Patricia Milton's Comedy THE ENGINE OF OUR DISRUPTION Comes to Central Works

Central Works 2023 Season concludes with the comedy THE ENGINE OF OUR DISRUPTION, written by the award-winning playwright in residence Patricia Milton  (Oct 14–Nov 12, previews Oct 12 & 13), with this timely satire in which Artificial Intelligence meets Authentic Misconduct. 

“I’ve been interested in AI ever since I noticed using GPS has led to my inability to navigate my own car,” remarks resident playwright Patrica Milton. “As we adopt AI more and more, what other human faculties might get weaker?” 

In Milton’s new comedy THE ENGINE OF OUR DISRUPTION, Kamiri is the newly-hired Chief Ethics Officer of a mega-tech company named Bubble, where Artificial Intelligence promises to open up a whole new world of technological possibilities. But when Kamiri discovers that Bubble is developing a new wearable device intended to guide users in their day-to-day ethical decisions, she finds herself in an ethical dilemma of her own. Will she risk her job in order to do the right thing?  What is the right thing to do? Oh, and her boss is an ex-lover. What does Artificial Intelligence have to say about that? The production is directed by Gary Graves with a cast that features Chelsea Bearce, Louel Señores, Michael Tuton and Jan Zvaifler. THE ENGINE OF OUR DISRUPTION plays Thur & Fri at 8pm, Sat at 7pm & Sun at 5pm (previews Oct 12 & 13).  More info: centralworks.org

“Just as AI hype hits a fever pitch, I’ve noticed Big Tech companies laying off or firing the bulk of their AI Ethics teams,” comments playwright Patrica Milton. “Ousted Google AI Ethics Officer, Timnit Gebru, has said, ‘I’m not worried about machines taking over the world. I’m worried about groupthink, insularity, and arrogance in the AI community. Who will regulate this rapidly expanding technology, whose own developers admit they don’t understand how it works?’ Milton continues, “These concerns led me to write the play. It’s not a bots-gone-rogue tale, but rather a satirical comedy that examines developer bias, self-actualizing cars, and the idea of turning over all our decisions to an ethics-trained wearable. After all, what could go wrong?”

THE ENGINE OF OUR DISRUPTION is developed with the Central Works Writers Workshop, an ongoing commissioning program established in 2012.  Three times yearly, in 12-week sessions, 8 local playwrights are selected to develop projects through informal readings and carefully directed discussions.This Central Works Method plays bring together writer, actors and director at the very outset of the playwriting process. In a supportive workshop environment, group research and collective brainstorming contribute to the entire development of the script.

Patricia Milton (playwright) is Resident Playwright at Central Works, and her plays have been produced around the world. Her productions at Central Works include Bamboozled (Outstanding Production, East Bay, and Outstanding Ensemble, Theatre Bay Area), Hearts of Palm, Reduction in Force, The Victorian Ladies' Detective Collective (BroadwayWorld Critics Choice "Best of Maine" 2022, at The Public Theater) and Escape from the Asylum (Outstanding Production, 2022, SF Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle). Enemies: Foreign and Domestic was awarded Outstanding World Premiere Play by Theatre Bay Area. Her audio plays are Bystanders (Central Works) and The Law of Attraction (New Conservatory Theater Center, San Francisco). Without Mercy was commissioned and produced by Off-Broadway West. Her comedy Believers was produced in San Francisco (Wily West Productions) and ran for three years in Istanbul, Turkey. She is a former Regional Representative for the Dramatists Guild and former President, Playwrights Center of San Francisco.

Gary Graves (director) has been a resident playwright and company co-director at Central Works since 1998. He has been a part of developing 72 world premiere productions with the company, many of which he has either written and/or directed. Some of the other productions he has directed for the company include The Dignity Circle, Dreaming in Cuban, The Lady Matador’s Hotel, King of Cuba, Bamboozled, Chekhov’s WARD 6, Into the Beautiful North, and Machiavelli’s The Prince. He directed the company’s first collaboratively developed script, Roux, written by Samantha King and produced at the Berkeley City Club in 1997. He also leads the Central Works Playwriting Program, and he teaches playwriting year-round at the Berkeley Rep School of Theater.

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