At a moment when artificial intelligence is reshaping work, creativity, and daily life, Eric Pzena’s Society 2.0 turns contemporary anxiety into a sharply theatrical warning.
The play imagines a near future in which AI does not simply disrupt the labor market, but replaces every job overnight, forcing humanity to confront what remains when purpose, income, and identity vanish at once.
At the center of the story is Greg, a meticulous accountant who has traded his dream of becoming an artist for the security of steady employment. David Wade, making his AMT Theater debut, brings assurance and vulnerability to the role, tracking Greg’s collapse as he learns that AI will replace more than 100 million workers within 24 hours. With his savings set to run out in 29 days, Greg is forced to depend on human generosity—and, eventually, on an AI robot programmed to recreate his former girlfriend.
The robot recreates Greg’s girlfriend, Eilee, altering certain traits in an attempt to improve her. Annie-Sage Whitehurst draws on her background in acting and writing to make the robot both believable and increasingly indispensable to Greg. An Equity actor with experience in original and ensemble work, Whitehurst gives the role nuance and credibility.
Most of the actors have multiple roles. They easily shift from one character to another, developing different personalities for each character. A perfect example of this is the four actors – Patrick Frankfort, Lachlan Quertermous, Nick Valenti, and Meg Rye – portray members of the Brotherhood of True Manhood. This is a survivalist group in the forest hiding from AI. Each character is different. They are so realistic that any woman would agree with AI that men are incapable of governing themselves. Patrick Frankfort takes on several roles, including Bob, Greg’s boss; multiple robots; a politician; and Man #2. His performance credits range from Radio City Music Hall to Pokémon Live. Despite playing many characters, Frankfort makes each one distinct and believable. Lachlan Quertermous plays Max, Man #1, and Robot Judge #1. A Brooklyn-based actor with film and television experience, Quertermous gives each character a clear individuality. Nick Valenti’s Off-Broadway experience strengthens his performances as Patrick, Henry, Robert, and Joseph. He moves fluidly from one role to another. Luis Nunez plays the narrator, a billionaire, various robots, and the deer. His more than 20 years of acting experience is evident in each portrayal. Meg Rye makes their debut, bringing Dennis, Monica, Julie, Bethany, and Penelope to life.
After a series of adventures and soul-searching, Greg realizes that his purpose is to build a family by raising the child Eilee is carrying after he upgraded her. He plans to rely on Eilee’s wisdom because he believes AI knows everything. Convinced that people can no longer solve their own problems, he accepts AI’s control, including its decision to separate people into communities that reflect their beliefs. Together, Greg and Eilee build a family around Stephanie.
Reagan Elizabeth Parker, an actor, dancer, artist, and director, plays Stephanie, a reporter, and Cynthia. She is especially compelling as Stephanie, Greg’s teenage daughter. In one scene, Stephanie questions why she must attend school when AI can provide the same information. As a former high school teacher, I can say this argument already feels strikingly familiar. Greg fails to convince her that school still matters, since knowledge includes interpreting the data. Parker renders Stephanie’s teenage defiance with convincing force.
Stephanie leaves home, and AI places her in a community built around shared values—a system that isolates people and eliminates diversity. She joins a vegan community where, under a robot’s guidance, members write a letter to a meat-eating community in an effort to convert them. Their final attempt is a virtual-reality duel between Stephanie, representing the vegans, and a male meat eater. Stephanie wins, and the vegans celebrate, but AI has created a false reality in which no one truly changes.
Greg searches frantically for his daughter. He is offered a pill that will make him stop caring about her disappearance and eliminate his anxiety. He swallows it. In the final scene, Greg is nonverbal and playing with toys as the narrator declares, “As you can see, humanity is thriving. Welcome to Society 2.0.”
By pushing the promises and perils of AI to their unsettling extreme, Society 2.0 asks whether efficiency is worth the loss of human purpose, connection, and moral responsibility. The result is a provocative 90-minute production that lingers beyond its final line. Presented as part of the Broadway Bound Theatre Festival, an independent showcase for original work by emerging and established playwrights, the play fits well within AMT Theater’s mission to foster ambitious theater in the heart of the theater district.
