PRESS: EILEEN:AILEEN... without the inconvenience of being human

Hanni Heinrich

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I post, therefore you are. What happens when your AI twin does you better than you? What happens when an algorithm doesn't just copy your life, but upgrades it? From 18 to 20 September 2026, human vulnerability meets digital perfection in EILEEN:AILEEN, a 60-minute satire staging at Kaapstad Toneelhuis.

Cape Town influencer Eileen’s engagement metrics are flatlining. The algorithm is ruthless, her audience is drifting, and staying relevant takes more bandwidth than she has left. Her fix? An app that drops her hyper-polished AI twin, Aileen, right into her living room. Aileen posts better. She smiles better. She exists without the mess, fatigue, or inconvenience of being a real person. But the glitch arrives during a lunar optimisation protocol when the digital twin starts forming opinions, agendas, and a life of her own.

Written by actress and writer Hanni Heinrich and directed by Miriam Küllmer, EILEEN:AILEEN mixes dynamic live performance with video projections and the curated aesthetic of the creator economy. Rather than treating artificial intelligence like a distant sci-fi panic, the piece hits right at home. In a city populated by content creators, digital nomads, and curated lifestyle feeds, EILEEN:AILEEN confronts a question everyone living on a screen eventually faces: if an AI can look like you, speak like you, and perform your personality without breaking a sweat, what makes you the original?

Featuring a compelling trio of performers, Natalie Robbie, Hanni Heinrich, and Heike Brunner, this punchy production is essential viewing for anyone who has ever stared at a feed and wondered how much of it is real.

Tickets for EILEEN:AILEEN at the Kaapstad Toneelhuis can be booked through Quicket. Please note the production carries an age restriction of 13.

Cast: Natalie Robbie, Hanni Heinrich, Heike Brunner Writer: Hanni Heinrich

Director: Miriam Küllmer

Wardrobe: moname.me

Sound & Light Design: Lee van der Merwe & Clarice Schoonwinkel Venue Host: Kaapstad Toneelhuis