Have you ever felt like reality was a simulation and you’re waiting to wake up?
If so, you’re not alone. That was a question repeatedly posed last night in the opening performance of ROW YR BOAT (Achievement Unlocked) at the Annex Theater on Capitol Hill. Written by Wesley K. Andrews and directed by Catherine Blake Smith, this thought-provoking, surrealist romantic comedy contrasts the leisurely applications of technology with those spawned from more sinister intentions while also addressing the inevitable ethical implications of the latter.
Heidi Cheyenne stars as Rose, a young gamer and virtual reality enthusiast. While attending a gaming convention, she meets Coyle (Cody Smith) and the skills she demonstrates in the flight simulator booth secure her a position within Danny’s (Tim Gagne) company, ROW YR BOAT LLC, a supplier of pilots and sensors for remotely operated unmanned aerial vehicles. But there’s a catch. As company policy, all drone operators must be married or engaged within the first twelve months of their employment. It isn’t overstepping boundaries, the company representative Julia (Anjelica McMillan) patiently explains, it’s for the employees’ own mental health.
The play progresses with a growing sense of foreboding as over the next year, Rose pursues a relationship with Coyle, though she neglects to explain to him the urgency of her predicament and he remains hesitant to become intimate. Meanwhile, Danny and Rose nurse a mutual attraction in the cockpit while trouble brews at home for Danny, and Coyle is revealed to be keeping secrets from Rose about the true nature of his living circumstances, drawing questions about the viability of their relationship as the deadline fast approaches. And when Rose is suddenly and unexpectedly forced to confront the violent realities of her job piloting Predator drones, she must face the ethical implications of killing the designated militants from the safety of her cockpit half a world away.
Perception of reality is a theme continuously explored throughout the narrative, and the set design reflects that through symmetry and lighting. The set consists of two large, flat platforms – the lowest levels of a two-tiered stage – on the adjacent sides of a larger platform. Crowning the top tier of the stage is a black wall with a huge circular doorway cut from the middle, with little lights around the edge of the hollow circle which lend a futuristic, technological feel to the black box theater that is frequently complimented by the style of furniture carried onstage between scene transitions to create conference booths, office spaces, cockpits, and bars.
Only at Coyle’s farm is the stage ever occupied solely by the actors, and the lighting in these scenes shifts accordingly to reflect the changes in tone and changes in time and setting. As Rose grows unaccustomed to sunlight due to the isolating nature of her job, the outdoor location of Coyle’s farm becomes the brightest space she visits – represented by a gorgeously lit background of jagged mountain silhouettes against a white backdrop.
The costume design is similarly important, as in several scenes the characters’ various stages of undress or their exchanged articles of clothing are indicative of their emotional and physical connections to one another. One example is Coyle, who is pleased that Rose should accept his weathered jacket when she is cold, but who refuses himself to remove his shirt in a moment of intimacy in a bitter twist of irony. Similarly, the costumes for the company’s employees are crisp and professional, masking the jarring marriage of intimacy and violence endemic to their jobs with apparel appropriate for office work, all whilst demonstrating emotionless efficiency.
Written for a politically-conscious and open-minded audience, ROW YR BOAT (Achievement Unlocked) is an engaging narrative driven by the powerful themes of love and violence. The performance offers a nuanced perspective on the moral applications of technology while examining the potential psychological repercussions of the ongoing isolation inherent to a digital world, effectively contrasting the consequences of virtual reality with the physical world in an unforgettable climax. Don’t miss out.
ROW YR BOAT (Achievement Unlocked), written by Wesley K. Andrews and produced by Annex Theater. Showing at Annex Theater, 1100 E Pike St. Seattle, WA 98122. Located on Capitol Hill at the corner of E Pike St. and 11th Ave. Feb 9th to Mar 7th Thurs to Sat @ 7:30pm. Tickets online at www.annextheatre.org/2018-season/main-stage/row-yr-boat-achievement-unlocked or call (206)-774-6083. Info at annextheater.org.