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Baroque theatre meets artificial intelligence: in this performative stage installation that lies somewhere between musical object theatre and motorised sculpture, an AI takes on the role of director, and the stage machinery becomes the ensemble. A self-trained algorithm steers the deployment of music, light and stage motors, and choreographs the sets inspired by Baroque theatre buildings – and does so anew at every performance. Marie Meyer, Declan Hurley and Simon Lenzen, offered the AI technical options and discussed with it the sequence of the scenes and narrative arcs. However, the final decisions were always entirely up to the AI. There was a lot of programming, tinkering and soldering in the background – then on stage, a clean dramaturgy foreign to contemporary viewing habits, which surprises, confuses – and touches? To the accompaniment of Bach and Handel, Monteverdi and Vivaldi, parts of the stage are lifted and come down, large panels slide in from the sides and set the scene at the Theaterrevier. It is not only the music that is baroque, but also the magnificent, perfected spectacle as a possible way to deal with times of crisis.

Credits:
Concept, Artistic Direction, Set Design, AI Training: Marie Meyer
Direction, Choreography: Artificial Intelligence
Digital Interface Programming, Set Design Collaboration, Dramaturgy: Declan Hurley
Robotics, Lighting Design: Simon Lenzen
Production Collaboration: Svenja Polonji

A production by Marie Meyer in co-production with Produktionshaus NAXOS (Frankfurt am Main). The production was supported by the Hessian Ministry for Science and Research, Arts and Culture, the Frankfurt Cultural Office, and with the kind support of the Aventis Foundation. Development enabled through: HTA Postgraduate Funding „Künstlerisches Forschen“ (2023) – a funding project of the Frankfurt LAB für Alumni der Hessischen Theaterakademie, supported by the Hessische Ministerium für Wissenschaft und Kunst und den Fonds Darstellende Künste with funds from the Beauftragten der Bundesregierung für Kultur und Medien under NEUSTART KULTUR.