Omnibus Theatre to Host First AI Festival

Omnibus Theatre has announced the inaugural AI Festival, an urgent response to the cultural conversation surrounding the benefits and dangers of rapidly developing Artificial Intelligence. As one of the first festivals of its kind, AI Festival will explore how artists can creatively engage with Artificial Intelligence with two weeks of theatre, comedy, workshops, exhibitions, and conversation from 26 June – 9 July.

 

The innovative and varied programme, curated by Paloma Jacob-Duvernet and produced by Alice Eve is headlined by four lead theatre shows from multi-national creative teams. Opening the festival is ASSISTED, exploring digital domesticity, followed by AI-controlled comedy in Improbiotic's Artificial Intelligence Improvisation and closes with thought-provoking Secret Thoughts and dystopian thriller FishEye.

 

Paloma Jacob-Duvernet said today, “AI technology has been a source of curiosity and interest for me a little while. Even though I must admit I am sometimes scared of it, isn't that the best cocktail for a thrill?  It felt to me that the fast-growing consumption of AI in our day-to-day had to be addressed and that is how I had the idea for AI Festival. I am genuinely looking forward to welcoming audiences to be entertained and challenged by our artists' take on AI.”

 

Alice Eve said today, “It's incredibly stimulating as a creative to be in the presence of scientists and researchers at the top of their respective fields, as well as established and emerging artists and still finding common ground. It's a real privilege as a producer to bring together interdisciplinary work and remember that your learning journey is never done. I already feel that my practice has been re-energised by bringing this festival and its collaborators together and I cannot wait to share our lineup with audiences.”

 

 

Introducing AI Festival: a state-of-the-art season of work starring an electric line-up of humans and robots. Fusing technology and theatre, AI Festival explores how artists can creatively engage with Artificial Intelligence. 

 

Journey from the dark side of digital domesticity with ASSISTED, to a drug-fuelled dystopia in Fish Eye, a battle of the minds in Secret Thoughts, to bot-controlled improv comedy in Artificial Intelligence Improvisation. 

 

Two weeks of theatre, comedy, workshops, exhibitions and conversation – log in.

 

Alice Eve produces AI Festival. She is an interdisciplinary arts producer and the co-founder of award-winning social enterprise Mainstay Creatives. She has recently worked with organisations including Vital Xposure, Omnibus Theatre, and ice&fire (In Our Own Words, national tour 2023), and she currently sits on an Advisory Board at the Olivier award-winning Almeida Theatre.

 

 

Oxia Theatre presents

ASSISTED

By Greg Wilkinson

27 June – 2 July

 

Directed by: Gareth Watkins

 

Jordan and Connie want their next-generation AI voice assistant – Alivia – to make their perfect lives just that little bit better. But what happens when the technology starts to take control? 

 

A funny and searching exploration of love and domesticity in the near future. 

 

Technology plays a growing role in the most intimate parts of our day-to-day domestic existence - capturing and manipulating increasing amounts of unfiltered information about ourselves and our lives. ASSISTED speculates on what might happen – in how we communicate, how we love, and how we exercise agency – as that technology stops being purely our servant. 

  

ASSISTED is the debut production of Oxia Theatre – a fledgling company seeking to address vital and urgent issues through original work and new writing. 

 

Greg Wilkinson is writer in residence at Oxia Theatre. His theatre credits include ASSISTED (EMERGE2021 festival and Edinburgh Festival Fringe), INSOMNOLENT (RADA). In development FLOW (Edinburgh Festival Fringe)

 

Emma Wilkinson Wright plays Connie. She is Artistic Director of Oxia Theatre. Her acting credits include Necessary Targets (Southwark Playhouse), ASSISTED (Edinburgh Festival Fringe), Dismantling the Reindeer ( The Bread and Roses Theatre), Patterns (Leicester Curve), Secret Thoughts (Southwark Playhouse), Love, Genius and a Walk (Teatro Technis), Mother Courage (Lazarus), Umbrella (Bloomsbury Festival), Meal with Friends (White Bear Theatre), Like Water for Chocolate (Cervantes Theatre), Tiny Camel (Finborough Theatre), La Rose Rouge (Theatro Technis), The After Dinner Joke (Greenwich Theatre), Hamlet (Tower Theatre), Anthony and Cleopatra (Theatro Technis), Hidden (VAULT Festival), As You Like it (The Mono Box), Moonlight Strangers (Camden People's Theatre), Iphigenia in Aulis (The Cockpit), I'm Fine/ We're Fine (Bloomsbury Festival). For film, her credits include PANDA, Dusk, Run, Ghosts of Wasteland and Slave.

 

Gareth Watkins directs. His directorial credits include Wake (Union Theatre), Welcome to the UK (Bunker Theatre), The Bacchae (Festival of Ancient Greek Theatre at Messene), Assisted (Golden Goose Theatre and Surgeon's Hall, Edinburgh Festival Fringe). His writing credits include, for film, Shalott and The Cottage. As an actor, his theatre credits include The City and The Town (Rikstearten National Theatre of Sweden, Hull Truck), Triptych (De Oscuro, Wales Millennium Centre, Chapter Arts), Iesu! (Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru National Theatre of Wales), The Brothers (The Glasgow Citizens). For television, his credits include Heartbeat, Enid & Lucy, Nuts and Bolts, Jack of Hearts, Pobol y Cwm and for film, My Feral Heart (Dull Boy Pictures); The Secret Life of Michael Fry (Film 4 and Endor); and the soon-to-be-released Blue (Hidden Art Films).

