Eliza: Tom Holloway’s new play wrestles the ethics of emergent AI

The production

Eliza, a play by Tom Holloway, is listed on the Melbourne Theatre Company’s Season 2026 lineup. It has been reported that director Paige Rattray — whose credits include Black is the New White and Fangirls — brings an urgent and unnerving take on the birth of artificial intelligence. Short, sharp scenes are promised. Tension, apparently, runs high.

The story and stakes

Thematically, the play asks a blunt question: what happens when the things we make start to look back at us? It has been reported that Eliza explores the ethical fallout of rapidly advancing and increasingly invasive technologies — surveillance, automated decision-making, intimacy-with-machines — territory that feels more like the present than speculative future. The title nods to Weizenbaum’s 1960s chatbot, ELIZA, so expect a throughline from early trickery to today’s large language models. Who’s responsible? Who gets hurt? And who keeps their hands clean?

Why it matters

The emotional core feels immediate: unease, curiosity, a little guilty fascination. Rattray’s framing reportedly leans into that discomfort — up close and personal, no hiding behind jargon. This is theatre doing what it does best: throwing a mirror at society and refusing to let you look away. In an era where AI touches hiring, health, and home life, the timing couldn’t be sharper.

Practicals

MTC’s page lists Eliza among its 2026 offerings; details such as cast and run dates have been posted there. It has been reported that more production information and ticketing will be available through the company’s official channels — check the MTC site for the latest. Want to see a conversation about AI that’s raw and human? This might be it.

Sources: mtc.com.au, Hacker News