In conversation with Olivia Staaf | Control

In this week's Backstage Blog, we spoke to Olivia Staaf, Director of Control, about their journey bringing Keziah Warner's dystopian sci-fi to the Explosives Factory stage.

In the not-so-distant future, a heavily pregnant ex-ballerina, a child detective, a bitter puppeteer and a feminist pop princess hurtle towards Mars in a Big Brother-style spaceship. The world is watching. Isn’t it? On the eve of a revolution, Nicki and Caroline attempt to gain control over their lives as their AI superior Alex, dances the night away. Spanning across half a century from Melbourne to Mars, Control is a startling and provocative play by Keziah Warner that delves deep into our relationship with technology: its moral ambiguities, its dependencies, and its potential.

Q: Keziah Warner's Control questions who is really in control: the human, the AI, the systems or even the narratives we tell ourselves. So, as an artist bringing new voice to this text, where do you sit? Who do you think is in 'Control'?

Bringing Keziah’s play to life has brought about a lot of conversation, speculation and debate amongst the team. I don’t think we know who is in control! The play delves into questions about conspiracies, perception and the illusion of control. We don’t necessarily get a finite answer.

Q: Your background gives you an incredibly unique and specific lens through which to view this text. Could you speak to how your experience in science communication shaped how you tackle this text?

In recent years I have drawn inspiration from my time as a science communicator at Science Gallery Melbourne to inform my creative practice as a theatre maker. I, like many others, believe artistic and scientific practices are intrinsically linked through their shared demand for creative rigour in speculation and investigation. A question is posed, research is undertaken and results are found, scrutinised and eventually shared with the wider community. From my experience, effective science communication draws upon the art of engaging storytelling. Characters, world-building and narrative transform into vessels for making complex, abstract theory more approachable and better understood by those who would otherwise remain disengaged. I love that Control gives me the opportunity as a theatre maker to investigate contemporary quandaries in the realm of science and technology, and to communicate these ideas to audiences via speculative fiction. 

Q: The cultural conversation around AI is overflowing with discourse right here and now. How have you tackled the idea of Artificial Intelligence in Control? 

We are propelled into prospective futures across the course of Control and AI assumes different forms within the play. In Control, we present AI in various audio, visual and physical ways as the capabilities, potential and scope of this technology expands over the duration of the play. Perhaps more importantly, we examine how the human characters navigate AI as an unavoidable, ever-changing and multi-potent entity. The way we interface with AI continues to rapidly evolve in our world today and Control asks us to question what becomes of human relationships when we increasingly gravitate towards AI for connection and productivity. 

Q: What will surprise audiences about this work?

Amongst many things, how our world sits uncomfortably close to the imagined worlds of Control. 

Q: What's been the most memorable moment of your process so far?    

The rehearsal process has been an absolute joy and the whole team is a delight to work with. For a play that tackles some of the most complex concerns of our time, bringing it to life has involved a lot of laughter and fun. 

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Control plays at Explosives Factory From October 22 - November 1.

Click here to get your tickets!