Machines Like Us - Play Festival March 4, 2011

TCL’S MACHINE’S LIKE US PLAY FESTIVAL CELEBRATES

90TH ANNIVERSARY OF “ROBOTS”

The Theater Company of Lafayette (TCL) presents its Machines Like Us play festival March 4 – 26. Machines Like Us is made up of two alternating productions – the world premiere of Getting Betta, a touching full-length comedy by TCL playwright in residence Don Fried; and Robots Like Us, six wild, funny short plays commissioned by TCL for the festival.

“The word ‘robot’ was first used in Karel Ĉapek’s 1921 play, RUR,” says TCL Artistic Director Madge Montgomery . “I’d been thinking for a while about a play festival to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the term. Then last year Don gave me the script of Getting Betta, which he’d just finished. I loved it, but best of all, it was about a robot! I took it as a sign that we were supposed to go ahead with the project.”

TCL specializes in producing new work; with Machines Like Us, they will have done world premieres of 35 plays in the past 36 months. The 6 playwrights who were commissioned to write the short plays for Robots Like all had plays produced in previous TCL new play festivals.

Performances are at the historic Mary Miller Theater, 300 E. Simpson Street, Lafayette. Tickets prices are $8 – $15, with discounts for buying on-line and for seeing both plays. Purchase tickets online atwww.TCLStage.org or make reservations by calling the Box Office at 720-209-2154.

Performances are:

Friday, March 4, 7:30 pm – Getting Betta
Saturday, March 5, 7:30 pm – Robots Like Us
Sunday, March 6, 2:00 pm – Getting Betta
Sunday, March 6, 6:00 pm – Robots Like Us
Friday, March 11, 7:30 pm – Robots Like Us
Saturday, March 12, 7:30 pm – Getting Betta
Sunday, March 13, 2:00 pm – Robots Like Us
Sunday, March 13, 6:00 pm – Getting Betta
Friday, March 18, 7:30 pm – Getting Betta
Saturday, March 19, 7:30 pm – Robots Like Us
Sunday, March 20, 2:00 pm – Getting Betta
Sunday, March 20, 6:00 pm – Robots Like Us
Friday, March 25, 7:30 pm – Robots Like Us
Saturday, March 26, 7:30 pm – Getting Betta
Synopsis of Getting Betta

Michael is a technologically challenged senior. One day, the mysterious Betta

arrives to help him. Is she human? Can she prevent him from destroying his DVR and himself?

Synopses of Robots Like Us plays

-- "The Uncanny Valley Girl" by Madge Montgomery. A technology professor tries to understand people's aversion to robots.

-- "The End of the World (As We Know It)" by David Golden. Does community theater exist in a post-apocalyptic world?

-- "Going Shopping" by Linda Berry. Just before their wedding, the perfect couple searches for a domestic assistant to match themselves.

-- "Upgrade" by CP Stancich. Sometimes an upgrade isn't an improvement.

-- "The Speaker" by Yohanan Kaldi. A man longs for silence in the presence of an uncooperative loud speaker.

-- "Star-Crossed" by Emily Golden. A lonely young woman may have found the perfect lover.