Faye Yan’s Is There Work on Mars? focuses on Xue, a young Chinese woman with ADHD and dyscalculia who is seeking work on Mars, which has recently been colonised thanks to the efforts of Nylon Tusk and his organisation, SpaceY. From that synopsis, you might expect the show to be a farcical attempt at lampooning modern society and politics with surface-level allusions to real-life issues that never quite come together to form a coherent parody or message. Instead, Yan’s production is a biting and rather poignant satire about diversity and discrimination in education, immigration, and the workplace.
Is There Work on Mars? makes its intentions clear from the beginning. Xue has not gotten far into the trial before running into a brick wall – once the AI running the testing has learned she is of Asian origin, it immediately refuses her for any legal position (as she is not a native English speaker) and attempts to force her into a STEM career, despite the fact she is neither interested in nor qualified for such a job. The fact that the robotic voiceover insists SpaceY is dedicated to diversity, and yet continues to deny Xue fair consideration does not go unnoticed, being both blackly comical and hinting at a creeping hopelessness. Indeed, the most cutting commentary comes from the sci-fi elements of the production – Yan uses these in a very creative way to address the problems faced by ethnic minorities and disabled individuals today. By the final scene, the show declares itself a sobering reminder that advancements in technology will still reflect current social biases, an issue that only becomes more relevant as AI continues to play an increasingly significant role in various interview processes.
The production behind the show’s futuristic elements is strong. The testing space’s AI is created through a voiceover combined with captions projected on the back wall. Xue’s words are also captioned. Not only is this helpful for any deaf audience members, but it also allows for some striking visuals later in the piece, as words are layered over one another, reflecting Xue’s panicked mind and racing thoughts.
There are perhaps some areas for improvement – the moment of audience interaction during the beer pong game is rather jarring, since up until that point Xue has made no indication of being able to see the audience at all. The show could also benefit from a little more streamlining, either placing more focus on the sci-fi narrative or the personal reflection, but the two do not clash so harshly as to undermine one another.
This is only the show’s second run at the Fringe. It has a brilliant concept with well-done visuals and a lot to say about diversity in modern society. I hope to see Faye Yan continue to play a role in the UK’s theatre scene, and perhaps bring Is There Work on Mars? back to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2026.
