AI Takes the Stage
How artificial intelligence is transforming the way we imagine, produce, and experience art
Duration: 90 min
Language: English
Radialsystem
Holzmarktstraße 33, 10243 Berlin
Curated by:
Ian Truitner
Chris Pleydell
With support of
YiLAB
A conversation among theater professionals exploring how artificial intelligence is being integrated into creative processes — and how these technologies can enhance live performance, from stage design to audience engagement.
In this open panel discussion, creators, technologists, and cultural innovators come together to examine how artificial intelligence is transforming the way we imagine, produce, and experience art. From theater and music to film and immersive media, the conversation will explore how emerging technologies expand creative boundaries, enable new forms of storytelling, and challenge our understanding of what it means to be an artist in the age of intelligent machines. The discussion will also address both the opportunities and ethical questions that arise as human imagination meets algorithmic creation.
Participants
Speakers:
Su Wen-Chi is a choreographer and new media artist who founded YILAB in 2005, dedicated to technology-driven performing arts. Following her 2016 CERN residency, she explores art-science dialogue through "body" and "matter," transforming cosmic phenomena into artistic experiences. Her work W.A.V.E. won the 2017 World Stage Design Gold Award, and Black Hole Museum + Body Browser was selected for Annecy International Animation Festival 2023. She received the Taishin Arts Award Jury's Special Prize and collaborated with LA PRAIRIE at Art Basel Miami Beach 2021. Su continues exploring human perception in the technological age through interdisciplinary performance.
Ivan Vyrypaev – a Polish playwright of Russian descent, screenwriter, film director, actor and art director. He is a leading figure in the New Drama movement. Founder and general producer of the private Polish foundation WEDA PROJECT. Artistic Director and General Producer of the foundation for creative and spiritual development "Teal House" in Warsaw. Winner of numerous literary, theatrical and film awards, including the Venice Film Festival, Stuckemarkt International Contemporary Drama Festival, Warsaw Film Festival, Rome Film Festival and many others.
Kojo Samuel – a BAFTA-winning Music Director, celebrated as one of the UK’s most innovative and sought-after figures in the music industry. Known for creating dynamic live shows and unforgettable performances, he has worked with artists including Jess Glynne, Stormzy, Camila Cabello, Tom Odell, Liam Gallagher, Labrinth, and Griff. His major event credits include the Eurovision Song Contest 2023, London New Year’s Eve Fireworks, and the Commonwealth Games Closing Ceremony.
Richard Crawford – a British theatre director and actor known for founding the Secret Theatre Project and pioneering immersive, site-specific productions like Reservoir Dogs in London and Fight Club in Hong Kong. His acclaimed works include The New York Secret (2024) and Redemption Room (2021), the latter winning Best Virtual Experience at the SCAR Awards. Crawford is Artistic Director of Brooklyn Studio Lab and a founding member of The New York Rebel Film Club.
Asma Derja – a global AI strategy and governance leader, combining business transformation with ethical technology. With 15+ years managing multi-million-dollar projects at AWS and Deloitte, she designs AI frameworks that are responsible, scalable, and business-aligned. As founder and CEO of the Ethical AI Alliance, she leads a network of practitioners from 30+ countries to develop governance tools and foster global collaboration. She also created the AI Governance Lab, an agile framework embedding governance into workflows for measurable impact.
Olivia Gillman – a British theatre director, actor, and dramaturg whose work spans naturalism, comedy, and eco-theatre. Her 2025 show May Find Distressing was nominated for Best Newcomer at the ISH (James Corden) Edinburgh Comedy Awards, and she has worked with the National Theatre and Katie Mitchell. A visiting director for the Criterion Writers’ Group, she has assisted on major European productions and created acclaimed immersive forest theatre pieces blending classics with live music. She has produced Free Speech Fear Free (Amazon Prime), performs with The Comedy Store Players, and trained at Cambridge University.
Otto Plesner, a narrative director rooted in theatre and entertainment, draws on his heritage to innovate and reshape global art and culture. He has directed internationally, collaborating with major brands such as Universal Pictures and World Expo Dubai. Holding a degree in theatrics and leadership, along with further studies in Paris and New York, he now leads the avant-garde collective RenaiXance and its global tour The Art of Memory, reflecting his commitment to advancing contemporary performance.
Alexis Kirke is a British composer and filmmaker whose work merges art, science, and technology. Called “the Philip K. Dick of contemporary music,” he holds doctorates in both fields from Plymouth University, where he is a senior research fellow and composer-in-residence. His projects explore quantum mechanics, AI, and marine science, including Superposition, Entangled Brains, and Teleporting from Westeros, which used quantum computing in live performance. Other works include Come Together, Conducting Shakespeare, Remember a Day, and large-scale installations like Sound-Wave and Sunlight Symphony.
Moderator:
Scott C. Johnson – a journalist and author who spent twelve years as a Newsweek foreign correspondent and Bureau Chief, reporting from over fifty countries including Afghanistan, Iraq, and Mexico. His work has appeared in The New York Times, Foreign Policy, BuzzFeed, and Granta, earning honors such as an Overseas Press Club mention and Newsweek’s National Magazine Award for General Excellence. His memoir The Wolf and the Watchman (2013) was longlisted for the National Book Award and named a Washington Post Notable Book. His 2023 book The Con Queen of Hollywood: The Hunt for an Evil Genius (HarperCollins), which inspired a 2024 Apple TV+ series, investigates a global impersonation scam while exploring his own personal story.
Free event – registration required.