Marjorie - Prime

: A central concept in the play is that human memory is not a fixed record but a "sedimentary layer" that changes each time it is accessed. Primes are fed stories by the living, which means they often reflect a "curated" or sanitized version of the past rather than the truth.

: The play examines the ethics of using AI to stave off the loneliness of bereavement. While Primes offer comfort to some, like Marjorie’s son-in-law Jon , they can also exacerbate grief or create "unrealistic, artificial relationships" for others, like her daughter Tess . Marjorie Prime

: In a "superb and very cinematic" conclusion, the stage often utilizes a turntable to show a family that is "whole again"—but composed entirely of Primes, raising questions about a post-human future where machines continue to repeat human stories forever. Production and Legacy : A central concept in the play is

: Harrison describes the play as its own form of a Turing test , challenging the audience to distinguish between the "cold, placid approximation" of an AI and the "frenzied contradiction" of a human being. Dramatic Structure and Plot Highlights While Primes offer comfort to some, like Marjorie’s

Marjorie Prime , a 2015 Pulitzer Prize finalist by , is a hauntingly intimate play exploring the intersections of memory , artificial intelligence , and grief . Set in the near future, it follows 85-year-old Marjorie, who uses a "Prime"—a holographic AI replica of her deceased husband, Walter—to help her navigate the fog of dementia.