Staging The Machine
2010/Documentary
Director
A documentary on one of the earliest AI-written stage plays.Staging the Machine documents a stage production at USC in 2019, where human actors rehearsed and performed a play written entirely by an AI system.The film observes how directing changes when the script has no human author—no intent to clarify, no revisions to request, and no creative dialogue with a playwright. I directed and documented this project, focusing on the creative process rather than the technology itself.The documentary follows a theater director—trained in computer science and deeply committed to stage practice—as her works with a script generated entirely by AI.
1. Why This MattersIn 2019, using AI to write a theatrical script was highly uncommon.There were no established tools, workflows, or references for staging machine-generated text.This project captures an early moment when AI first entered live theater. Not as a novelty, but as a practical challenge for rehearsal, direction, and performance.
2. StatusThis documentary remains unfinished and continues as an open research project.
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