Even (and especially) when AI is at its weirdest and most misguided, it can be helpful to remember that it's trained by humans, on human data. That's why this play felt uniquely human—the acknowledgment that we will always yearn for things intangible, like trust, or gestures beyond those necessary for pure survival, like hugs. I think that's why I love the brilliant reversal that this play hinges upon, leaving the audience to decide if this story matters to them. Smart, spare, and timely work!

The community of National Committee readers for the 47th Bay Area Playwrights Festival advanced We Were Made of Stardust as a Semi-Finalist at Playwrights Foundation. We leaned into the world of this play, which dramatizes timely questions around AI and human interaction in fresh and inventive ways. We hope this play is considered for further development and investigation, and finds dedicated collaborators in this play’s journey towards production.