Electric agenda puts emotion center stage

An innovative play blends conceptions of Shakespeare's female characters and explorations of virtual human development, Li Yingxue reports.

A rhythmic heartbeat echoes beyond the dimly lit stage and throughout the theater. As the lights brighten, a company named Shakespeare Holdings comes into view. They're working on a unique project: crafting emotionally supportive electronic plants inspired by female characters from Shakespeare's plays.

This sets the scene for the play, Shakespeare's Garden. Despite the name, it's not a tale about Shakespeare's love life or his female characters as a group. Instead, it delves into the intersection of technology and emotions.

Characters like Ophelia, Cleopatra and Lady Macbeth take center stage. They are intertwined into the 24-hour life of an employee, known as A, at Shakespeare Holdings. The play explores the mix of classic and modern elements, workplace realities and childhood traumas, and the contrast between vivid human emotions and emotionless electronic plants.