FULL LENGTH PLAY
Dramedy
Dramedy
Two people unite against a crisis and divide on how to break through, revealing that sometimes fantasy is the perfect reality for impossible futures.
Gina, a transgender woman, and Keith, a cisgender man, navigate the joys and complexities of life over the course of their relationship. As emerging technologies offer a chance to connect with those who’ve passed away, both must decide what being alive actually means.
Impossible Theories Of Us is a play full of complicated hope, unfolding spirituality, and the dynamic ways one couple navigates mortality. Exploring both the possibilities and responsibilities of artificial intelligence, it challenges our expectations of what truly makes us human.
Gina, a transgender woman, and Keith, a cisgender man, navigate the joys and complexities of life over the course of their relationship. As emerging technologies offer a chance to connect with those who’ve passed away, both must decide what being alive actually means.
Impossible Theories Of Us is a play full of complicated hope, unfolding spirituality, and the dynamic ways one couple navigates mortality. Exploring both the possibilities and responsibilities of artificial intelligence, it challenges our expectations of what truly makes us human.
CHARACTER INFORMATION
Gina - Trans Woman, 30s/40s
Keith - Cis Man, 30s/40s
THEMES
trans joy, marriage, hope, artificial intelligence
AWARDS & RECOGNITION
FINALIST
Bay Street Theater, NYC - 2024
SEMIFINALIST
American Stage Theatre Company, FL - 2024
OFFICIAL SELECTION - STORIES OF DIVERSITY
The Fulton Theatre, PA - 2023
SEMIFINALIST
The Del Shores Foundation Writers Search, CA - 2023
SEMIFINALIST
The Morgan-Wixson Theatre, CA - 2023
REVIEWS & RECOMMENDATIONS
“A brilliant play about loss and the ethics of AI technology. This play has a fantastic role for a trans woman.”
(Shaun Leisher)
“There's a charming Black Mirror aesthetic to IMPOSSIBLE THEORIES OF US by John Mabey, but Mabey goes deeper than that in their IMPOSSIBLE THEORIES. While a Black Mirror episode might leave the reader with a bleak overall feeling of "technology is bad", Mabey explores the ethics of AI as well as love, grief, and trans identity in a meaty, highly stylized full-length piece for two actors with an inventive narrative structure. A miracle? A tragedy? A rom-com? It's all of these things. Sounds impossible, but I have a theory John Mabey has pulled through for us.”
(Peter Fenton)
“A lovely meditation on the joy of authentic connection and the question of what makes us human. From their earliest, fresh and funny meet-cute connection through the grappling with what memory means to their final incorporeal reunion, Gina and Keith are constantly engaging and constantly pulling us into their struggle with the very nature of reality.”
(Paul Donnelly)
“A beautiful, beautiful play about loss, memory, grief, identity, relationships, technology, and the very essence of humanity--some weighty stuff! I appreciated how huge existential themes were explored through this charming, intimate, deftly-rendered relationship. I also so appreciated how Gina existed as a trans character and her world and life were so clearly shaped and influenced by various bits of her identity, but we saw her journey in an extremely intersectional manner. How her gender was discussed with Keith as he and Gina contemplated his fate and impending transformation in the "past tense" scenes was nuanced and lovely.”
(Nick Malakhow)
(Shaun Leisher)
“There's a charming Black Mirror aesthetic to IMPOSSIBLE THEORIES OF US by John Mabey, but Mabey goes deeper than that in their IMPOSSIBLE THEORIES. While a Black Mirror episode might leave the reader with a bleak overall feeling of "technology is bad", Mabey explores the ethics of AI as well as love, grief, and trans identity in a meaty, highly stylized full-length piece for two actors with an inventive narrative structure. A miracle? A tragedy? A rom-com? It's all of these things. Sounds impossible, but I have a theory John Mabey has pulled through for us.”
(Peter Fenton)
“A lovely meditation on the joy of authentic connection and the question of what makes us human. From their earliest, fresh and funny meet-cute connection through the grappling with what memory means to their final incorporeal reunion, Gina and Keith are constantly engaging and constantly pulling us into their struggle with the very nature of reality.”
