Germany Experiences First-Ever Incident - A woman dances alongside an advanced robot.
For the first time in Germany, a groundbreaking production featuring an actress performing alongside an AI will take place at the Neues Theater Halle on Friday. This extraordinary performance not only boasts impressive visual effects but also adapts and evolves with each show.
The creative team goes as far as claiming that the machine "takes charge" of the evening, leaving even the actress on stage with limited control.
The AI's improvisations
A notable Danish play titled "Sh4dow" stars actress Luise Skov (34) in a key supporting role, while the AI plays the significant role of Skov's shadow on stage. The GPT2 model was initially used, but it wasn't particularly bright. Suddenly, there were significant changes – the AI is now a self-improving artificially intelligent entity capable of improvising right on stage.
At times, it evaluates the actress' facial expressions and acts accordingly, like a spontaneous kiss. Fock, the director, explains: "Each scene is an experiment, and the actress has to decide whether to transition from the real to the imaginary world."
The ancient illusion technique reimagined
The theater in Halle has undergone extensive renovation to accommodate the cutting-edge 3D technology. Surprisingly, they're utilizing a vintage optical trick from the 19th century. Called "Pepper's Ghost," this illusion is achieved by using giant, angled sheets of glass and carefully directed light, creating a deceptively realistic effect.
Nowadays, massive plastic sheets replace the glass, and a screen is angled at 45 degrees. The audience sees the reflection on stage at a 90-degree angle, or straight on. Meanwhile, the actress performs almost blindfolded, relying on markings on the floor to guide her around the AI.
"Sh4dow" revolves around a shadow enveloping a woman and the timeless question: who will take command, the woman or the AI?
Catch "Sh4dow" from May 24th to the 30th – tickets are available for as low as 21 euros at buehnen-halle.de.
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Source: symclub.org