Pixel Perfect by Andy Fox-Hutchings, directed by Charlie Nunez

A Liz Stafford Auditorium Production

How hard is it to live the perfect life?  Is reality too tough to handle?  

 Michael and Sophie have an idyllic life that they’ve shared for several years, with every fine detail of their lives perfected and exactly as they dreamed it when they were little. The only problem is that none of it is real:  it’s a life built inside an online video game, and one that is about to get the plug pulled on it forever!

 Having never actually met in real life but feeling a powerful connection forged in the digital world, they agree to switch to reality to discover whether their bond can survive.

 But Sophie is actually Lucy, and Lucy’s fear of not being able to live up to the idealised Sophie convinces her to bring in her friend Mandy to pretend to be her at the meet up.  Meanwhile, Michael is also nervous about meeting in real life and is taking precautions!   

 Over one whirlwind weekend, the characters gradually pull themselves and their online personas apart in the attempt to find out if they really could survive Reality.

Outline of characters for Pixel Perfect

Lucy – Female, 20s/30s – An avid player of the game Pixel Perfect Life who is using the simulation and role playing to imagine what life would be like if she looked the way she wished she did. Insecure in her appearance she is worried that she won’t measure up to her character Sophie in real life.

Dylan – Male, 20s/30s – Sadie’s friend who is surprised by her online double life and concerned about the implications of it. Dylan agrees to pretend to be Michael for the meet-up after being blackmailed by Sadie, but starts to develop feelings of his own.

Mandy – Female, 20s/30s – Mandy is Lucy’s oldest friend though the two don’t make as much time for each other as they used to now they’re older. She is surprised and concerned to discover that Lucy based her in-game character Sophie on her, but agrees to stand in for her.

Scott – Male, 30s/40s – The lead developer of Pixel Perfect Life who has been dragged to the convention largely against his will. Keen to shut down the game because of concerns about how out of control it's fans are, he is keen to move on with his career. The default male character appearance is based on him thanks to a joke from the design team.

Minnie – Female, 40s/50s – A super fan of Pixel Perfect Life who has organised the entire convention as a way to try and save it from the proposed closure. Overzealous but well-meaning, and one of the very few players whose character is based on themselves.

• The in-game avatars Sophie and Michael are multi-roled with Mandy and Scott

Reading:  Tuesday 8 April at 7.30 pm

Auditions: Thursday 10 April at 7.30 pm

Performance dates:  Sat 28, Mon 30 June, Tue 1 to Sat 5 July at 730 pm