Life Out There review – astronauts search for meaning in atmospheric space oddity
Ransack Theatre's 'Life Out There' by Tim Foley follows five astronauts on a mission to find a new Earth after the original was destroyed; Commander Isaacs has disappeared and his voice may be an AI recreation or memory.
New Play Explores Loneliness in Space
Ransack Theatre presents 'Life Out There', written by Tim Foley, a regular Doctor Who writer. The play features five explorers on a mission to find an alternative Earth after the first was destroyed. Commander Isaacs (voice by Jack Myers) has vanished on a solo shuttle flight, and his voice may be an AI recreation, memory, or ghost from the perspective of his four crewmates: Witney (Sophie Steer), Baby (Brianna Douglas), River (Samuel Gosrani), and Clarke (Alastair Michael). They contemplate landing on galactic location SQ356, a candidate for humanity's second Eden.
Themes and Parallels
The play draws parallels between three forms of life: extraterrestrial, the missing astronaut, and the next human generation. Foley explores cosmology, ecology, and theology, similar to his 2022 play 'Electric Rosary'. Director Piers Black makes minimal attempts to simulate weightlessness, instead using intermittent lighting effects (Alex Fernandes) and sound (Patch Middleton) to create different layers of reality. Movement is by Chi-San Howard.
Performance Details
The play is set in a grey tube spaceship cross-section designed by Milla Clark, emphasizing the claustrophobic fragility of rocket life. It will be performed on 16 July at Jodrell Bank observatory in Cheshire, fitting with the astronomical theme.
