantation effects go beyond the medical applications. Although the play is fiction, it is based on a true story; one that exposes the tremendous medical benefits of neurotechnology, but also the negative consequences both legal and ethical if the business side collapses.
Margaret Kelly (Mandy Fason) suffers seizures that affect her functionality. She agrees to participate in a trial by the upstart NeuroView. The company would provide a brain-computer interface to her doctors—Dr. Kenilworth (Jason Madera) and Dr. Atchison (Stevie Stern)—to implant it in her brain so she can manage her epilepsy and improve her quality of life. The device is implanted and her condition changes radically. Not only are her seizures gone but she also develops other traits that enhance her mental capacities. The implanted device starts to create its own language. Margaret gets so attached to this device that she even gives it a name: Genie.
Margaret feels so empowered by her improved condition that she even changes her name to Pegeen. Another recipient of a similar device is Trevor (Davino Buzzotta), who was involved in a car accident and ended up in a wheelchair and slurred speech. His condition also improves dramatically after the implant; he is now able to walk again and speak clearly.
But not everything is great. Margaret starts to mistreat her mom Barbara (Diana Angelina). Margaret’s attitude also affects her relationship with her husband Joel (Doug Haverty). It seems that Genie has become an entity of its own, influencing and modifying Margaret’s personality.
One interesting detail about the story is that while Margaret experiences effervescent feelings of well-being, Trevor experiences a new-found hypersexuality. Those aspects have occurred in real life with patients, according to Frederic Gilbert, who teaches philosophy at the University of Tasmania.
London and Director Kathleen R. Delaney depict in detail the ethical, philosophical, and legal aspects involved in neurotechnology. For example, what happens when the manufacturer of the device folds? There are intellectual property issues with implanted AI devices to address. To whom do they belong, to the patient or the manufacturer? In the play, NeuroView files for bankruptcy. With the help of attorney Kendrick Gold (Kevin Michael Moran), Margaret and Trevor file a class action lawsuit in an attempt to keep their devices. Otherwise, the devices would be removed from their brains, setting them back to a life of suffering.
From a philosophical standpoint, would implanting AI into humans enhance or deteriorate self-awareness? Some patients in real life have stated that they’re not able to recognize themselves anymore, as if AI made a dramatic change to their identities. In Margaret’s case, her seizures stopped, but her personality changed to the point where she couldn’t relate to her loved ones anymore. She developed such an intense emotional attachment to her device that she couldn’t picture her life without it.
London and Delaney offer a sublime and riveting production that presents the possibilities and the dangers of a nascent technology that can turn into a blessing or a curse, given the still many gray areas to resolve. In one particular scene, an image is projected onto the wall that captures vividly the intensity of the subject matter. With emotional background music, we see the close-up of a face with an expressive eye. Is it wonder or terror?
As far as acting, Fason delivers an intense and moving depiction of the spectrum of emotions involved in such a complex scenario. Her performance is infused with the ecstatic feel of hope and the soul-draining sense of loss. It’s gripping and impactful.
Adding artificial intelligence—with its capacity to learn on its own—to the 86-100 billion neurons and approximately 100 trillion connections that make up a human brain, could mean that we are witnessing not just another wave of innovation, but a new era of human history.
The Ghee Ghee Pik
Lonny Chapman Theatre – Upstairs Stage
10900 Burbank Blvd., North Hollywood 91601
6/13/2024 – 7/14/2024 (check link below for full schedule)
Tickets: thegrouprep.com
Written by Suzy London. Directed by Kathleen R. Delaney. Produced for The Group Rep by Lloyd Pedersen and Sam Logan.
Cast: Diana Angelina, Davino Buzzotta, Mandy Fason, Doug Haverty, Cierra Lundy, Jason Madera, Kevin Michael Moran, Helen O’Brien, Stevie Stern, and Cathy Diane Tomlin.
Creative Team: John Ledley (Stage Manager), Mareli Mitchel-Shields (Set Designer), Nick Foran (Lighting Design), Doug Haverty (Graphic Design/Projections), Dan O’Connell (Sound Design & Effects), and Mikaela Padilla (Sound Consultant).
