The Gorsedd
The Gorsedd is the second in a series of three Culinary Incidents that explore the relationship between consciousness and memory. Set in the late 23rd century, The Gorsedd takes place in a world where most of the population has fallen victim to the Singularity Virus, a pathogen that degrades long term memory in humans to the point where most people can remember no more than the last month of their lives. Like in An Evening with Professor Enki, the first Incident in the series, the audience’s presence is folded into the storyline: they are attending a meeting organized by some of the few humans unharmed by the virus to help them remember their lives and deal with situations that arise because of their conditions.
The Gorsedd is less dependent upon media and skits than its predecessor, instead choosing to tell tales that offer a glimpse at life in a world without long-term memory. The narrative is centered around dinner at a post-post-apocalyptic tavern where audience members watch as other visitors all around them stand up and tell their stories like travelers around a campfire. Guiding the evening are the Archivist and the tavern owner, both of whom are unaffected by the virus, and who reveal a story of their own about why they are there and how this world came to be.