Copycat

Joe Sellman-Leava brings his work-in-progress play Copycat to Theatre@41 on Thursday 23 July, as part of the Halfway to Edinburgh festival. It's a piece that looks at the intersection of AI, art, fascism, and rapid technological change, and it's one of the previews running ahead of its world premiere on August 7 at the Edinburgh Fringe.

Sellman-Leava is a Fringe First winner, known for Labels and Fanboy, and Copycat follows a similar thread of taking a single, specific obsession and pulling it apart. The story revolves around a teacher, a student, and a copycat dictator, and it uses innovative design and impressions to tell it. The central question it asks is whether AI spells the end of humanity or the dawn of a new utopia, and the whole thing is built around those links between art, fascism, and the way technology is moving under our feet.

It's part of Halfway to Edinburgh, a two-week festival at Theatre@41 that serves as a platform for comedy and theatre previews before they head up to the Fringe. The venue has expanded the event to include both stand-up and theatre, and the aim is to showcase new work from comedians and theatre makers. The festival also includes a Test Drive Scratch Night in collaboration with Four Wheel Drive, which highlights local artists and writers.

Theatre@41 is carving out a reputation as a key space in Yorkshire for innovative, quality, and affordable work, and Halfway to Edinburgh is a good example of that. Copycat runs on 23 July, and you can find more details and tickets over at visityork.org/events/copycat.