work.txt (summerhall online, 9-11 August)

Do you believe in life after work? This coded experience blends reality with scripted dialogue and questions the true function of the modern worker.

work.txt (work dot text) offers an original take on Zoom theatre- an ever-more impressive feat after eighteen months of theatre migrating online. The audience is invited to walk the line between work and play, creating the cityscape within which our home offices are located and floating between workplace fable and wider social commentary. The result is a fresh, thoroughly engaging piece, made easier for your co-operation.

"The commodification of human bodies, and question of free will, is rife: there's an active engagement with what it means to "function" as a human, reflected in the words and actions we must perform as dictated by an unseen computer programme. "

After clocking in (I'm joined by eight co-workers tonight), work.txt's chat bot invites participants to volunteer for roles within the play (assigning your own workload, if you will). There's a sense of excitement for some, trepidation for others- I quickly find myself rooting for the active members of the audience, and in my worst moment view a particularly unwilling participant as a "shirker".

The central conflict revolves around a worker who ceases to function mid-meeting, prompting a ripple effect of bemusement and existentialism across the globe. The commodification of human bodies, and question of free will, is rife: there's an active engagement with what it means to "function" as a human, reflected in the words and actions we must perform as dictated by an unseen computer programme.

The function of theatre is also toyed with, with Nathan Ellis and Emily Davis' tongue-in-cheek script prompting a debate about whether the purpose of theatre is to respond to immediate events, or provide escapism. On initial engagement, a discussion of singalong theatre feels disparaging of presumed "low-brow" entertainment, but work.txt has its cake and eats it too in a later sequence that's gloriously silly and inclusive.

Tom Foskett-Barnes' soundscape blends computer tones and birdsong, tripping between indoor and outdoor activity to create a simultaneously playful and oppressive take on working from home. Work consistently lingers as a dangerous shadow over the piece: the finale's "end of the working day" refrain shows how limited a life is when lived at a desk. This a manifesto for the wider world outdoors, inviting the audience to stake their claim in this opportunity.

work.txt is streaming until the end of 11th August, you can find details and buy tickets here.