What a revelation! Last night I attended a performance of Answering Machines by Jordan Noble at the East Riding Theatre, in Beverley.

By Angie Millard

This fantastic venue has been converted from a Baptist Church into a performance space (seating 190) with a box office, large concourse and bar which is perfect for socialising. The season from September to February is packed with a range of entertainment and is supported by sponsors as well as many volunteers.

But what of last night’s offering? 

Answering Machines was developed through the theatre’s ‘Play Lab’ programme and explores our growing dependence on tech. The piece cleverly analyses what makes us human and how to hang on to it.

The protagonist, played by Vincent Regan, declares, ‘they gave me six months, ten months ago… I’ve stopped all the treatments.’ He is alone except for his phone which can answer any questions and provide for his needs. This voice, provided by Lesley Sharp, is a constant presence, all knowing but devoid of any humanity.

The atmosphere is bleak and comfortless as Regan aptly demonstrates wringing real water from his socks as he slumps in a polythene wrapped environment. He maintains an unemotional acceptance of his fate until his phone informs him that he still owns a garage in the grounds of his former family home.

Curiosity prompts him to search out this place and transport in a driverless car is provided for him to investigate. The relentless fatigue of his condition is shown as he drifts into sleep and is warned by the voice of his phone that he will be taken to a layby to rest if he gives in to this. He continues a mission to search for his past, refusing to give in.

I was reminded of EM Forster’s When the Machine Stops and the messages of Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, but this was chillingly contemporary.

The design and technical realisation of his world is impressive and on arrival we see an array of television screens and an old-fashioned answering machine. As the story unfolds, we are told of his mother’s gradual transformation into a bitter, resentful individual after his younger sister’s death. Regan movingly uses the AI representation of real conversation to heal himself and connect with his childhood. He huddles on the floor, movingly taking comfort from the artificial voice.

Later after his death an estranged niece enters and completes the circle of loss and regret. Her presence is life affirming.

The director, Michael Kinsey, has managed to create a bleak place where someone is alone and in need of comfort. The use of a voice which cobbles together memories and offers reality is a salutary warning of modern reliance on tech and the threat of AI.

The whole production is impressive; the maintenance of dramatic tension and futuristic nihilism works well to underline the need for humanity to feel the world first hand. The creative team provides the soundscape and scenic background to achieve this.

Audiences need to be provoked into analysis of contemporary trends not soothed by musical wallpaper. I left the theatre in a thoughtful mood. Thank you ERT!

Answering Machines is being performed at East Riding Theatre, Beverley until 27 September 2025.