Improv Theater and Artificial Intelligence

Improvisational theater is an art form where unscripted theater is performed. Dialogue, characters, and actions are created on the spot. Errors made within an improvisational theater scene are encouraged, and can form an input to how the scene evolves. Ultimately this project focuses on the evolution and creation of artificial intelligence bots interacting with the world of improv theater. Chatbots Versus Improv Bots A chatbot is a software application used to conduct an online chat conversation via text or text-to-speech, in lieu of providing direct contact with a live human agent. There are many different types of chatbots ranging from a regular expression chatbot like Eliza, who was designed to imitate a therapist, a slot-response chatbot such as Amazon’s Alexa, who responds and acts on commands, or even neural nets like GPT-2 , BERT, or XLNet all of which are used for various elements of natural language processing and text classification tasks. The Artificial Improvisor is a form of artificial conversational agent, or chatbot, focused on open domain dialogue and collaborative narrative generation. Using state-of-the-art machine learning techniques, spanning from natural language processing and speech recognition, to reinforcement and deep learning, these improv bots provide a completely new and exciting asset to this technology that is different from these other types of chatbots. Below is an example of each type of chatbot listed in order from left to right

Improvisation for technically-oriented peoples

Teaching “soft” skills to technical people is just as important as learning “hard” skills. Improvisation techniques can also be used in teaching technical concepts such as cybersecurity, agile development, database design, programming concepts, and most importantly how to better one’s communication skills. In an age where rapid changes have become the norm, improvisation techniques can be used to help navigate the new challenges of the next generation careers, global interaction, and technologies. These techniques can easily be incorporated in other methodologies such as creative problem-solving and design thinking. There are clearly defined and flexible rules for improvising, which make it easier for technical persons to learn and use in their daily life and career.Enseñar las habilidades “blandas” a las personas técnicas es tan importante como aprender las habilidades “duras”. Las técnicas de improvisación también se pueden usar en la enseñanza de conceptos técnicos como la ciberseguridad, el desarrollo ágil, el diseño de bases de datos, los conceptos de programación y, lo más importante, cómo mejorar las habilidades de comunicación. En una era en la que los cambios rápidos se han convertido en la norma, las técnicas de improvisación pueden usarse para ayudar a navegar los nuevos desafíos de las carreras de la próxima generación, la interacción global y las tecnologías. Estas técnicas pueden incorporarse fácilmente en otras metodologías, como la resolución creativa de problemas y el pensamiento de diseño. Existen reglas claramente definidas y flexibles para la improvisación que facilitan que las personas técnicas aprendan y usen en su vida diaria y carrer

Innovative Applications of Natural Language Processing and Digital Media in Theatre and Performing Arts

The objective of our research is to investigate new digital techniques and tools, offering the audience innovative, attractive, enhanced and accessible experiences. The project focuses on performing arts, particularly theatre, aiming at designing, implementing, experimenting and evaluating technologies and tools that expand the semiotic code of a performance by offering new opportunities and aesthetic means in stage art and by introducing parallel accessible narrative flows. In our novel paradigm, modern technologies emphasize the stage elements providing a multilevel, intense and immersive theatrical experience. Moreover, lighting, video projections, audio clips and digital characters are incorporated, bringing unique aesthetic features. We also attempt to remove sensory and language barriers faced by some audiences. Accessibility features consist of subtitles, sign language and audio description. The project emphasises on natural language processing technologies, embedded communication and multimodal interaction to monitor automatically the time flow of a performance. Based on this, pre-designed and directed stage elements are being mapped to appropriate parts of the script and activated automatically by using the virtual "world" and appropriate sensors, while accessibility flows are dynamically synchronized with the stage action. The tools above are currently adapted within two experimental theatrical plays for validation purposes. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.</p

Ludic Learning Lab: Serious Games for Nurses. Theatre Training Reimagined

Theatre improvisation supports the development of interpersonal skills, building verbal and physical imagination, whilst enabling compassionate interaction between people to enhance connections. Improvisation is emerging in health care as a pedagogical tool that can enhance human to human connections such as the interaction between a nurse and patient enabling experiential learning. This thesis argues that the ludic nature of improvisation exercises stimulates enhanced interaction skills (Toivanen, 2011). The ancient body-mind practices that improvisation draws on offer valuable skills to the learner, contributing to the andragogy of nurse practice and pre-registration education and training. Nurses require unique cognitive capabilities to multi-task, problem-solve and prioritise urgent needs in a fast-paced hospital environment. Human factors such as communication and situational awareness are essential to maintaining high-level patient care across a challenging environment (Eisenhardt, 2021). The World Health Organisation (WHO, 2019) and The Australian Commission for Quality and Safety in Health Care (Report The State of Patient Safety and Quality in Australian Hospitals, 2019; Fotis, 2010) found that deficiencies in human factor skills in hospital settings are affecting patient safety; fifty per cent of adverse events are preventable. Communicating for safety in training is a number one priority to reduce preventable adverse events. This thesis explores the principles and theories of theatrical improvisation through engaging with the work of Viola Spolin, Rudolph Laban, Augusto Boal, Jacob L Moreno, David Kolb and Howard Gardner. It comprises both a theoretical/critical component and a creative component which is a digital toolkit, the Improv-e-toolkit designed to be used in blended delivery, face-to-face and digital mode. The Improv-e-toolkit is a prototype that aims to unite important clinical nursing skills such as situational awareness, decision making and relationship management. I argue, drawing on the work of Hager (2004) that improvisation training develops team-based trust and effective communication to support positive nurse-patient connections which deliver favourable patient outcomes

Speech Techniques as an Important Tool of Verbal Action in the Art of the Actor

The relevance of the study is conditioned upon the fact that contemporary art undergoes various transformations. Notably, modern theater is aimed at creating a variety of entertainment forms. It depends on the bright scenery, outrageous acting and the availability of experimental performances. Speech techniques as an important tool of verbal action in the art of the actor also acquired a specific, even paradoxical character. The theatrical work becomes quite subjective and individualised, embodies the inner well-being of the artist in the depiction of his emotions, worldview and more. In this regard, the article aims to determine the nature and features of speech techniques in the practice of performing arts. The leading methods of research on this problem are methods of analysis, synthesis, deduction, generalisation and comparison of approaches, which will help determine the main essence of the problem of speech and speech techniques as an important tool of verbal action in the art of the actor. The article presents various approaches to the study and interpretation of the stage word as a socio-cultural phenomenon; the analysis of works of artists, researchers who are engaged in research of this process is carried out; emphasis is placed on psychological difficulties and peculiarities of the organisation of verbal action on the stage; the definition of the essence of the subtext as a category of stage speech is offered; the methods of its embodiment in theatrical practice are substantiated; the specific features of the functioning of intonation in stage works are traced; diagnosed promising methods of developing the technique of stage speech in theatrical activities; the requirements of acting in the context of the development of theater of the 21st century are determined; the process of creating exemplary stage speech is demonstrated; recommendations and main tasks for improving speech techniques as an important tool of verbal action in the art of the actor and component of theatrical art are revealed. The materials of the article are of practical and theoretical value for art critics, actors, directors, culturologists and theater figures, who will be able to improve the forms of work on the word, to develop skills of language and speech culture. In addition, the information may be relevant for students of stage and art, scientists, teachers who will be able to implement certain principles in future theater activities