Set in the distant future, the upcoming UBC Theatre and Film production Pyper explores timely concerns about what it means to grow up in a world so dominated by technology that human identity has become obscured in its shadow.
The play follows the sojourn of ten cyborg-teens as they attempt to trace their origin and prove their existence before they are “retired” at graduation.
The themes the play expresses range from the primordial existential question of “Who am I?”, to living in a world where technology is omnipresent. But, ultimately, the overriding purpose of the play is to ask the audience to consider what humanity still means in the 21st century when computers and AI have made rapid progress in making humans obsolete.
On the performance of the play at UBC, Director Leora Morris said, “It’s been thrilling to gather with this group of extraordinary artists to dig into Susanna’s rich, funny, and fearless text. The process keeps reminding me that even the most pressing questions are ones we can face in community, through playfulness, connection, and delight.”
Pyper was written by Susanna Fournier and was first performed at Cawthra Park Secondary School’s drama department in Mississauga, Ontario, before going on to win the 2025 Playwrights Guild of Canada’s Tom Hendry Award for best new theatre for young audiences script.
The performance at UBC will mark the play’s first appearance at a university and is the Department of Theatre and Film’s final production of the 2025-2026 season.
Pyper runs from March 11-28 at the Frederic Wood Theatre, and tickets are available online on the department’s website.
DANIEL LI IS A GRADE 12 STUDENT PASSIONATE ABOUT POLITICS AND JOURNALISM.