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October 20, 2026

Grace

A Solo Performance from the actor who voices Greta in Sisters

  • Written and Performed by Chloe Johnston
  • Directed by Coya Paz
  • Designed by Angie Tillges
  • Tech by Nathan Lamp

Running time: 70 minutes with a talkback (No intermission)

Grace is an interactive performance and a deeply personal look at artificial intelligence, games, technology, and the people who make them. It is an investigation of how we interact with natural language processing programs everyday--and how they will never love us back. It is about identity and how it is constructed in person and online. And it’s about what happens when your voice travels around the world in ways you never imagined.

The performance will be followed by a talkback with Benjamin Zeller, a Professor of Religion at Lake Forest College, who teaches about A.I. and the humanities.

Synopsis

Grace is an interactive performance and a deeply personal look at artificial intelligence, games, technology, and the people who make them. It is an investigation of how we interact with natural language processing programs everyday--and how they will never love us back. It is about identity and how it is constructed in person and online. And it’s about what happens when your voice travels around the world in ways you never imagined.

In 2003, Chloe Johnston was hired to provide the voice for “Grace” for a video game loosely based on the play Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? The game used natural language processing to provide realistic interactions between players and characters. It was released online in 2006; to date it has been downloaded 5 million times. In the years since, “Grace” has been the inspiration for fan art, memes, and music. She’s reached a much wider audience than Chloe ever will.

As we negotiate a world where AI changes every day, where artists are fighting to keep control of their voices, Grace is a chance to think about what it means to become part of technology, and what we lose and gain.

Featuring

Chloe Johnston

Writer/Performer

Chloe Johnston (Greta) is a writer, director and teacher in Chicago. She has worked with theatres across Chicago and is a long-time ensemble member of The Neo-Futurists. Recent projects include 46 Plays for America’s First Ladies (Critics Pick, NYTimes), Grace (The Orchard Project, Links Hall, Roman Susan, Northwestern University) and Leave the Light On, an interview-based performance and audio project about caretaking labor. With Coya Paz Brownrigg, she is the author of Ensemble-Made Chicago: A Guide to Devised Theater (NU Press). She is an Associate Professor of Theater and Performance Studies at Lake Forest College. www.chloejohnston.org

Benjamin Zeller

Respondent

Ben Zeller is Professor of Religion at Lake Forest College. He has long been interested in the intersection of religion and science, having published several books and articles on topics ranging from science and new religious movements, to religion and belief in UFOs, to religion and technology. He has also taught and published on religion and science fiction, and has been fascinated by how both religion and science fiction trace the limits of humanity and the interface between human, superhuman, nonhuman, and the technological. In addition to serving as Project Director, Zeller is teaching a new class on Religion, SciFi, AI, and Non-Human, looking at questions of what is means to be a person, and the nature of the self, consciousness, and the supernatural within the context of the rise of A.I.

Know Before You Go

  • Tickets required: Seating is extremely limited. If cost is a barrier for you, please reach out to the Box Office at boxoffice@writerstheatre.org or 847-242-6000.
  • Duration: Approximately 70 minutes with no intermission. A talkback will follow the performance.
  • Seating: General Admission. Please arrive early; late seating may not be possible.
  • Accessibility: We are committed to making our Theatre accessible. Please contact the Box Office at 847-242-6000 with any questions about accommodations.

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Green Family Rehearsal Room

325 Tudor Court Glencoe , Illinois, 60022

Accessibility

Fully ADA accessible with wheelchair seating available.

Parking

Free parking is available in the Tudor Court lot, and street parking is readily available.

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