XCode is a deeply engaging theatre experience that has the audience running from room to room, following various threads of a plot that fragments as it meanders along that mercurial line between reality and fantasy.
The action takes place in five or six makeshift rooms on the second floor of a nondescript building in downtown Cape Town. We laugh and spill our drinks as we bump into the friendliest of strangers criss-crossing the rooms in different directions, following performers or pursuing plot lines.
The line between audience member and performer is not the only one that is blurred in this classic tale of corporate greed trying to muscle out the creators. (It helps to remember that, in the end, it is the geeks who shall inherit the earth.)
The performances are compelling and the plot is intriguing. The super slick dance scenes are really a big fat cherry on the top.
Xcode is a compelling representation of the dream of a nightmare that lies at the intersection of humans and AI. Who better to help you write your marriage vows than your avatar, huh?
The real magic is how the format allows each audience member to create their own experience, a kind of Open Source night at the theatre.
You decide what you watch, what questions you ask, what answers you find, if the story is about fear or greed, creation, code or connection. The space is occupied by all, the story is universal, the experience of it is yours alone. Go see it! Thursday, Fridays and Saturdays until April 29.
Cast: Matt Newman, Mikky George, Erin Gemmell, Tamsyn Dexter, Liam Gillespie, Bethany Mclachlan-Evans, and Gaetan ‘G-BOI’ Musungaie
Script and direction: Kimberley Buckle
Choreography: Liam Gillespie