Fall 2024 Honors Seminar ~ Topics / Huang Yi & Kuka
PERFORMING THE FUTURE: THEATRE, TECHNOLOGIES, AND BEYOND
Professor Chee-Hann Wu
chee.hann.wu@nyu.edu
THEA-UT 801.001 ~ 4 credits
Tuesdays 2:00pm-4:45pm
In this course, we will explore the uncharted intersection of theatre, technology, and artistic innovation. Through readings, discussions, performances, and creative projects, we investigate the ways in which technologies—such as machines, robots, avatars, chatbots, and cyborgs—engage with our lives performatively, and the ways in which they challenge and expand our understanding of what theatre and performance can be. The course uses a wide range of subjects, including immersive performance, intermedial theatre, interactive media, video games and virtual reality, as well as theories such as thing theory, digital materialism, and posthumanism. We critically examine agency, ethics, and representation, unearthing how technological entities can revolutionize artistic expression and foster social connections. The aim is to reimagine our perception of the world and how the world, in turn, shapes our unique experiences.