A Better Memory is a world-premiere exploring the role AI can play in grieving. Through an AI voice assistant built from Harold’s messages, recordings and digital footprint, Eleanor can once again hear her husband’s voice, revisit old jokes, and be taken care of.
For the first time in a year, Eleanor doesn’t have to feel alone. At first, reminiscing is comforting. But as the AI model starts to remember things that Eleanor doesn’t, she’s forced to confront that some versions of the past are harder to live with than others.
Funny, unsettling, and painfully human, A Better Memory asks a question becoming increasingly difficult to ignore: if technology allowed you to speak to a passed loved one again, would you really say no?
The production is presented by Kerr Arts Collective, Edinburgh mother-and-son team Lubna Kerr and Ihsan Kerr. The play marks Ihsan Kerr’s debut as a playwright, while Lubna has appeared at the Fringe every year since 2013, including in her own plays Tickbox, Chatterbox, and Lunchbox – all hits earning four and five-star reviews.
Breaking away from her previous solo shows, Lubna leads a three-person cast in a story that combines psychological thriller, dark comedy, and emotional drama to explore how AI can reshape love, grief, and human connection.
Lubna Kerr said: “AI is already changing how people communicate, work and form relationships. The idea that we might use it to recreate people after death sounds futuristic, but versions of this technology already exist. The frightening thing is that part of us would want it. The play asks whether holding on to someone forever is comforting… or dangerous.”
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Production information
- Cast: Lubna Kerr (Eleanor), Kathryn Mowper (Mia), Codge Crawford (Harold)
- Writer: Ihsan Kerr
- Director: Kathryn Marper
- Co-director: Ihsan Kerr
- Producer: Lubna Kerr
Listings details
A Better Memory
- Venue: The Green at Pleasance Courtyard (Venue 33)
- Time: 18:30
- Dates: Previews 5&6 Aug, main run 7-30 Aug (not 17 or 25)
- Duration: 60 mins
- Prices: Preview £9, full price £12
- Age: 12+
- Tickets: https://www.pleasance.co.uk/event/better-memory
For more about Lubna Kerr see www.lubnakerr.com
- Interviews available – just get in touch.
Media contact: Matthew Shelley, SFPR, 07786 704299 Matthew@Scottishfestivalspr.org
