“Chatbot Challenge” by Interrobang | Percepcje. New Forms of Art
On September 6, the Berlin-based collective Interrobang will open the second edition of the PERCEPCJE. New Forms of Art in Lublin with their performance “Chatbot Challenge” – dedicated to exploring contemporary directions in performative arts and the complex relationship between humans and the digital world.
This experimental performance uses artificial intelligence and immersive technologies to transform classical stage forms into a live dialogue with the machine.
“Chatbot Challenge” is a high-stakes confrontation between human and algorithm, in which actors, a creative coder, and chatbots share the stage. Within this interactive theatrical structure, the audience becomes witness to a unique experiment: how much emotion, illusion, and truth can AI generate? Can chatbots become better performers than humans? And who is really directing this show?
The creators take us behind the scenes of digital systems, exposing their limitations, biases, and strategies of manipulation. At the same time, the performance doesn’t abandon the core tools of theater – using light, sound, bodies, and presence to create an experience that is both intellectually engaging and sensorially rich.
“Chatbot Challenge” is not just a technological experiment, but a profound reflection on the future of humanity in a world increasingly shaped by algorithms. It is a performance for those who want to understand what really happens when artificial intelligence looks at us – and performs with us – on stage.
Teatr Stary in Lublin, ul. Jezuicka 18
September 6, 2025, 7:00 PM
Duration: approx. 60 minutes
Description
Chatbots are theatrical machines: they engage in lively dialogues, take on roles, and express and evoke emotions.
In CHATBOT CHALLENGE, two performers and a creative coder share the stage with chatbots and other AI systems. They explore the question: How much theater is in AI, and how much AI-theater have we already internalized? Starting from the core situation of theater – a live performance in front of an audience – the piece becomes an intimate encounter with global AI systems, their potential, and their strategies of deception. What happens when AI systems gain access to video, sound, stage, lighting, the bodies of the performers, and the reactions of the audience? Are chatbots the better performers? And how much work goes into their roles?
CHATBOT CHALLENGE explores the big societal questions and challenges brought about by the current rise of AI. It looks into the underlying systems that create AI, questioning how the profit-driven and often biased structures can be changed. How can we reveal and address the biases in AI systems? And how can AIs themselves contribute to answering these questions?
Credits
Concept: Interrobang
Play Devising: Christiane Kühl, Till Müller-Klug, Nina Tecklenburg and Team
Performance: Christiane Kühl, Nina Tecklenburg, Lara Domke, Artificial Intelligences
Dramaturgy: Lea Goebel, Anna Krauß
Collaboration Dramaturgy: Lara Domke
Creative Coding: Manus Nijhoff, Florian Fischer
Stage and Video: Theresa Reiwer
Video: Alexandre Silveira
Costume: Birke van Maartens
Music: Friedrich Greiling
Graphics: Jürgen Fehrmann, Julia Elger
Technical Direction & Lighting Design: Dirk Lutz
Production Management: ehrliche arbeit, Sandra Klöss
Company Management & Communication: Jack Willenbacher
Social Media: Jack Willenbacher and Selma Böhmelmann
Public Relations: Tina Ebert.
