Invitation to "Beyond the Human: Theatre, Robots and Social Realities" Symposium (7 June, via Zoom)

Dear IETM Members, 

We are delighted to invite you to the Beyond the Human: Theatre, Robots and Social Realities International Symposium organised by The George Ciprian Theatre (IETM member in RO) in partnership with the National University of Theatre and Film I.L. Caragiale (UNATC) in Bucharest. The event will take place on the 7th of June, onsite at UNATC (Tudor Arghezi Street 3b) and online via Zoom. The symposium will mark the end of the Tele-Encounters: Beyond the Human cultural project, co-funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union.

What is the connection between migration, caregiving, telematics, robots, virtual beings, theatre and prospective thinking? Tele-Encounters: Beyond the Human delved into the intricate ties between these seemingly disparate subjects, seeking to understand if and how technology could alleviate loneliness, bridge the gap between migrants and their families and help solve the looming caregiving crisis. We argue that social robots and virtual beings are theatrical, that the theatre can inform robotics and AI research and that both robots and virtual beings can make charismatic performers with a little help from their human friends. Through the incorporation of technology into performance structures and narratives, the theatre can prepare us for the future while extending its own boundaries as an art form.

The project partners in Romania, Italy and Spain will present the research conducted during the 3-year implementation period, covering the creation of 2032 SMART-FAMILY, a transnational telematic theatre performance, and the Imaginary Robots website, featuring virtual characters powered by GPT‑3. The international guest speakers will provide context to the themes of social robotics, roboethics, robot theatre and telematic theatre.

The symposium will be moderated by Ogmios Z42, the robot star of 2032 SMART-FAMILY.

Participation is free, based on registration via Google Forms - the Zoom link will be sent via email one day before the symposium: https://forms.gle/7s6DAEbjkfhnW6Ai7

The symposium programme is attached to this post and can also be read here: https://tele-encounters-beyond.eu/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Beyond-the…

Tele-Encounters: Beyond the Human is led by The George Ciprian Theatre in Buzău (RO) and implemented in partnership with Industria Scenica in Milan (IT) and UCAM Catholic University of Murcia (ES). Our associate partner and symposium host is UNATC Bucharest.

With all best wishes,

The Tele-Encounters: Beyond the Human project team