September 11, 2026
Provided Courtesy/Mitu
"Utopian Hotline" combines messages from the public with interviews featuring scientists, astronauts and students during performances at the Franklin Institute's Fels Planetarium from Sept. 24-26.
What would you say if you could leave a voicemail for people living far in the future?
That's the idea behind "Utopian Hotline," an immersive theater performance coming to the Fels Planetarium at the Franklin Institute from Sept. 24-26 as part of the Philadelphia Fringe Festival.
Anyone can call 646-694-8050 and answer the question, "How do you imagine a more perfect future?" The anonymous recordings may become part of the show, alongside interviews with NASA astronauts, astrophysicists, astronomers and middle school students.
The project draws inspiration from NASA's Voyager spacecraft, which launched in 1977 carrying Golden Records filled with sounds and images meant to communicate life on Earth. "Utopian Hotline" takes that nearly 50-year-old idea and reimagines it through the perspectives collected for the performance.
Mitu, the theater company behind the project, will bring those recordings and interviews together beneath the Fels Planetarium dome during seven hourlong performances. The run marks the show's Philadelphia premiere.
General admission costs $35. The performance is appropriate for ages 7 and older, though it contains adult language. Museum admission is not included with show tickets and can be purchased separately for those who also want to visit the Franklin Institute.
Sept. 24-25: 6 and 8 p.m.
Sept. 26: 1, 5 and 7 p.m.
Fels Planetarium at the Franklin Institute
222 N. 20th St.
Philadelphia, PA 19103
General admission: $35
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