://SHELF_LIFE
by Zachary Scalzo
Part of the 2026 Orlando Fringe
Orlando, FL
What would you do to speak to someone beyond the grave?
It’s a future close enough to imagine. A new tech service, Shelf Life, promises to take every piece of information you have on a loved one and load it into an AI. The resulting companion is something between immortality and a voice from the grave. The technology is new, the price high, but you can see this technology for yourself if you work for Quality Control. The catch? To maintain impartiality, you must never use the program yourself.
://SHELF_LIFE follows Luc, QC’s lead trainer who is currently undergoing a Human Resources tribunal. He’s broken the rules for Aunt April, the maiden aunt who lived at the fringes of the family. And now, he has one hour to appeal to a disciplinary committee to save himself—and his creation.
For previous productions of ://SHELF_LIFE,
please click here.
Images
Coming soon!
Bios
Zachary Scalzo
PLAYWRIGHT AND PERFORMER
Zachary Scalzo (he/they) is a queer writer, translator, and theatremaker. He was the Artist in Residence at UCO’s English department from 2022-2025 and was the President of the LP Writer’s Co-Op in 2025. They can be found at azachofalltrades.com, on Instagram at @zjscalzo, and on most major podcasting platforms with his co-host Derek on Two-Player Theory. Their poetry has appeared in journals including Dear Poetry, Ghost City Review, and & Change, and he is one of the founding members of the theatrical collaboration Whatever Works.
David Pilchman
DIRECTOR
David Pilchman (Any / All) was born and mostly raised in OKC. He has worn many hats in his career: Production Stage Manager for The Crown Uptown Professional Dinner Theater (Wichita, KS) and Norwegian Cruise Line. NYC Production Manager on World Premieres such as The View Upstairs, Small Mouth Sounds, Mike Birbiglia’s Thank God For Jokes, and Clinton the Musical. OKC Production Manager / Producer with many local organizations, including OKC Rep and OCAC. Collaborator with Whatever Works, creating opportunities for local writers and performers to produce new plays. David recently ran as the Independent candidate for OK-State Senate District 46. He wants to encourage you to VOTE at every chance you get. Not just “the big ones.” Thanks to everyone creating and supporting theater in his hometown. You can check your Voter Registration and Sample Ballots at okvoterportal.okelections.gov
Emily Comisar
Emily Comisar is a playwright and producer living in Oklahoma City. Her short plays have appeared in series produced by Lone Star Theatre Co., The PlayGround Experiment, aWe Creative Group, New York Madness, and Shiyr Productions. Emily’s full length work includes The Campaign (Theatre Crude Fringe Festival), Dumpster Fire (She NYC Festival), Undrown’d: Seeking Asylum (co-written with Benita de Wit, Columbia Stages), Switzerland (Lone Star Theatre Co.), Moonlighting (Lone Star Theatre Co.), and Track Twelve (FringeNYC).
Emily has a Bachelor of Arts in Performance Studies from Northwestern University, with specialties in critical studies, adaptation of narrative for the stage, and multimedia performance. She also holds a Master of Arts in Italian Language and Media from Middlebury College and a Master of Fine Arts in Theatre Management & Producing from Columbia University. She is currently the Executive Artistic Director of Oklahoma City Repertory Theater.
Whatever Works 