‘Silo’ – as beguiling as it is chilling

The Plough Arts Centre, Torrington – Thursday 15th June 2023.

Silo is set in a dystopian future that feels all too familiar; another lockdown, invisible emotional barriers between family members suddenly becoming tangible obstacles that are hard to ignore and even harder to negotiate. Jody Medland’s play will make you laugh, it will make you gasp, it will make you wince and it will definitely make you think.

The three characters are played by local actors and they are perfectly cast in their roles. Samual Turner is endearing as Jarod – the believability of his earnest good intentions is essential for the audience to retain their sympathy for him throughout this intense 60-minute one-act play. Wayne Murphy-Jerrett as Noah remains roguish and charming even when some of his more brash and vulgar sentiments could have lessened our pity for him. And Emma Berridge as Silo is remarkable; her ‘roboticness’ is subtle and perfectly poised. Her character development as Silo attempts to learn what it is to be human is as beguiling as it is chilling.

The subject of Artificial Intelligence and whether it would aid or destroy us is a popular subject for films and novels; maybe less so for plays. But the medium allows Medland to explore the human questions that are raised by the arguments for and against. As well as this, Wayne Murphy-Jerrett and Samual Turner also sensitively portray the complexity of emotions raised by an estranged father and son trying to communicate directly through indirect means.

Laurie Tarling