Large Language Models in the Performing Arts

Wednesday, 22 May 2024 | Kino Toni (3.G02), Toni-Areal
15:00 Introduction by Gunter Lösel, Manuel Hendry, Ramona Mosse
15:30 Rudolf Rosa: “THEaiTRE” Generating theatre play scripts with GPT-2
16:10 Discussion
16:30 Annie Dorsen: “Staging the Future” Shaping Modern Theater Narratives with LLMs
17:10 Discussion
17:30 Break (30 Minutes)
18:00 Performance: “Drinking with a Cyborg” (Piotr Mirowski, Gunter Lösel)
19:00 End of Day 1

Thursday, 23 May | Immersive Arts Space (1.J30), Toni-Areal
17:00 Exhibition, Open Lab
18:30 Guided Tour
19:30 End of Day 2

Workshop
(only for registered participants)

Thursday, 23 May | Filmstudio, Toni-Areal
9:15 – 16:20
Friday, 24 May | Filmstudio, Toni-Areal
9:15 – 17:00

As machines learn to use language, they are profoundly reshaping theatre and the performing arts. Contributing to playwriting and storytelling, reshaping interactions between actors and audiences, and influencing bodies and stage technology, Large Language Models (LLMs) are challenging established work processes and the theatrical system as a whole. As partners on stage, through improvisation and role-playing, contemporary algorithms can be both highly entertaining and deeply confusing. For our symposium, we have invited theatre practitioners and researchers who are integrating these new technologies into their artistic projects, trying to master the technology and develop new artistic strategies. The workshop aims to further these developments by sharing knowledge on the technological, artistic, and ethical aspects of using LLMs in the performing arts.

The LLMs in the Performing Arts Symposium will provide three days of sustained exchange on several key areas:

1. Collaborative Scriptwriting and Storytelling: using LLMs in the collaborative process of story generation.
2. Interactive Theatre Performances: interacting with digital agents in real time on stage.
3. Digital Agents as Characters: representing and designing digital agents for use on stage.
4. Enhancing Stage Design and Direction: LLMs and AI assisting with stage design, lighting, and direction, contributing to the overall aesthetic and thematic elements of a performance.
5. Ethical and Creative Implications: exploring the ethical implications of using AI in theatre, including concerns about authenticity, the creative process, and the future role of human actors and directors in an AI-enhanced environment.
6. Future Prospects and Technological Advances: predicting future trends in the integration of AI in theatre.

The symposium aims to create a network of international practitioners engaged in cutting-edge research-creation on these topics. Admission to the symposium and exhibition is free. The workshop is designed for a limited number of interested participants, please contact the organisers if you are interested in attending the workshop: gunter.loesel@zhdk.ch