AI, New Technologies & Live Performance

Ignore, Replace or Reinvent?

---

Presented in partnership with Therme Forum: Theatre and Architecture

Few questions divide the performing arts more sharply than the arrival of artificial intelligence. In a field still defined by human presence in a shared space, do these tools represent a threat to resist, a force of replacement, or an invitation to reinvent artistic practice?

This panel brings together perspectives uniquely positioned at the intersection of storytelling and emerging technology. With Anthony Geffen—whose groundbreaking work in documentary film and immersive media has pushed the boundaries of how audiences experience reality—alongside leading voices in festival curation and immersive performance, the conversation moves beyond theory into practice.

Rather than rehearsing familiar anxieties, the discussion examines where AI already operates within creative workflows, how it reshapes authorship and audience engagement, and where its limits must be clearly drawn. From VR and AR environments to AI-assisted narrative construction, the panel interrogates when technology expands the live encounter—and when it risks diminishing its essential human core.

The focus is not on whether AI belongs in the performing arts, but on how it can be engaged critically and intentionally. The result is a nuanced, practice-driven exploration of how artists and institutions can shape these tools on their own terms—preserving the integrity of live performance while opening new expressive possibilities.

---

Anthony Geffen  ·  CEO, Atlantic Productions; winner of 4 BAFTAs & 8 Emmys (GBR)

Julian Rickert  ·  Co-founder & lead artist, one step at a time like this (AUS)

Suzanne Kersten  ·  Co-founder & lead artist, one step at a time like this (AUS)

Moderator - Ramona Chiriac - VP for Global Impact, Therme Group; former Head, EC Representation in Romania (ROU)

Moderator - Cosmin Chivu  ·  Professor, Sands College of Performing Arts, Pace University (USA / ROU)

---

Event in English, with translation into Romanian
Duration: 1h