Red Stitch Actors’ Theatre presents the Australian premiere of Your Name Means Dream, written by Oscar nominee and Obie Award-winning playwright José Rivera (The Motorcycle Diaries). Under the direction of multiple Green Room Award and Matilda Award nominee Kat Henry, this powerful two-hander opens on 26 October and will run through to 24 November.
Set in a near-future New York City, Your Name Means Dream tells the story of Aislin, an elderly woman struggling to navigate a world becoming increasingly alien to her. Her caregiver, Stacy, is perfectly toned, ageless and utterly in control. She’s also a robot. While Aislin suffers the inevitable indignities of being human, Stacy begins to question what it truly means to live and wonders what she’s missing out on.
The play brings to the forefront questions about humanity, technology, and the future of care. In a society where the line between human and machine is rapidly blurring, Rivera examines how we live, die, and form our sense of self.
Promising to deliver the powerful performances Red Stitch is known for, Your Name Means Dream features long-time ensemble member Caroline Lee alongside rising star Lucy Ansell who had her big theatre debut in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, before appearing on Australian screens in Force Of Nature: The Dry 2 and Binge Original Series Strife.
Now Melbourne audiences will have the chance to experience Rivera’s thought-provoking work firsthand, after receiving rave reviews from its world premiere at the Contemporary American Theatre Festival in West Virginia in 2023.
Your Name Means Dream delves deeply into the contemporary concerns surrounding AI and what it means to grow old in a tech-driven world, taking the conversation around the future of caregiving to a whole new level. But at its core, it is an intimate exploration of a relationship filled with humour, tension and emotion.
This will be Red Stitch’s fourth Australian Premiere of its 2024 season, rounding out another exceptional year for Melbourne’s big little theatre. Tickets are on sale now at redstitch.net.
