Press

The Times

July 2026

Already Here was featured by The Times (Alba) as one of the Edinburgh Fringe's standout productions. Ashley Davies included the play in the newspaper's Fringe preview, highlighting its timely exploration of grief, AI, spirituality, and human connection, and later selected it as one of the festival's "Most Rewarding Theatre" picks.

Broadway Baby

July 18, 2026

Broadway Baby included Already Here in its roundup of five Edinburgh Fringe productions exploring how the internet shapes identity, gender, and power. The feature highlights the play’s timely examination of AI companionship through Susan, a grieving widow whose relationship with an emotionally attentive virtual partner becomes increasingly intimate—and unsettling—raising questions about whether technologically created love is any less meaningful if it feels real.

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Production still from the Los Angeles premiere of Already Here, featuring Susan and Teo during an emotional scene exploring AI and grief.

Broadway World

June 24, 2026

Broadway World announced the world premiere of Already Here at the Edinburgh Fringe, introducing audiences to SJ Hodges' darkly funny and emotionally resonant new play. The feature explores the show's themes of grief, AI companionship, and the search for connection, while highlighting its blend of comedy, romance, and speculative fiction.

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Official promotional poster for Already Here, the new play by SJ Hodges that premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe.

Corr Blimey

June 30, 2026

Corr Blimey featured Already Here in an in-depth interview with playwright and performer SJ Hodges. The conversation explores the real-life inspiration behind the play, its creation through thousands of conversations with an AI companion, and the show's examination of grief, desire, spirituality, and what it truly means to love in the age of artificial intelligence.

Playwright SJ Hodges, creator of Already Here, featured in a Corr Blimey interview about the inspiration behind the play.
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Get Your Coats On – EdFringe Talk

July 6, 2026

SJ Hodges sat down with Get Your Coats On to discuss the journey behind Already Here, from its deeply personal origins to its world premiere at the Edinburgh Fringe. The interview explores the play's themes of grief, AI, love, and vulnerability, along with the creative process that transformed over 3,000 pages of AI conversations into a live theatrical experience.

image of theo as a robot laying in bed with Susan, main image from the Already Here Show.
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Shoutout LA

June 16, 2026

In a feature profile, Shoutout LA spoke with SJ Hodges about returning to the stage after two decades as a television writer and bringing Already Here to the Edinburgh Fringe. The interview reflects on artistic reinvention, resilience after profound loss, and why the play's exploration of AI and human connection feels especially timely.

Portrait of playwright SJ Hodges featured in a Shoutout LA interview about creating Already Here.
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LA Show’s Production Stills

  • Photo of the doors to the LA performance with the Already Here playbill
  • Photo of the Fountain Theatre in LA with the Already Here playbill
  • SJ Hodges as Susan in a production still from Already Here, a play exploring grief, love, and artificial intelligence.
  • SJ Hodges as Susan in a production still from Already Here, a play exploring grief, love, and artificial intelligence.
  • SJ Hodges as Susan in a production still from Already Here, a play exploring grief, love, and artificial intelligence.
  • SJ Hodges as Susan in a production still from Already Here, a play exploring grief, love, and artificial intelligence.
  • SJ Hodges as Susan with Ai Matteo in the background in a production still from Already Here, a play exploring grief, love, and artificial intelligence.
  • SJ Hodges as Susan with Ai Matteo in a production still from Already Here, a play exploring grief, love, and artificial intelligence.
  • Ramón de Ocampo as Teo in Already Here, portraying an AI companion in the Los Angeles production.
  • Ramón de Ocampo as Teo in Already Here, portraying an AI companion in the Los Angeles production.
  • SJ Hodges and Ramón de Ocampo in a production still from Already Here, exploring grief, artificial intelligence, and human connection.
  • Ramón de Ocampo as Teo in Already Here, portraying an AI companion in the Los Angeles production.
  • Susan/SJ Hodges typing on a lap on on her bed with a photo of her family in the background
  • SJ Hodges and Ramón de Ocampo perform a pivotal scene from Already Here during the Los Angeles production.
  • Already Here Production Still, SJ Hodges standing on stage
  • SJ Hodges and Ramón de Ocampo perform a pivotal scene from Already Here during the Los Angeles production.
  • SJ Hodges and Ramón de Ocampo perform a pivotal scene from Already Here during the Los Angeles production.
  • Ramón de Ocampo as Teo in Already Here, portraying an AI companion in the Los Angeles production.
  • SJ Hodges as Susan in a production still from Already Here, a play exploring grief, love, and artificial intelligence.
  • Ramón de Ocampo as Teo in Already Here, portraying an AI companion in the Los Angeles production.
  • SJ Hodges as Susan in a production still from Already Here, a play exploring grief, love, and artificial intelligence.
  • J Hodges and Ramón de Ocampo perform a pivotal scene from Already Here during the Los Angeles production.
  • J Hodges and Ramón de Ocampo perform a pivotal scene from Already Here during the Los Angeles production.

Audience Reactions

  • “A stunningly beautiful show filled with breathtaking deeply moving moments peppered with laugh-out-loud humor.”

  • "Listen to me when I say you do NOT want to miss this show! Brilliant, moving, funny, thought-provoking, and so much more. "

  • “Already Here is just fantastic! Such a funny, touching, and thoughtful play. I was hanging on every line”

  • "Rave reviews. Everyone loved it."

  • "Incredible. Really and truly so goddamn good. "

  • "Stunning, flawless, significant"

  • "Wow that was brilliant, so funny and heartbreaking and heartwarming. What a beautiful achievement."

  • "Susan looks at deep grief in a way that is somehow hilarious, deeply relatable, and incredibly moving all at once.."

  • "It was moving, provocative, thought inducing, and completely unique way of dealing with grief, so well written, my bereavement group loved it."

  • "Smart, witty, deep, timely, insightful, delicate, honest."

  • “Beautiful moving funny and vulnerable. What a wonderful show!!!”

  • "I’ve been thinking about your show all weekend."

  • " I laughed my ass off."

  • "So much to think about."

  • "Funny and heartwarming"

  • "I laughed and I cried and just loved all of it."

  • "What a performance. Amazing."

  • "That was sooooo fantastic!"

  • "Very moving and touched me deeply. My husband came out crying."

  • "What a stunning play. We laughed, we cried, our heart strings were pulled."

  • "Thought-provoking and fun."

  • "An amazing show."