Article by Jeremy Walsh for Pleasanton Weekly 3/11/26
The nonprofit theater company will host the second installment of 2026 Science@Play, a new play by (human) writer Cleavon Smith.
“The Moon Is Always Full” examines the innovations of brain implants enhanced by AI, and the ethical questions and potential liabilities that come with such medical and technological advancements.
“I’m diving into the emotional and ethical terrain of AI-driven medical science — especially technology implanted in the brain,” Smith said. “I’m fascinated by the promise of healing and enhancement, but also by the power structures behind it. When technology is literally inside your mind, who has agency? Who benefits? Who gets left out? Theater is the perfect space to wrestle with those questions.”
A theatrical reading with light staging directed by Norman Gee, “The Moon Is Always Full” will be presented March 27-29 at SPARC Studio. Science@Play actors are Rice, Li-Leng Au, Sierra Bolar, Gregg Le Blanc and Will Livingston.