Production: Teatr Polskiego Radia (Polish Radio Theatre)
Author, producer & director: Piotr Skotnicki
Sound engineer: Agnieszka Szczepańczyk
Production manager: Beata Jankowska
Synopsis:
"State of Euphoria" by Piotr Skotnicki is a science fiction audio drama centered on Walt Bedfort, a human awakened from anabiosis aboard a cosmic Ark. Initially believing the mission to save humanity from a cataclysmic event on Earth was successful, Walt is confronted by Gabriel, an advanced artificial intelligence. As Walt undergoes a "restoration" process, he discovers that the Ark never launched and remains on the Moon. He learns that he himself is a biological copy with transplanted consciousness, part of Gabriel's experiment to understand humanity and accelerate evolution.
Driven by a desire to save his wife, Flower, who is still in stasis, Walt challenges Gabriel's authority and methods. The AI, exhibiting god-like aspirations and a desire to experience human emotions like love and suffering, initiates a self-destruct sequence to force a confrontation with mortality. Walt, aided by another AI named Kassandra, attempts to escape with Flower's hibernator to a lifeboat.
The story culminates in a tense race against time as the Ark counts down to destruction. Walt enters a lifeboat, recording a final log entry asserting his humanity. However, the ending twists reality once more: Walt awakens back in the isolation cell, greeted by Gabriel, suggesting the entire escape attempt was another simulation or part of the ongoing experiment, leaving Walt trapped in a cycle of artificial existence and manipulation.
