By Mary O’Callaghan and Lauren Azrin
Although this school year has been a challenge, WPHS students refuse to let the pandemic become an obstacle when pursuing their passions. Max Kohn, current senior, is a perfect example of this.
On Saturday, November 21 and Sunday, November 22, the WPHS Theater program will be performing his original play titled A.I. Certification over Zoom. According to Kohn, the play is a mix of drama and comedy and takes place 30-40 years in the future. “All the big tech companies are producing artificial intelligence and in order to certify each model, Apple makes the A.I.s take hard, intense courses,” he explained.
What inspired Kohn to write such a unique play? Kohn stated, “During quarantine, I got around to watching a lot of movies that I had wanted to watch but never got a chance. The main one that inspired me was the movie Her with Joaquin Phoenix. I loved the idea of exploring a future with artificial intelligence, and I thought they did it perfectly. The topic fascinated me and really drove me to write my script.”
Since this is one of the first times a play at WPHS has been performed fully over Zoom, it would be understandable that it could bring up a few issues. Kohn praised his cast for working out any Zoom challenges with him and assures that, “For technical purposes the audience will only be able to turn on their videos at the end. It’s also being recorded, so if you miss the play you can just check out the WPHS theater YouTube account.”
Make sure to tune in to A.I. Certification on Saturday and Sunday at 7 pm!
Contact serencepler@wpcsd.k12.my.us for information on how to access the show.
