After William Shakespeare

WINTER'S TALE

In contemporary California, technology industry titans, young billionaires Leo Winter and Paul Warren, are on the brink of launching their company's most revolutionary product.

"Bohemia" promises to reshape the world as we know it. This virtual reality game offers the opportunity to live out your wildest dreams. While everyone is about to become a user in "Bohemia", its impact on human consciousness is unpredictable. Anyone over 21 faces the possibility of irreversible effects on brain function, since only young brains can adapt to this constantly stimulating virtual world of perpetual bliss.

Unable to find a middle ground between the risks associated with releasing the game to the market and the promise of fantastic profits, both friends find themselves at a crossroads. The longtime friends, previously united by their shared success, are now divided by obsession and a woman. Leo's wife, Hermione, is expecting a child, but Leo begins to suspect that Paul is the father, leading him to accuse his friend of betrayal. Leo is mistaken, but his cruel jealousy consumes him. Meanwhile, their child grows up inside the computer game, and sixteen years later Rose must find a way out of “Bohemia” to meet her father…

Director Jeff James has described "The Winter's Tale" as Shakespeare's "wildest and most unpredictable play." While in Shakespeare's version, the characters navigate their relationships within the kingdoms of Sicily and Bohemia, James and his team have transported them to Silicon Valley and the virtual reality of "Bohemia". Exploring a classic narrative through parallels with contemporary social media giants has birthed a sharp satire on power, entitlement and technology.

What does it mean to alter reality today if human psychology remains unchanged? Alongside innovations and parallels with figures like Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg, the play examines the familiar themes of jealousy, rivalry, and love, culminating in an unexpected ending that promotes humanity. All the Shakespearean codes are at play.

• age 12+