OVO PRESENTS, THE WORLD PREMIERE OF:
FOREVERLAND
Shortlisted for The Papatango Prize for New Writing in 2021
Southwark Playhouse Borough
2nd – 19th October 2024
https://southwarkplayhouse.co.uk/productions/foreverland
“In Foreverland Emma has created a gripping and insightful dystopian drama that proved incredibly popular with our reading team and was well deserving of its place on the shortlist”
Papatango New Writing Prize 2021
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“This is for her, really.
She’s the one we’re doing this for”
In the very near future, Alice and Jay decide to undergo a new form of gene therapy. One which will indefinitely extend the length of their lives.
They’re optimistic, hoping their decision will lead to perfect careers, the perfect relationship, and most of all, a perfect family.
Life’s good. And you can’t get enough of a good thing, right?
OVO is delighted to announce that new play ‘FOREVERLAND’ by upcoming playwright Emma Hemingford will premiere at Southwark Playhouse Borough (The Little) for a three-week run, from 2nd – 19th October 2024. ‘Foreverland’ isa gripping drama tackling the future of biotechnology and what it might mean to ‘cure’ death, and truly live forever. Grounded in the inter-generational story of one family’s love and loss, the play raises the universal questions; what makes a good life? How far would we go to be with our loved ones? How do the decisions of one generation affect the lives of the next?
‘Foreverland’ imagines a near future in which immortality has become possible for the privileged elite, adding a new and intriguing layer to the concept of the ‘haves and the have nots’. This dystopian projection is far closer to our lived reality than we may realise: a recent boom of Silicon-Valley investment in longevity medicine has caused leading scientists to predict that the first generation of people to live for hundreds of years, or even thousands, has already been born[1].
In the past, the world has welcomed medical advancements that extended the human life-span; but is there a line that should never be crossed? ‘Foreverland’ asks; what would vastly extended human life-spans mean for social change, or for interpersonal relationships?
Tackling a fascinating subject, and one which is both appealing and terrifying in equal measure, ‘Foreverland’ challenges audiences to open up ideological conversations around the issue, borne of witnessing the characters’ intimate dialogues, as their lives look set to be transformed.
More than an exploration of the future of biotech, the play is also a timeless parable with an intimate focus on one family. ‘Foreverland ‘invites audiences to reflect on the deeply ingrained desire for control over our bodies, our lives, and our deaths.
[1] https://www.independent.co.uk/news/long_reads/live-longer-longevity-stem-cells-ageing-a8332701.html