The human disconnect in our digital age is the subject of "Continuous City," a high-tech theater performance being presented this weekend at La Jolla Playhouse.
The multimedia show running Thursday through Sunday at the Playhouse's Potiker Theatre, is the second production of the Playhouse's The Edge, a program to produce new works of edgy, contemporary theater. The first Edge production last year was a sketchy musical-in-progress about former San Diegan/serial killer Andrew Cunanan.
"Continuous City" was developed last year by The Builders Association, a New York-based performance/media company that creates site-specific production based on stories drawn from contemporary life. "Continuous City" was first produced last September in Illinois and has since been staged in Minneapolis, Yerba Buena, North Carolina, New York and in Belgium. It moves from La Jolla to Ohio in April, followed by visits to Spain in May and Toronto in June.
Playhouse artistic director Christopher Ashley said "Continuous City" uses modern technology to show both the positives and the downside of the electronic age. The actors on stage will interact with each other, live video feeds of actors on television screens and pre-recorded video and audio.
"In this one-of-a-kind production, human interaction is transformed by technology, revealing the advantages and pitfalls of the virtual world in which we now live," Ashley said in a statement. "This multimedia-integrated performance will keep the audience's eyes moving and heads turning as multiple flat-screens of varying sizes fold and close on pneumatic hinges across the stage, providing a unique and technically ingenious theatrical experience."
The play explores the relationship between a little girl and her father, who communicate virtually as he travels the world promoting Xubu, a new social networking site. Separated by vast distances, they struggle to stay connected and find ways to make possible simple parent-child activities, such as reading a bedtime story. Advances in technology help them communicate, but also create a rift in their relationship.
The characters they interact with also pursue their own transnational business, from Mike's boss, a savvy Internet mogul who networks across the world, to a nanny who blogs humorous stories about the people and places within her universe.
In each city where "Continuous City" is presented, new interviews are collected from local residents to make the show site-specific.
Moe Angelos, the actor who plays Samantha's nanny, arrives in San Diego before the rest of the company to research and gather information and video footage of local hangouts, restaurants, neighborhoods and other locales that make the host city unique. This information is then incorporated into the play as she blogs about the city during the performance, building a connection with the host city's audience members.
Locals can get in on the action, too, by uploading their video blogs to the theater's Web site. Some of these posts may be used in the show. To upload, visit continuouscity.org and click the "Xubu."
"Continuous City"
When: 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday; 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday
Where: Potiker Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse complex, UC San Diego, 2910 La Jolla Village Drive, La Jolla
Tickets: $20-$25
Phone: (858) 550-1010
