EDINBURGH 2023: Review: TOMORROW'S CHILD, Assembly Checkpoint

When Ray Bradbury wrote Tomorrow’s Child, the 80s seemed so far away. From the perspective of the readers, who were just coming out of the second global conflict of the century, 40 years in the future must have felt like an eternity. Published in 1948 in a collection of other pieces by the author, it sees Peter and Polly’s baby being born into an alternate dimension. Stuck with a boy who will never be human in their reality, they have to make a tough choice.

Matthew Waddell, Eric Rose, and David van Belle adapt the popular piece of science fiction into an impressive spatial audio experience. Blindfolded and asked not to move, audiences are required to engage their imagination. At its very core and essence, it’s a very fancy radio play built to work with a series of speakers carefully positioned in the room.

The company throws the participants, whose eyes have been covered before they enter the space and are guided in place by the team, straight into the action. We’re immediately following the couple on their way to give birth to their child with some new painless tech.

Innumerable noises, voices, and notes of all kinds create a 360-degree retro journey to the future. While the blindfold doesn’t completely plunge the individual into the darkness, it evokes an air of mystery and immerses them in a world of weird pregnancy methods and pyramidal children. It’s an engrossing adventure that showcases a remarkable use of sound design.

Tomorrow's Child runs at the Assembly Checkpoint on the following dates: 12-14, 16-28 August.

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