“Frankenstein complex” in a process

National Kaunas Drama Theatre and Dirty Deal Teatro (Latvia) presents a unique project in  January 2022 called “Frankenstein complex”, where the author’s and artificial intelligence’s texts are combined.

One of the leading artificial research companies Open AI came with a new  artificial intelligence language module GPT-3, which is the most advanced till this day. Approximately a month later OpenAI created a contest where users could apply to have access to the BETA version. That they could work and experiment with this module. And playwright Kārlis Krūmiņš eight months after applying to this contest got confirmation and access to this technology.  GBT-3 is able to generate different type of texts. It can simplify and condense longer texts. It works as chatbot. It can create speeches and dramatic scenes. Regardless of their quality, they feel as if they have been created by human being. And these capabilities ask many important questions about our future. For some time already automation has been the reason why many professions become obsolete, and it clear that AI will create a new wave of truck drivers, accountants, and many different professions to lose its meaning. But at least now artists could feel safe that their work will not lose a meaning, because machines cannot be creative. Until now. Because if AI can create more touching, more creative and wiser texts, would the readers or spectators really care if author is not made of flesh and blood.

Frankenstein Complex is a term coined by science fiction author Isaac Asimov, and it means fear of humanlike creation that it could destroy its creator – human. And this performance asks questions whether this new text generation software could kill author as a creative being.

Performance would be created for four actors and a screen. Screen would be used for the author Kārlis Krūmiņš to communicate with the audience. But he would be limited to his text being projected on this screen. But for actors would perform scenes and speeches created by AI. Four actors would perform different character without changing costumes but working with their voice and body to create impulses for audience to see how this character is different from the previous one. This would be done in a sincere way to make the texts created by AI feel live and fleshed-out. It is important for actors to make this question as compelling as possible: Do we really need authors? We spend years in school studying biographies, but is it as important as we think it is? Does knowing personal life of the author gives something more when we experience an artwork?

Performance will be performed in English with subtitles in local language. It is done so because GBT-3 generates text in English, and we feel it is important that audience have a possibility to hear the text without any intermediaries but actor’s voice.

Director – Valters Sīlis
Set and costumes – Uģis Bērziņš
Music/Composer – Arvīds Saulītis
Lighting designer- Lauris Johansons

Actors: Inga Tropa , Kārlis Reijers, Deividas Breivė, Vaidas Maršalka.

Premieres: Ryga 2022 January 5, Kaunas 2022 January 9.

Dirty Deal Teatro and NKDT information

Photos Donatas Stankevičius