(Paul Donnelly)
“A beautiful, beautiful play about loss, memory, grief, identity, relationships, technology, and the very essence of humanity--some weighty stuff! I appreciated how huge existential themes were explored through this charming, intimate, deftly-rendered relationship. I also so appreciated how Gina existed as a trans character and her world and life were so clearly shaped and influenced by various bits of her identity, but we saw her journey in an extremely intersectional manner. How her gender was discussed with Keith as he and Gina contemplated his fate and impending transformation in the "past tense" scenes was nuanced and lovely.”
(Nick Malakhow)
“Stunning. As brilliant as the light display that envelops the entire piece. John Mabey gives us two characters who instantly charm us and takes us on a journey through their life together and beyond. Whether through science or a miracle, or the miracle of science, the prospect of immortality raises fascinating questions about AI, humanity, memories, and more. There’s a reason this play is gaining so much recognition. Read it and you’ll understand.”
(Morey Norkin)
(Morey Norkin)
“I don't often gravitate towards sci-fi, but this play is a stunning exception. This is an achingly human, beautiful work that had me fully engaged the entire time. The relationship between Gina and Keith is tender, honest, and believable in a way that it takes incredible skill to capture. "Impossible Theories of Us" is sheer brilliance start to end; it deserves a full production, and soon.”
(Jack Seamus Conley)
(Jack Seamus Conley)
“A gorgeously written character-driven sci-fi where the two leads have undeniable chemistry and not a beat is wasted. The final image in this play took my breath away.”
(Baylee Shlichtman)
(Baylee Shlichtman)
“IMPOSSIBLE THEORIES OF US is a tender, timeless journey through love, longing, and loss that incorporates imagined (future) technologies resulting in an exquisite science fiction romance. Mabey’s talent for crafting three-dimensional characters through their choices works in tandem with his fine ear for truthfully layered dialogue to create an utterly human story that’s stunning in its simplicity. Theaters will be lucky to produce this knock-out of a play!”
(Sarah Tuft)
(Sarah Tuft)
“ITOU is the best kind of sci-fi, where abstract concepts—faith, identity, the afterlife—are made literal and urgent by speculative circumstances (in this case, advanced AI technology which can recreate consciousness from recorded memories).
ITOU reminds me a bit of my favorite episode of Black
Mirror, and a bit of John Mighton’s quantum physics romance, POSSIBLE WORLDS—but this play is uniquely John Mabey. Gina’s transness is an essential element of her character and the play. It’s not her trauma, but her superpower, allowing her to imagine a self that shifts and expands and contains multitudes. ”
(Jillian Blevins)
ITOU reminds me a bit of my favorite episode of Black
Mirror, and a bit of John Mighton’s quantum physics romance, POSSIBLE WORLDS—but this play is uniquely John Mabey. Gina’s transness is an essential element of her character and the play. It’s not her trauma, but her superpower, allowing her to imagine a self that shifts and expands and contains multitudes. ”
(Jillian Blevins)
“The first John Mabey play I ever read was "True Skies," and it blew me away. It was so incredible to discover the rest of that touching and memorable story - and who could have guessed that it would be a science fiction epic about what it means to be human? Truly, reflecting the best of humanity on the stage seems to be Mabey's gift. This play is, at turns, harrowing and hopeful, but always about people, warts and all. The mastery of dialogic rhythm brings it to the next level.
Genre theatre at its best! ”
(Aly Kantor)
Genre theatre at its best! ”
(Aly Kantor)
READINGS & WORKSHOPS
The Fulton Theatre, PA - 2023
The Neurodivergent New Play Series, NYC - 2023
Playhouse On Park, CT - 2024
Seattle Public Theatre, WA - 2024
The Neurodivergent New Play Series, NYC - 2023
Playhouse On Park, CT - 2024
Seattle Public Theatre, WA - 2024
IMAGES
The Fulton Theatre - images by Kevin Faraci
The Fulton Theatre - images by Kevin Faraci
The Fulton Theatre - images by Kevin Faraci
The Fulton Theatre - images by Kevin Faraci
The Fulton Theatre - images by Kevin Faraci
Playhouse On Park, CT
Playhouse On Park, CT
Playhouse On Park, CT
Playhouse On Park, CT
