Autonomy Is In A Class All Its Own

I can truly promise that you will never see a show like this again. 

You've heard of drive-in movie theaters, but have you heard of drive-in plays? No?

You wouldn't be alone! It's a highly unusual concept, but a drive-in play (or maybe a drive-by play is more accurate) is exactly what Autonomy, the latest show from the ever innovative Mixed Blood Theater, is. Hosted in St. Paul's River Centre, Autonomy is a densely packed, politically charged play set amidst a closely curated collection of exotic automobiles that moves the audience through the action on golf carts, rather than having us sit statically in a theater as usual.

Photo by Rich Ryan

It's hard to succinctly describe exactly what Autonomy is all about. The main characters focus on the life of Gabby Reyes, an undocumented teenager, as she tries to survive in an America where ICE has unfettered powers three years from now and her father has recently died in a car accident. Hidden away from the public for risk of deportation, Gabby slaves away online to invent a free coding program for controlling autonomous vehicles that will help barter her freedom and make the world safer. Gabby is finally hunted down by for-profit companies like Amazon and Ford to take her coding offline, and a new chapter begins. At the same time, scientists are working to clone woolly mammoths to assist in the fight against climate change and unknowingly release an ancient pandemic in the process. All of these threads take place in and around cars and transportation. 2022 is a world where almost all vehicles are automated, and Autonomy closely examines the nuanced implications of transitioning the world to an automated driving system (which are far more complex than anyone might suspect).

Photo by Rich Ryan

The large cast is almost a who's who of #tctheater, including several of my personal local favorites. You can see three possible actresses play Gabby Reyes; we had Isabella LaBlanc, who is quickly becoming one of my top young performers to watch locally. LaBlanc is dynamic and emotional, and you can't help but empathize with her plight as the show unfolds. Other amazing performers from my local favorites include Juan Rivera Labron; Malachi Caballero; Bruce Young; Raúl Ramos; Taj Ruler; Nathan Barlow; and Ansa Akyea, all of whom make poignant cameos. There is also a delightful voiceover short film starring Joy Dolo, Stephen Yoakam and Jeff Hatcher that was hilarious and utterly charming; it reminded me of something you might see on Adult Swim, and I'd happily subscribe to a channel of similar shorts featuring local actors.

Photo by Rich Ryan

The set is really just a chance to look at all those specialty cars! It's a dizzying array of types from many eras of American automotive design, from Corvettes to El Caminos to DeLoreans. My personal favorite included a suite of movie themed cars in pristine condition. This collection included a Gotham Roadster Batmobile; Jaguar XKE Series 1, also known as the Austin Powers "Shag Jag"; a 1981 DeLorean just like the Back to the Future Time Machine; the Ghostbusters station wagon; and a bonafide Ford Econoline Scooby Doo Mystery Machine. It was so nostalgic and fun to be that close to those famous cars, and it really showed how much character and personality an inanimate object can carry.

Photo by Rich Ryan

Ambitious is hardly a big enough word to describe what Autonomy is. There are so many things about this play that are truly unique: it's not set in a theater at all; attendees have to drive around from station to station to see the show; nothing is told in a linear fashion; there are 9 concurrent productions happening at any given moment; dozens of actors and cars are included in the show, all of whom are giving distinct performances; attendees have to wear ear pieces to hear all of the dialog in the cavernous space; film elements have to be routinely switched and coordinated to match each cast member acting for each specific group, without disrupting the radio channels that the 8 other groups are listening to; and so on. It's a mammoth undertaking and mostly successful. We had some audio glitches at the very beginning of our performance, but they were quickly fixed and the rest of the show went seamlessly. I also definitely recommend getting a seat in the middle carts if possible to help with visibility, although any position will allow you to see the action. Overall, Autonomy is a really impressive risk to take, and hats off to Director Jack Rueller for the mountains of work he surely completed in order to get this off the ground and the insanity the sound and tech teams are tackling in every performance with very few errors.

Photo by Rich Ryan

I thoroughly enjoyed Autonomy and learned so much from the unusual mix of subject matter. It's an awkward mix of things on the surface - who else would be smart (crazy?) enough to combine immigration policy, automated (aka robotic) cars, and climate change into a single show that finishes in less than two hours? Somehow Autonomy not only works but actually hits on some surprisingly profound insights. Every person I overheard leaving the River Centre was having rich conversations about things they learned, and there are just so many ways in which to engage with this material. While the story may be fictional, many of the events are based on things that have actually already happened, and it's really important to remember that issues are always more complicated than they seem on the surface. Autonomy is an absolute blast and a completely different kind of theater experience, one that I highly recommend you see. I have heard that the first two nights are already completely sold out, and there are only four days of performance available - so make sure to click here to snap up your tickets ASAP before they're gone forever.

Photo by Rich Ryan