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'Zero' lets the audience decide the fate of characters - here's how you can participate
The 2023 鈥淶ero鈥� cast: Patrick Agade (Tony), Ryan Kirby (Zero), Tiff Abreu (Daisy), Mason Azbill (Shru) and Kya Brickhouse (Leif).
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Equal parts AI and sci-fi dipped in immersion, 鈥淶ero鈥� is coming to Albuquerque.
The free show by the Santa Fe-based Exodus Ensemble opened on Nov. 8, at Chatter Albuquerque, and runs through Nov. 24.
This is a play for people who don鈥檛 attend the theater, said artistic director April Cleveland.
Blending parts of 鈥淏lack Mirror,鈥� 鈥淪ilicon Valley鈥� and 鈥淪quid Game,鈥� 鈥淶ero鈥� lures audiences into interactive games where they earn points and decide the fate of characters.
The group based the show on a 1923 expressionist play called 鈥淭he Adding Machine鈥� by Elmer Rice.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a lot more like what people see on Netflix or Max,鈥� Cleveland said.
鈥淭he audience receives a video beforehand 鈥� information on four characters,鈥� she continued. 鈥淲hen they get into the experience, they鈥檙e allowed to choose one character and they鈥檙e on the character鈥檚 team. They sit behind the character. We turn the space into an arena.鈥�
All of the characters work for a tech firm called Equilibrium. An AI robot named Daisy rules from the center of the show.
鈥淪he鈥檚 kind of the mastermind,鈥� Cleveland said.
The CEO is named Tony; Zero is the mastermind who created Daisy; Leif is Zero鈥檚 wife, a highly paid executive and marketing director; and Shru is the janitor.
鈥淭hey all have different perspectives on Daisy,鈥� Cleveland said. 鈥淪ome people think tech like this could replace jobs people don鈥檛 want to do. Others think a robot should connect with people; others think this is problematic.鈥�
The Exodus Ensemble emerged from the pandemic.
鈥淚 went to St. John鈥檚 (College in Santa Fe) and then I went to DePaul (University in Chicago),鈥� Cleveland said. 鈥淲e all graduated and started working professionally. Then COVID happened and the industry shut down.鈥�
Cleveland sent an email to 鈥渁ll of the best actors鈥� inviting them to Santa Fe to rent a house and create a theater company. They spent most of 2020 in the house creating a contemporary version of Anton Chekhov鈥檚 1887 play 鈥淚vanov.鈥�
In 2021, they invited a small audience to the home to see it.
鈥淲ord spread and we kept doing it,鈥� she said.
Last year, the group performed 鈥淶ero鈥� in San Francisco 鈥渋n one of those cool tech companies,鈥� Cleveland said.
Next year, they are taking it to New York.
鈥淲e ask for donations after every show,鈥� Cleveland added. 鈥淟ast year we raised $500,000.鈥�
