←Recommendations of Sisters

Sci-fi firmly rooted in reality. A beautiful, emotional exploration about the literal relationship between AI and humanity. The simplicity of the tech elements required keeps this play accessible to theatres of any scale. What a rewarding piece for the actors cast in either role!

I am a lover of plays about robots (and AI entities, generally) and the best pieces have something simple yet profound to say about the experience of being human. This is a gorgeously structured play that, at its heart, tells the story of two sisters, both with their own unique limitations, who act the way sisters do. They are cruel, and kind, and secretive, and cognitive of their shared origins, but still distinct entities with their own desires in the world. Their journey is so foreign but still incredibly familiar and left me feeling deliciously raw. Catharsis at its best!

Premiere Stages, the professional Equity theatre in residence at Kean University, is pleased to recognize “Sisters” by Matthew Libby as a Semi-Finalist for the 2023 Premiere Play Festival. “Sisters” rose through a competitive selection process conducted by Premiere staff and a panel of outside theatre professionals to become one of 40 Semi-Finalists out of 701 submissions. The panel was particularly impressed by the play’s simple, beautiful humanity, as well as the pertinent central questions surrounding humanity, technology, and ethics. Our congratulations and thanks to Matthew.

An absolutely unique and stunning work of theater -- wildly inventive, intellectually provocative, emotionally gripping and hugely entertaining. A play that leaves you breathless with wonder and admiration!

This sci-fi play about a woman and her sister (who happens to be an Artificial Intelligence program) is one of the most emotionally impactful things I've read in quite a while. To say more would be to deprive you of discovering the pleasures of this play for yourself. So don't read anything else. Just download it and read it, OK? Trust me.

Matthew Libby continues his exploration of the intersection of technology and humanity. Here, he gives us two sisters—one human, one a computer—and explores their complex and fascinating relationship over 90 years. Greta’s desire to be a human is heart wrenching, Matilda’s complex feelings about her sister, and the grief they both feel over the loss of their parents are explored with Libby’s trademark wit, incision, and compassion. Theatrically innovative, this play also manages to flesh out a full character without them stepping onstage. I look forward to seeing where this play goes!

Wow! This piece is a brilliant exploration of a lot (friendship, family, loneliness, grief, loss, aging, AI sentience, the intersection of relationships and technology) with very few/adaptable theatrical requirements. It is moving, funny, truthful, and heartbreaking. I'd be so delighted to see this on its feet some day soon!