Sci-fi satire 2124 time travels to the KC Fringe Festival

Irene Manning. // Photo by Michael Stoufer

How will today’s world shape comedy in the future?  A group of 12 performers led by Jami Campbell will present their idea of Sci-fi comedy 100 years from now at the KC Fringe Festival. While this show is about a fictional future, Campbell’s goal is to leave the audience wondering about the long-term projections of our world today 

“My goal with comedy is to create a shared moment of connection so that the audience doesn’t feel alone,” Campbell says. “Then to have them walk away with something to think about that inspires positive change. For this particular show, the audience can walk away feeling like they experienced what might happen in 100 years. They can laugh about the experience, and hopefully, they’ll start to think about the impact of the things that we’re doing today and their effect on the future.” 

As the audience steps into the performance hall, they enter a time-traveling machine and are immediately seated in 2124. Starting with Dr. Burt who vicariously lives his comedy dreams through his socially-anxious clone, the show will test both the limits of technology and the social implications. Feminism, ventriloquism, and future far-right extremists will prepare the audience for an era when short-form content has destroyed our attention spans with consecutive second-long jokes. 

Jamie Campbell At Elgin Fringe Photo By Bob Taylor

Learn how dating struggles have evolved along with athletic augmentation until being interrupted by intergalactic military intervention and a surprise political guest.  In only an hour, explore our future prospects from systemic challenges to interpersonal struggles. Creator of the comedy show, Mommy Issues, Irene Manning will give her commentary on the anticipated dating landscape. As a mentoree of Campbell, Manning has enjoyed collaborating with many local comedians and feeding off each other’s creativity in this project. 

“It was so cool and interesting to see everybody’s ideas about what the future might be,” Manning says. “A lot of them were funny and some were really depressing. You wonder, ‘If this is what’s happening now, what does that mean for the future,’ not just in the next four years, but in 100.”

Not only will this show’s absurdity humor the audience, but it could also reveal how today’s reality would look if taken to the extreme. While it may not most accurately represent the future, it may call into question the actions we are taking today. 

“Comedy is a catalyst for difficult conversations,” Campbell says. “If we find a way to laugh about things, that is the beginning of us at least agreeing that this thing was funny. Now, let’s talk about where it’s headed. Is that scary, or is it a place that we’re excited about? If we don’t like where this fictional world is, then we actually have 100 years to change that.”

With an election looming in the next month, comedy can be a way for people to find the funny-side of serious issues while placing the seeds for deeper contemplation. It keeps people engaged in the conversation, allowing safe exploration. Campbell’s mission is to allow many talented creatives in Kansas City to share their ideas in a collaborative, receptive environment. 

His past shows have investigated themes such as the North Pole, comedy from hell, and fatherhood, and he has a knack for satire about society. His next show exploring comedy in 2124 can be seen July 18-28 in the Bird Comedy Theater during the Fringe Festivities.

2124 Comedy Show Banner // provided
Jess Allin