By Stuart Kerr, Technology Correspondent
Published: 21 July 2025
Last Updated: 21 July 2025
Contact: liveaiwire@gmail.com | Twitter: @LiveAIWire
Author Bio: About Stuart Kerr
The spotlight has shifted. In rehearsal rooms and stage workshops across the world, the age-old tradition of theatre is meeting its newest cast member: artificial intelligence. What began as a tool for marketing or lighting design has quickly evolved. Today, AI is writing scripts, crafting stage visuals, and even making directorial decisions—quietly redrawing the lines of creative control.
A New Cast of Collaborators
In a recent Stanford University project, researchers showcased how AI-generated projections and scene transitions enhanced the emotional pacing of a live performance. Unlike pre-programmed backdrops, these were responsive—trained on live audio cues and character sentiment.
Meanwhile, tools like Midjourney and Runway are now regularly used by designers to brainstorm moodboards, character looks, and even full stage layouts. As covered in Style by Algorithm, AI is already shaping how fashion and interiors are conceptualised. Now, it’s pushing deep into theatre's visual realm.
The Scriptwriter That Never Sleeps
Playwriting has long been a sacred act of human interpretation. But LLMs like GPT-4 and Claude 3 are increasingly being trained to develop story arcs, character backstories, and even dialogue rhythm.
A ResearchGate study describes how experimental groups in Europe have used these models to write entire short plays. In some cases, actors intentionally deliver AI-penned scripts without rehearsal to explore the limits of coherence and authenticity.
This raises a vital question: does the creative spark lie in the words themselves or the human who interprets them?
Choreographing Emotion, Not Just Movement
Beyond dialogue and set pieces, AI is now being explored as a co-director of emotional pacing. The CEUR paper "Classifying Contemporary AI Applications in Intermedia Theatre" outlines how neural networks are used to interpret crowd reactions in real time, adjusting light, tone, and background audio accordingly.
This feedback loop turns passive audience members into unknowing participants in performance modulation.
Identity and the Algorithm
In The AI Identity Crisis, we examined how AI reshapes notions of self. That theme reverberates on stage. What does it mean when a performer’s voice is algorithmically enhanced for consistency? Or when AI selects blocking patterns based on efficiency rather than artistic intent?
A production is no longer just a reflection of the director’s vision—it’s also shaped by the training data of models that were never in the room.
Art or Automation?
According to The Theatre Times, many designers are embracing AI as a digital intern: tireless, fast, and unbothered by deadlines. But others warn of an aesthetic flattening—the risk that AI-generated outputs, while technically competent, lack emotional specificity or cultural texture.
This tension echoes themes explored in When Art Rebels, where algorithmic creativity was both a breakthrough and a bottleneck.
Beyond Broadway
The implications stretch far beyond elite productions. Smaller theatres can now access AI lighting plans and mood-driven audio suggestions for free. According to a recent ScienceDirect article, community troupes are using ChatGPT to localise classic texts or translate scripts in real time.
AI is levelling the playing field—but it’s also raising the curtain on new ethical and creative questions.
About the Author
Stuart Kerr is the Technology Correspondent for LiveAIWire. He writes about artificial intelligence, ethics, and how technology is reshaping everyday life. Read more