Athena Atherton on Londongrad: Tech Takeover at The Courtyard Theatre
After the success of our 2025 Camden Fringe Interviews, we thought it only right to attempt a repeat for 2026. So throughout July we’ll be publishing new interviews each day to give a taste of what to expect from London’s best fringe theatre festival. The festival starts Monday 3 August this year, so we may give ourselves a couple of days off inbetween the end of the interviews and the first shows… then again, we might not.
You can find out more about Camden Fringe, along with details of every show playing this August here. You can also find all of this year’s interviews as they are published here.
We are living in an era where tech billionaires don’t just want to build apps—they want to run the world. Between “tech broligarchs” selling us a digital heaven on Earth and governments blindly handing over our data to the highest bidder, modern politics has started to resemble a deeply unhinged sci-fi movie.
Coming to The Courtyard Theatre this August for Camden Fringe 2026, Londongrad: Tech Takeover is a razor-sharp, absurdist satire taking aim at the intersection of AI, politics, and absolute power. Produced by Pan Productions and written by Athena Atherton, the show introduces us to “Humphrey”—an AI civil servant who might just be running the country.
We sat down with Athena to discuss the transition from Russian oligarchs to Silicon Valley tech bros, why we need to laugh at these comically evil nerd fanatics, and how a Charli XCX-style protest anthem sets the perfect tone for the tech apocalypse.
If you had to describe the vibe of your show in just one sentence, what would it be?
It is the absurdist satire for the age of AI in politics, and this literally manifests on stage through an AI civil servant called Humphrey.
Why is 2026 the absolute perfect time for this show to be seen?
British politicians are entirely buying into the AI tech broligarch narrative. Tech bros say that the destruction of shared reality that AI is causing is worth it because, at some point, AI will become a Digital God that will create heaven on Earth. But if we regulate and tax their companies, they warn us this Digital God will cause Armageddon.
Tech bros genuinely believe this. Or, it’s a massive marketing scam to trick investors and governments into giving them trillions of dollars. Either way, it’s high time we laugh at how absurd these nerd fanatics actually are.
What was the ‘eureka moment’ that made you realize this story had to be told right now?
I discovered that Peter Thiel, the co-founder of Palantir, has genuine plans to destroy democracy and replace our current political system with autonomous city-states run by “CEO kings.”
I originally wrote Londongrad, a play about Putin buying London, for the Camden Fringe in 2025. Upon discovery of Peter Thiel’s comically evil monarchical ambitions, it felt only right to adapt the original play to reflect the sheer absurdity of AI tech bros and politics in 2026.
Politics moves at a breakneck speed. How has the script evolved since you first put pen to paper?
Londongrad: Tech Takeover is the final iteration of a play originally written in November 2024. Politics has changed a lot since then, and so has the play! It has adapted alongside the real-world absurdity.
What has a performer brought to their character that completely took you by surprise?
Sharone, the actor playing the technology secretary, pointed out the quasi-religious blind faith in the positives of AI that her character held. Now, because of her brilliant insight, the character is called Aisha Christian.
What has been the biggest creative challenge in realizing your vision for the show?
Getting myself to actually stop researching the tech bros and start writing the play!
If your show had a definitive soundtrack, what song would absolutely be on it?
Armageddon by Sola Guinto, Faffi, and ALT BLK ERA. It is an incredible anti-AI song with a very strong, energetic Charli XCX Brat influence. Enough said!
If you could perform this show anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?
In front of the Palantir headquarters in Soho, London, and in Palo Alto, Silicon Valley. Because really, the people who should watch this are the very people the play is ridiculing for their evil, bizarre, and fanatical worldview.
What does “success” look like for you this August, beyond just ticket sales?
Success is the audience leaving with huge smiles on their faces, but also leaving with a much greater knowledge of the philosophy and motivations behind the tech-bro colonization of private British citizens’ data.
Many thanks to Athena for the chat, without any AI assistance at all. Londongrad: Tech Takeover plays at The Courtyard Theatre From Monday 3 to Monday 10 August as part of Camden Fringe.