 

 

Improbiotics presents

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IMPROVISATION

28 – 30 June and 9 July

 

Human actors join artificial intelligence robots on a surreal trip in augmented reality, where the robots literally take control of the show. Some improvisers are controlled by artificial intelligence chatbots: will they pass the Turing Test? 

 

In this hilariously absurd comedy, we invite the audience to reflect about human creativity, big tech, and the joy of building and messing with robots.  

 

Artificial Intelligence Improvisation is a tech-infused improv and science comedy show from award-winning Improbotics, featured on the BBC, Bloomberg TV, RTE One, as well as in Time Magazine, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, New Scientist, and more. 

 

Accolades for Improbiotics include Most Innovative Show Award (Online Paris Fringe 2020), Ballsy Award (Binge Fringe 2020) and Show of the Year (Phoenix Remix 2017)

 

Piotr Mirowski is a research scientist in artificial intelligence and robotics. His theatre credits include The Hotel (Cambridge Theatreworks), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Moose Hall Inwood Shakespeare Festival, New York), Playing with Grown-Ups (London Fringe), Medea and Earthbound (Wretched Strangers, Brighton Fringe, Camden Fringe).

 

Sarah Davies performs in house teams including Shuffle and The MOB (Hoopla! Theatre), Close Distance (Queen City Comedy, USA), City Improv (UK tour), The British American Experience (Highwire Improv, USA).

 

Boyd Branch is a communications and digital media expert focused on creating dialogue around subjects of science in public spaces through improvisation, technology, and theatre.  His theatre credits include Soot and Spit (Ice Factory Festival, USA), Red planet Respite (La Jolla Playhouse, USA), The Creation Project (Gammage Theatre, Arizona, USA), Neuro (Emerge Festival, Arizona, USA), Blue Bike Kid Show (Mesa Arts Center, Arizona, USA).

 

 

Paloma Jacob-Duvernet presents

SECRET THOUGHTS

4 – 9 July

 

Directed by Paloma Jacob-Duvernet

 

Do you ever wonder: Am I unique? Do I have a soul? Is there a ghost in the machine? Well, you're not the first, and you won't be the last. 

 

Ralph finds Helen uptight. Helen finds Ralph arrogant. At the crossroad between public lecture and secret diary, these two brilliant minds play an exciting game at the verge of a personal battle and attempt to solve the mystery of consciousness. 

 

Secret Thoughts invites you to challenge your beliefs, celebrate your uniqueness and wonder if a day will come when you find the same quality in an AI. Written by David Lodge, adapted and directed by Paloma Jacob-Duvernet, Secret Thoughts was first staged at Southwark Playhouse in 2021 as part of Stone Crabs Young Directors programme. 

 

Paloma Jacob-Duvernet directs. Paloma is the co-founder of Wretched Strangers theatre company, and a trustee of StoneCrabs theatre company. Her theatre credits include Secret Thoughts (Southwark Playhouse), Medea (The Cockpit, Reading Fringe Festival, Brighton Fringe). As an assistant director, her theatre credits include The Flies (Bunker Theatre) and Sad (Omnibus Theatre).

 

 

 Sam Pout presents

FISHEYE

By Sam Pout

4 – 9 July

 

Directed by Rosa Higgs

 

“I imagine making them make sounds, say words or names. They hardly ever say my name first.” 

 

This is the book of Genesis 2. The world is scarred by war, and environmental catastrophe has caused living to become unbearable. The last resort for Earth's remaining population is to put its future in the hands of AI technology known as IONA. Three subjects enter IONA's world, with the hope that within them they carry the answer to a new way of living. However, as IONA pushes them to their limits, the answer to humanity's dream escapes them, leaving a scarier future in its wake. 

 

Exploring the origins of morality and the desirable chaos of sexuality, this bold new play creates a landscape stretching from lush fields and scorching deserts to a place of pure desolation. Welcome to the healing process. 

 

A brand-new sci-fi thriller from debut writer Sam Pout. Having premiered at Mountview Academy in 2021, it now features as part of Omnibus Theatre's first ever AI Festival. Previous work of Sam's has featured at Omnibus Theatre, The Vaults Theatre, and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe meeting critical acclaim. 

Playwright and Dramaturg Sam Pout is Literary Officer at Omnibus Theatre. His writing credits include State of It (Omnibus Theatre), Fisheye (Mountview Backstage Theatre). His writing and directing credits include for theatre, The Brave Anthology (Edinburgh Fringe), and for film, Into?

 

Rosa Higgs directs. Her theatre credits include A Room with a View (The Minack Theatre), Mr Burns (Reading Rep Theatre), The West End in One Night (One Night Records), Alive and Bricking (Omnibus Theatre), Fisheye (Mountview Backstage Theatre), Mind the Gap (Boilerhouse Theatre), Holy Sh*t (Manchester Fringe, Edinburgh Festival Fringe), Dead Man Talking (Pleasance Theatre).

 

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