[Public Dialogue] NTF Pro | A Robot Walked into the Theatre (In Dutch)

On 2 September 2021, Maaike Bleeker and Ulrike Quade discussed their project Acting Like a Robot as part of ‘NTF Pro’ at Nederlands Theater Festival. Here they talked about how collaboration between theatre and robotics can lead to mutual development and inspiration. See the video of this conversation below (in Dutch)!

Description (see below for English)

Wat hebben theater en robotica elkaar te vertellen?

In mei 2020, toen de theaters voor mensen gesloten waren, bezocht robot Ike de Stadsschouwburg in Utrecht. Zijn bezoek was het begin van een meerjarig onderzoek met de titel Acting Like a Robot: Theatre as Testbed for the Robot Revolution. Wat hebben theatermakers en robots aan elkaar? Wat gebeurt er op dit gebied, in Nederland en daarbuiten?

Acting Like a Robot verkent hoe theatermakers, wetenschappers en robotontwikkelaars elkaar wederzijds kunnen inspireren. De ontwikkeling van robots is niet alleen een kwestie van techniek maar ook van verbeelding, van inzicht in hoe vorm te geven aan hun gedrag, uiterlijk en manieren van communiceren. Wetenschapper Maaike Bleeker (Universiteit Utrecht) en theatermaker Ulrike Quade doen verslag en laten work in progress zien.

English

What can theatre and robotics share with each other?

In May 2020, when the theaters were closed to people, robot Ike visited the Stadsschouwburg in Utrecht. His visit was the start of a multi-year study titled Acting Like a Robot: Theater as Testbed for the Robot Revolution. What do theater makers and robots have in common? What is happening in this area, in the Netherlands and beyond?

Acting Like a Robot explores how theater makers, scientists and robot developers can mutually inspire each other. The development of robots is not only a question of technology, but also of imagination, of understanding how to shape their behaviour, appearance and ways of communicating. Scientist Maaike Bleeker (Utrecht University) and theater maker Ulrike Quade report and show work in progress.