Marjorie Prime – Meet the Director

Hello Hole in the Wall Friends and Family!

The time has come again for another live production at our favorite little theater on Main Street! It is the tale of artificial intelligence and memories of days past, Marjorie Prime by Jordan Harrison.

While the play will look into the lives of a family, we’re looking into the minds of the talented folks that are part of the shows cast. But, before that, we decided to have a chat with the mastermind behind it all. Fresh off his performance as Vladimir (Didi) in Hole in the Wall’s production of Waiting for Godot, meet the director, George Sebastian-Coleman!

What drew you to direct this play and what is your favorite piece of technology?

George: My son had read the play and recommended it, which caused me to read it and I liked it. I thought the story was intriguing, that it was an interesting and moving piece of theatre. After a second read, I knew I wanted to direct it. Lately, I’ve gotten really into 3-D printing; that’s been my pandemic hobby. I’m into model railroading so I’ve been making parts for trains. I also made a chess set for my son.

Very early on in the script Marjorie notes that Tess is “the mother now.” When working with an aging parent or adult in your life, how do you work with them to ensure their comfort but that they keep their sense of dignity? 

George: My mother suffered from relatively moderate Alzheimer’s before she passed. Like most, she really resented the restrictions put on her freedom to move around or go for a walk. She was living in an assisted living facility and was moved to a wing with locked doors to prevent patients from wandering around.  Like in the script, I think that keeping people at home is a great option; however, it is not doable for many. 

Some of the roles in this show are not actually human, but Artificial Intelligence. What do you think the benefits to having your own AI in real life would be? The consequences?

George: Ideally, the AI would remember “Why I came into this room.” I guess I don’t really see an advantage to having an AI and I have tried to really limit the use of Siri in my house. I’ve had Siri make the occasional phone call when I’m driving, but other than that I really don’t enjoy the idea of it listening in at home.

Although Marjorie’s memory is failing her, characters in the show are there to help her remember her life. What is one memory that you would want someone to help you remember?

George: The birth of our first child, to pick a single memory. It marked such a change for me. I was 40 years old, I had my children late in life so it was a major change.

Throughout the play one particularly unpleasant memory for Tess and Marjorie  is skirted around. If you lost your memory, would you want your loved ones to do the same and omit unpleasant memories, or would you want to know your memories, for better or worse? 

George: I guess I don’t see any need to bring up bad memories. I don’t see any need to remind people of past traumas they may have experienced.

Well, luckily, we’ll be making great memories with the cast of Marjorie Prime as I’m sure George is. We wanna thank George not just for talking to us, but also for putting together what is sure to be another great production!

Tickets are available right now on this very website, so get them quick because Marjorie Prime starts this week and will only be here for three weekends. Be sure to follow us on all our social media and we will see you on the stage.