Can AI Rewrite The Language Of Theatre?

World Theatre Day is celebrated internationally every year in March 27. It was started by the International Theatre Institute in 1962, evolving into an annual celebration of art and culture. Today, technology is quietly shaping this industry, bringing new promises as well as unanticipated challenges. Theatre artists in India tell SheThePeople how AI and digital are impacting their art.

Rise of Digital Theatre

The COVID-19 pandemic reshaped the world and helped boost the digital world. It gave rise to virtual theatre. and represented a transformative shift in the performing arts. 

The rise of digital theatre marks a significant evolution rather than a replacement of traditional performance. While it cannot fully replicate the emotional intensity and shared energy, it has expanded accessibility and creative possibilities. Digital platforms offer new forms of storytelling and audience engagement.

Online and hybrid theatre performances are game changers for accessibility, opening doors to new audiences. -Ayan Dutta, a journalism student and researcher.

Ayan added, “Digital theatres are not replacing live shows but are expanding possibilities to bring theatre to those who can’t attend physically. The question isn’t whether digital theatre can replicate live shows but how it can carve its own path to blend and create something fresh.”

However, he acknowledged that the lively experience of theatre cannot be replicated online. “I love how live theatre thrives on the collective vibe of the laughter, gasps and applause. Despite the technological advancements, digital formats struggle to capture those,” he said.

AI in Theatre

Technological innovations are transforming theatre, with tools like LED projection mapping, automated stage systems, and immersive audio-visual elements. These innovations make it possible to shift scenes instantly and enhance the depth of storytelling.

Swapan Adhya, a senior theatre and film actor in Kolkata, said, “Recently, I watched a theatre production where they mapped an AI-oriented projection on the back side of the stage. It was my first time seeing that. The play also depicted the dispute between AI and human relationships.”

Swapan also shared the example of directors like Gourab Das and Abhra Das Gupta, who are using AI tools to generate ideas for stagecraft, as it may suggest which materials, such as wood, iron, steel, or clay, can be used in the stage production.

AI is also changing theatre production by extending human creativity and enabling new experimental forms. AI tools can serve as a collaborative partner, helping artists push boundaries while streamlining technical and logistical workflows. 

Shalini Adhya, a PGT at Apeejay School in Kolkata, shared, “AI is flourishing in theatre production, offering new possibilities from scriptwriting to stage design. AI tools can help generate ideas, draft dialogues and suggest alternative storylines and assist with structure and language to help, but lack emotional depth and the lived experience of a human.”

Can Tech Replace Human Emotion?

AI offers new tools for theatre production, but live human connection is the soul of theatre and is irreplaceable. Live theatre depends on the shared physical space and energy between performers and audience.

Shalini Adhya warned that excessive reliance on AI can reduce the authenticity of live performances. “It can be considered a supporting tool rather than a replacement for human creativity as it can enhance efficiency and innovation, but not human essence.” 

Asmi Dasgupta, secretary of the Xaverian Theatrical Society, shares, “We cannot completely rely on AI, else it won’t be an art. However, AI is here to stay, so we have to find a middle ground where it can just be used as a tool. However, I cannot say with confidence whether the upcoming generations will use it wisely or not.” 

Studies show that seeing a live performance elicits stronger emotional and physiological responses compared to watching a screen due to active engagement. Live actors adapt to unexpected events, audience laughter or a missed cue in real-time that AI can’t replicate.

AI can detect emotions but cannot feel them. It lacks life experience, consciousness and the ability to truly understand human vulnerability. It cannot replicate the non-verbal cues that create a profound emotional bond between a human actor and viewer. There is a fear that over-reliance on AI will result in losing the aura of authentic human effort.

Impact on Theatre Artists

The involvement of digital technology in theatre has transformed the industry. The skills, roles and working conditions have all changed and are a source of disruption. While opportunities opened for creativity and audience engagement, it brought employment challenges for traditional artists. 

Skills like using digital tools, tech-based stages, and digital performances are hard for traditional practitioners to adopt. While technology has expanded creative possibilities and created new roles for media and software artists, it has also reduced opportunities for those who cannot adapt, leading to economic challenges.

Ipshita Bhattacharya, working committee member of the Xaverian Theatrical Society, said, “AI cannot replace theatre artists, as it deals with live performance. However, AI is regularly used in advertisements, for designing posters and promotional posts, which were previously done manually. In short, while AI doesn’t threaten theatre performance as an art form directly, it still integrates itself into this art form.”

Improves Accessibility and Democratisation

It is easier for smaller groups to promote via social media and stream performances to reach spaces globally.

Subham Mukherjee, a student and theatre practitioner, said, “Technology is helping make theatre more accessible and inclusive by breaking down barriers like distance, physical limitations, and cost. However, relying much on technology also has some challenges, as not everyone has an internet connection, a device or the skills to use these platforms, and this digital divide can create a kind of new inequality.”

Subham added, “There is also a worry that using much technology might change the live experience of theatre and hamper its originality; so technology affects theatre will depend on how we use it. We need to find a balance between trying things and keeping the theatre inclusive and true to itself. Theatre needs to be accessible but without turning it into just digital content.”

To end with, theatre will stay, but it is definitely going to evolve further. The human essence of storytelling is the heart of theatre, but technology will develop. Hence, we should prepare for a future which is hybrid, where humans and technologies co-exist; if both are used wisely, then it will give a beautiful outcome and will support theatre instead of overshadowing.

Views expressed by the author are their own.