‘BOT, by C. Michèle Kaplan

About the Play

Charlie is a teenage computer genius with an insider's view of how technology can blur the boundary between humans and machines.  He grapples with serious questions about what kind of future we want to create for ourselves and how we are using science to achieve it.  With his parents too consumed by their own high-powered urban lives to perceive the real meaning of their son's obsession, Charlie makes a drastic choice that upends and transforms their lives.

About the Playwright

CAROL MICHÈLE KAPLAN received her MFA from the Yale School of Drama in playwriting, and has worked for more than fifteen years as a writer and/or director in theatre, television and film. She has had her plays performed in the United States and in South Africa, and has written for television in the U.S.

In 2004, Carol directed the world premiere production of her play, JOCASTA RISING, which was produced at Artscape Theater in Cape Town, South Africa. In 2006, TRUE, a short monologue, was performed in New York City by Cynthia Nixon as part of an evening of monologues from around the world presented by Eve Ensler and V-Day. She received a rewrite commission from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation/Magic Theatre for 'BOT.

In addition to the above, Ms. Kaplan's theatre credits include WAR DREAMS, produced by the Passage Theatre Company in New Jersey; ADDERLEY STREET, produced by Naked Angel Theater Company in New York, starring Mary Alice; WILD COAST, produced by the Loft Theater Company in South Africa; and NOBLE ROT, PICTURE POSTCARD, and A CHANGE OF VIEW, which have been produced at various theatres in the U.S., including the Yale Cabaret. Her South African plays include NIGHTWORKS, produced by the Loft Theater Company; CHOCOLATE SUNDAE VANILLA MONDAY, presented as part of the Fringe Festival at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown, South Africa; and DIRTY WEEKEND, presented at the Market Theatre in Johannesburg, all of which Ms. Kaplan also directed. Ms. Kaplan's television work includes the teleplay MOTHER TERESA: IN THE NAME OF GOD'S POOR, which she co-wrote with Dominique LaPierre for the Family Channel and which was nominated for a Humanitas Award. In addition, her adaptation of Flannery O'Connor's A GOOD MAN IS HARD TO FIND was sold to RHI Entertainment.

Ms. Kaplan has won numerous awards, including the Chesterfield Fellowship, funded by Amblin Entertainment (now DreamWorks, SKG) and Universal Pictures; and the Molly Kazan Award for best original play at the Yale School of Drama. She was also a finalist for the New York Drama League award for her play, SITTING MAN, which was subsequently produced by Los Angeles' Pacific Theatre Ensemble, starring Billy Hayes, and went on to be selected as one of the ten best plays in L.A. by Outlook L.A., as well as to receive two Dramalogue awards. She was also a finalist for the Nicholl Fellowship award for her screenplay, HOTEL MAJESTIC. In 2002, she participated in New York Stage and Film's artist-in-residency program at Vassar College.

Ms. Kaplan has taught playwriting at Yale University and New York University. She is currently a member of the Writers Guild of America and New York Women in Film and Television. She has a JD from NYU and practices as a lawyer in New York City.