About the Play:

anthropology is a full-length drama by Lauren Gunderson. A moving exploration of the intersection of family, technology, and legacy, anthropology is a riveting thriller about a Silicon Valley software genius determined to uncover the truth about her sister's disappearance. When an AI chatbot – trained on her sister's texts – begins responding with unsettling accuracy, she is pulled into a high-stakes search for answers, blurring the boundaries between grief, technology, and reality.

anthropology is a gripping mystery thatasks how far we'll go to preserve the people we love – and the cost of trying to bring them back. Merril is one of Silicon Valley's leading software engineers, but her life disintegrates when her younger sister Angie vanishes on her way home from college. A year later, when the police have long abandoned their search, Merril creates a digital replica of her sister by feeding her online footprint into a chatbot. This AI creation becomes a lifeline for Merril, a source of comfort and companionship in the face of overwhelming grief. But her unconventional coping mechanism is met with resistance from those closest to her, who struggle to understand and question how healthy the relationship with a glorified AI chatbot can be. But when 'virtual Angie' offers the possibility that real Angie might be still alive, Merril does everything she can to work with her creation to find her sister. With each new piece of information, the lines between reality and simulation blur, raising profound questions about the nature of identity, memory, and the human condition. anthropology is a deeply human AI thriller about grief, connection and the perceived control over the technology we create.

anthropology premiered in 2023 at Hampstead Theatre off-West End in London. Since then it had a European premiere in 2025 at The English Theatre of Hamburg.

Cast: 4 female

What people say:

"anthropology is up-to-the-minute, grappling with AI and its philosophical implications in a thoroughly engaging way…[It] engages with our tech-mediated lives and with speculative futures in a way theatre rarely does." — The Standard (UK)

"Gunderson prods and pokes around at the ethical implications but deliciously never settles for an answer. Instead she throws down the gauntlet whilst weaving together a cerebral thriller where each twist and turn tugs on the heart strings." — Broadway World

"A highly original, beautifully written piece." — Daily Mail (UK)

"Fizzingly intelligent." — The Times (UK)

"anthropology, this sharp play about the rewards and risk of science also has a satisfying suspense element." — The Guardian (UK)

About the Playwright:

Lauren M. Gunderson is an American playwright, screenwriter, and short story author originally from Atlanta, Georgia. She received her BA in English/Creative Writing at Emory University, and her MFA in Dramatic Writing at NYU Tisch, where she was also a Reynolds Fellow in Social Entrepreneurship.