DESTINATION UNDEFINED Comes to Theatre 154

Cellunova Productions will present the world premiere of Destination Undefined, written by Changshuo Liu and directed by Yibin Wang, running August 22 – September 7, 2025 in a limited engagement at Theatre 154 (154 Christopher St.) in New York City. Previews begin August 22 for an August 23 opening.

Performances are Wednesdays - Saturdays at 7:30pm, and Saturdays and Sundays at 1:30pm. Run time is approximately 1 hour and 50 minutes. Tickets are $40. 

Five AI researchers from the Human Research Institute discover a mysterious Memory Cube buried in a long-forgotten Gold Vault beneath Manhattan. It contains something unimaginable: a living record of human consciousness from the year 2051. As they decode the fragments, a lost cyborg world begins to emerge — AI units fight for voting rights, chip-enhanced humans scramble to survive a collapsing system, and hidden secrets pulse beneath the vault’s rusted doors. Above ground, a civilization built on algorithms begins to collapse. Below, the last defenders of a relic economy are trapped with more questions than answers. But the deeper the researchers dive, the more unstable the memory becomes. Is this just a simulation of the past — or a warning from it? Destination Undefined is a genre-bending sci-fi absurdist play about trust, identity, and the cost of being human in a world that no longer knows what that means.

Cellunova Productions says, “It has never been a more difficult time to live in the U.S., with geopolitical tensions, inflations, uncertainty around immigration status and AI-induced unemployment. Destination Undefined may be set in a sci-fi future, but its heart is painfully present. It’s about people and machines trying to prove they matter, in a world where identity is reduced to paperwork, the system of trust is completely broken, and the American dream drifts towards illusion. Through absurd humor, we want to explore what it means to belong, and what it costs to be believed.”

The cast includes Chisom Awachie, Victor Gao, Jueun Kang, Lyra Lys, Tom Shane and Aida Mohamed.

The Production Team includes Yi-Ming Chen (Dramaturg / Assistant Director), Amy Wang (Production Manager), Fuyuan Zheng (Production Stage Manager), Winnie Chiang (Stage Manager), Qingan Zhang (Set Design / Robotic Design), Qixin Zhang (Projection Design), Sophia Zhu (Light Design), Liam Bellman-Sharpe (Sound Design), Qiuyi Li (Nuzzi) (Costume & Make Up Design), Xingyu Zhang (Prop Design), Jianing Zhao (Choreographer), Priscilla Zhang (Assistant Set Design), Jiaxin Guan (Assistant Projection Design / Technical Director), Hanxiao Zhang (Associate Costume Design), Kaiwen Zheng (Robotic Engineer), Youqi Gang (Robotic Engineer), Cynthia Hu (Fight & Intimacy Director), Sitong Cao (Casting Director), Eden Xu (Assistant Production Manager) and Tracy Li (Graphic Design).

Cellunova Productions is a multidisciplinary theater company led by first-generation immigrant and BIPOC artists, creating socially engaged work that fuses bold storytelling with new technologies. They reimagine what live performance can be—and who it’s for—by building bridges between indie theater and audiences from industries and communities that don’t typically see themselves on stage. Their productions tell stories that speak directly to the urgent civic, cultural, and political challenges of our time—amplifying emerging voices and fostering dialogue across lines of class, background, and industry. https://www.cellunova.org

Playwright Changshuo Liu is a New York-based playwright and investment professional. Working at the intersection of two industries, he explores how the interplay between theater and technology can spark new forms of truth-telling. His work amplifies the voices of working-class and immigrant communities—those who are navigating today’s uncertainty with resilience and grit. Recent writing/directing credits include The Match Girl, Teahouse and Playhouse. BA, Princeton University.

Director Yibin Wang is a New York-based theater and performance director from Hangzhou, China. His interdisciplinary work explores cross-cultural stories, communal experiences, technology, and audience connection. Recent directing/curatorial projects include Tongues, Cabin, A Hunger Artist, Playdate, and Designing Care. Assistant credits include Music for New Bodies (dir. Peter Sellars), Sensorium Ex (dir. Jay Scheib, Jerron Herman). BA, Bard College; MFA in Directing, Columbia University.

This project is made possible in part with funds from Creative Engagement, a regrant program(s) supported by the funding agencies - The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) in partnership with the City Council and The New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature - and administered by LMCC.