As we entered the darkened space of Komedia Studio, the futuristic music and robotic words from a strange character on stage set the mood perfectly. Centre stage is ‘ALEX’ (Artificial Language Experiment), and they are acting as our host for the evening, giving us a series of prompts for what is to come.
Robotales is the latest show from Improrobotics, a troop of comedians who are pushing the boundaries of what improv comedy can be by introducing technology into the mix. We are greeted by our facilitator Piotr Mirowski, self confessed nerd, who gives off the vibe of an enthusiastic mad scientist, someone who loves the potential of the robotic world.
As with all improv shows, nobody knows what’s going to come next, apart from perhaps the technology itself. There are five actors on stage, all ready to launch into random situations and adept at following each other’s lead. However, it is the technology that makes this show different. Scenes are constructed with augmented reality glasses where AI generated scripts are all they are allowed to use, the audience use their phones to select the next twist in the story and random photos are generated causing them to switch tack, the actors addressing each challenge presented. We see them dealing with AI augmented cameras, allowing an audience member to see their potential future, and telling wild stories with impossible outcomes.
Overall, the humans appear to be the winners. AI might be able to copy, create and generate, but it is the actors who can subvert and respond in ways it could never expect. Will AI replace comedy? Well, not yet, but we look forward to seeing ALEX in the future, perhaps with their own show!
The production is getting ready for a long run at Edinburgh Fringe this year and heading to Oslo for the Short Notice Improv Festival. We hope that ALEX continues to behave and produces some more challenging ways to make us laugh.
Cast List:
Piotr Mirowski
Alex Newson
Jillian Ellis
Sarah Davies
Paul Little
Holly Mallett
