When I began organizing this roundtable for the Artistic Finance podcast, I didn’t realize that AI in theatre was a topic as taboo as freelancer finances. I was quickly reminded that creativity, labor, and the human touch are deeply personal to the ethics of theatre. My healthy amount of AI skepticism is nothing compared to that of my colleagues. Their strongly negative reactions when I asked if they use AI made me double down on providing space on the podcast for theatre designers to talk openly about it. Whether we want it to or not, it is a technology entering theatre workflows and we must educate ourselves.
RELATED: Listen to the full episode here.
Joining the discussion were designers working in projections, lighting, scenic, props, costumes, and sound. We talked about the environmental costs of AI, with insights from David Murakami, a projection designer who has researched AI extensively and taught a workshop for designers of USA 829. The panel also addressed the creative work used to train models, labor displacement, and the challenges facing educators. We also acknowledged the practical reality that designers are increasingly surrounded by these tools.
Some of the panelists are using AI, sometimes extensively, at different points in their workflows. Others, like prop designer Jay Duckworth, are not using AI at all. All are cautious. The discussion made it clear that every theatre artist draws an ethical line in a different place. But there did seem to be a consensus that AI might help with research, brainstorming, organization, and repetitive tasks. Generative uses, however, can undermine the craft we take pride in practicing. While not immune to AI, theatre is positioned as a place where the human touch is inextricable. Our industry is built around people learning a craft, collaborating with other people, and including the audience in that collaboration as people see other people.
I understand why theatre artists don’t want to use AI. But exploring it and talking about it helps us all make decisions. It gives us a better understanding of the technology, its consequences, and what our peers are already doing. The designers on this panel were willing to have this conversation publicly, and I am incredibly grateful to them for it.
This episode is the beginning of several exploring AI on Artistic Finance. Asking more questions about specific design areas is important to helping us understand how these tools might be used. We need to understand them, especially if we are to decide that, ethically, they should not be part of our creative processes. If we decide not to use them, that decision should be a well rounded choice.
The real value of this episode is not finding a consensus on AI, but making room to engage thoughtfully and learn together.
Participants:
David Murakami is a projection designer and film director whose visually immersive work spans opera, theatre, dance, and large-scale entertainment on five continents.
Carl Faber is a multidisciplinary visual designer based in Portland, Oregon, working across theatre, opera, dance, and immersive experiences while serving as Director of Operations at Culture House Immersive and Lighting Supervisor at Portland Opera and Oregon Ballet Theatre.
Anita J. Tripathi is a Charlotte-based scenic designer, educator, and Associate Professor and Chair of Theatre at Davidson College, with extensive regional design credits and professional experience in both scenic and props design.
Jay Duckworth is a props designer and educator at Pace University whose extensive credits include Hamilton, Shakespeare in the Park, Here Lies Love, and numerous productions at The Public Theater.
Ari Fulton is a costume designer for stage and film whose credits include Disney's Frozen, Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical, and the Sundance Award-winning film Ricky, as well as teaching appointments at Brooklyn College and the Fashion Institute of Technology.
Sun Hee Kil is a sound designer and educator whose credits include Broadway, Off-Broadway, regional and international theatre, and the PyeongChang Winter Olympics Opening and Closing Ceremonies, and who teaches sound design at Purchase College, SUNY.