She Was Probably Not a Robot
Written and performed by Stuart Bowden
She Was Probably Not A Robot is a lo-fi, DIY, off-beat, sci-fi, storytelling experience; a surreal, soulful comedy about a decomposing world and a cosmic visitor. When the world ends in flood and fire, one man, asleep on his air-mattress, floats out of his bedroom window, through burning debris and out to sea to be the sole survivor and last hope for humanity. This is an enchanting tale adorned with simple storytelling and physical comedy. Stuartʼ s smartly crafted writing, combined with his joyful performance makes for an uplifting tale of loneliness, grief, hope and silliness.
Awards
Winner of the Adelaide Fringe Theatre Weekly Award, Adelaide Fringe 2014.
Nominated for the Brighton Fringe Emerging Talent Award, Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2013.
Toured
Garden of Unearthly Delights (Adelaide), SAND Festival (Kristiansand, Norway), Kakiseni International Arts Festival (Kuala Lumpur), Soho Theatre (London), The MAC theatre (Belfast), The Blue Room Theatre (Perth), Tuxedo Cat (Adelaide and Melbourne), The Newsagency (Sydney), The Hawth Theatre (Crawley, UK), The Bike Shed Theatre (Exeter, UK), Det Andre Teatret (Oslo, Norway), Battersea Arts Centre (London, UK), Underbelly (Edinburgh Fringe), Brighton Dome (Brighton, UK), Camden Peoples Theatre (London).
Press
★★★★★ "he creates a hilarious, bittersweet and completely enthralling world" - Three Weeks
★★★★★ "utterly compelling from the start to finish" - Broadway Baby
★★★★★ "Phenomenal one man wonder show... Stuart Bowden is an absolute genius... With live music, bizarre storytelling and perfect physical comedy, She Was Probably Not A Robot will leave you with a skip in your step and a smile on your heart" - Edinburgh Guide
★★★★★ "Delightfully quirky, lo-fi weirdness from a truly gifted performer." Adelaide Theatre Guide
★★★★ "gorgeous notes of melancholia" - The Scotsman
"a subliminal masterpiece" - The Stage
★★★★ and 1/2 "Bowden is a talented theatre maker. His piece is punchy, he boasts some seriously decent vocal chords, does great things with looping vocals, and he manages to tell a completely absurd tale in a compelling manner." - Arts Hub
★★★★ "Deliciously bleak humour... laugh out loud funny and heartbreakingly poignant" - Exeunt
"A combination of live music, poignant storytelling and physical comedy, She Was Probably Not A Robot is heartbreaking, thought-provoking and laugh out loud funny." -Perth Now
"Minimal, rough, surreal and hilarious. There’s also a darkness to the content that keeps sentimentality at bay." - Crikey
★★★★ "Side-splittingly funny, heart-wrenching and utterly absurd this is a beautiful piece of theatre from one of Tuxedo Cat’s finest. Stunning." - Adelaide Advertiser
"Bowden has a firm grasp on how to create an understated image using the simplest means. Using nothing more than a few boxes, some instruments and a loop pedal, he takes the audience to the end of the universe in the profoundest of simple ways." - The Public Reviews
★★★★ "He hits just the right balance of funny and sad, knowing exactly when to pull back on the wistfulness and punctuate it with something grotesque or absurd. Bowden has crafted a superb storytelling show and while it has a fringe vibe it’s deserving of a much wider audience." - SBS Comedy
"In this darkly hilarious and utterly charming show, Bowden has crafted an absolute winner" - Squirrel Comedy
★★★★ and a 1/2
"with its ridiculous humour, highly original plot and artfully-questionable use of props and blocking, this laugh-out-loud production is not one audiences are likely to forget" -Adelaide Theatre Guide
★★★★ and a 1/2 "Stuart Bowden is a smart guy. He has created a very funny and whimsical show about something that’s actually quite serious. Excellent!" - Rip It Up Magazine
"This fantastic show is hugely entertaining and touchingly funny... a remarkable, handmade odyssey... Outstanding show" - Fringe Review
"a heartwarming, melancholic and hilarious work of lo-fi storytelling" - The Music
★★★★ "A sight to behold" - The Clothesline
★★★★ "An off-beat, absurdist, endearingly funny one-man show" - Kryztoff
★★★★ "fantastical, ludicrous, funny and heartfelt." - Indaily