"The Motion" Explores What It Means to Be Human—at Shotgun Players
Gabrielle Maalihan and David Sinaiko. Photos by Jay Yamada
Christopher Chen's Comic Science Debate Morphs to Sci-Fi Fantasy
by Emily S. Mendel
Playwright Christopher Chen dares to make fun of “concerned” doctors and professors caught in a dilemma. When the scientists find themselves the subjects of psychological testing, we experience a play unlike any I have ever seen. Excellent direction, writing, and acting combine to make an exciting, unique performance.
When I entered Ashby Stage to see "The Motion" on opening night and saw a gray curtain with only four chairs and a podium in the center, I was a bit disappointed. I knew that this world premiere by Obie Award-winning playwright Christopher Chen was billed as an Oxford-style debate, but I did expect something more from the creative Bay Area author, whose plays I've admired and enjoyed ("Caught," "The Headlands"). But I didn't have to wait too long for Chen's inventive artistic style to burst forth.
David Sinaiko, Gabrielle Maalihan, and Erin Gould
At first, the audience is watching a debate show called "Intelligence Cubed," which is considering the motion: 'Should animal testing be banned?' moderated by a stern TV host, played by Erin Gould. Straight-faced Gould lavishes compliments on two "distinguished guests" who argue in favor of ending all animal testing, played by Gabrielle Maalihan and David Sinako. Gould also wryly compliments two scientists who argue in favor of testing, portrayed by Erin Mei-Ling Stuart and Soren Santos, who make their cases intelligently, too.
Once the debate gets underway, the opposing teams get angry and heated, and the laughs roll in. The debaters display that pretentious professorial "I'm right and everyone should know it" attitude. It's a touchy subject, with strong arguments on both sides. None of the debaters is persuaded to modify their views.
However, we, in the audience, get to decide the debate by holding up a green or red card to vote for our preference. Chen and director Patrick Dooley find ways to involve us, evoking lots of laughter.
Suddenly, something unexpected occurs. Lights flash. Noises and smoke surprise us. And the debate morphs into a completely different setting. In their new, changed universe, the four debaters undergo dramatic personal transformations in how they view life and each other.
Soren Santos, Gabrielle Maalihan, David Sinaiko, and Erin Mei-Ling Stuart
Love and amity break out. Are they now subjects in a mysterious experiment themselves? We still don't know where the play is heading. We hold our breaths.
You will have to see "The Motion" to learn more about the imaginative psychological experiment behind this dramatic shift. Ultimately, the rubber meets the road, and the debaters must make a traumatic personal decision that tests all their highfalutin' theories. We take a trip from scientific debate to intriguing fantasy. “The Motion” cleverly and creatively forces us to reexamine our own views on “What Makes Us Human?”
To enjoy theater, we must "willingly suspend our disbelief." And that is certainly necessary when watching "The Motion." There were several moments when I found myself questioning its premise. But throughout the stylish, non-stop, two-hour show, I was fully engrossed and absorbed in "The Motion."
Gabrielle Maalihan, David Sinaiko, Erin Mei-Ling Stuart, and Soren Santos
"The Motion" by Christopher Chen, directed by Patrick Dooley, scenic design by Matt Stines, costumes by Lynda Hornada, lighting by Espen Garner, by Shotgun Players, Berkeley, California.
Info: shotgunplayers.org - to October 12, 2025.
Cast: Erin Gould, Gabrielle Maalihan, Erin Mei-Ling Stuart, Soren Santos, and David Sinaiko.
