Theatre, A.I. and 'ludic technologies'

We propose a research network to investigate three related yet distinct fields of: contemporary theatre, artificial intelligence and ludic technologies. The main focus of the network will be to investigate these fields from the perspective of humanist discourses and artistic practice. We feel that this perspective has often been omitted in the current discussions and academic discourses on A.I. and thus it would be a timely consideration. We also feel that in our current post-digital age, there is scope, novelty and timeliness in an interdisciplinary research approach to these three fields, in particular when considering how contemporary artistic practices can question our relationship with newly emerging technologies.

The focus and the originality of this network lies in the exploration of the way that these three disciplines intertwine and an exploration of A.I. through humanist and artistic practice perspectives. With the ever-increasing investments and developments in this area there is a strong case for an investigation of its cultural impact. Through this focus there is a potential to enable the development of a coherent theoretical framework through which the bringing together of theatre, A.I. and ludic technologies can be conceptualised. We also feel that many geographical areas such as mid-Wales have been underrepresented in the discussions surrounding A.I. in favour of a more globalised domain. Hence the network will enable the activation of more local discourses on these topics.

The network will bring together academics from the field of A.I. research, computer studies, game studies, arts and humanities, theatre and performance artists/practitioners with the aim of exploring the above research agenda. This will be achieved through three events (three symposia/workshops) running over the course of two years. Each symposium will consist of small conference-like proceedings where participants will share research papers and discuss their findings. Each proceeding will be followed by a workshop event led by an invited artist/practitioner/designer.

In this section we will briefly outline how the impact of this project will be achieved for three different stakeholder groups. For each group we will consider impact in terms of both short-term and long-term objectives.

The first group of stakeholders will consist of practitioners in the field of contemporary theatre and performance, A.I. design and videogames design. The short-term impact will be achieved as follows. The research network will enable this group to discuss new ideas and directions for their practice in the context of theoretical framings and knowledge transfer espoused by the project. This will be achieved through three symposia. Each symposium will last for a day and will consist of two stages: a keynote and a presentation of papers by members of the group followed by discussions. The second stage will consist of performance events, conceptual discussions and workshops delivered by the invited practitioners. There will be long-term impact in building new relationships between practitioners and academic researchers, leading to potential future collaborations. This will be achieved through collaborations on the edited volume and future publications, a joint exhibition project of conceptual work generated by the network, future symposia and grant applications.

We identify the second group of stakeholders as potential external collaborators such as the Digital Catapult Innovation centre, National Theatre Wales and S4C. We will approach members of these organisations and invite them to participate in the network's activities in order to establish relationships and links that will be mutually beneficial. The short-term impact on this group will be achieved as follows. Digital Catapult would benefit from new critical perspectives and discussions of future directions in which A.I. will be implemented in artistic practice. NTW would benefit from insights into how A.I. and 'ludic technologies' can be implemented in contemporary performance and theatre practice. These insights would benefit and inform the programming agenda and strategy of NTW. In a similar vein this research network would also benefit S4C in terms of programming and future project involvement. The long-term impact will be achieved by forging links between academia, media industry and businesses which will lead to potential future collaborations on interdisciplinary projects.

The third group of stakeholders are the non-academic audiences. The short-term impact will be achieved as follows. Non-academic participants will have the opportunity to engage and participate in the organised workshops. There will be opportunities to spectate and also to explore new technologies and experience. External collaborators such as NTW and S4C have an extensive experience in organising and curating public-facing events and their involvement will contribute towards extending the social reach of the network. We can collaborate with their marketing teams in order to identify and target audiences who would be interested in the topics of the network. The long-term impact will be achieved as follows. The network will host an interactive website that will disseminate information about the project and hold video documentation of the events. Also, as a final event, we will organise a gallery exhibition of ideas and concepts generated by the network and produce a catalogue which will document this work (printed and online form).