The Academy for Theatre and Digitality is a place where artistic practice and technological development are inextricably linked. Our research explores how theatre evolves in the face of profound technological change: aesthetically, structurally and institutionally. A key focus of the coming season is the artistic engagement with artificial intelligence. The focus is on reflective practice: questions of authorship, responsibility, interaction and theatre as a social space under digital conditions.

At the same time, the Academy has further refined its programmatic direction. The transformation from open, free artistic research towards clearly defined, long-term areas of focus has been successful. The projects range from intensive sprints to multi-year research contexts. This includes, among other things, the development of an ‘Interactive Toolbox’ for the theatre landscape, which is being developed in collaboration with the Dortmund Philharmonic Orchestra until 2027 as part of the Horizon Europe project EXCENTRIC, as well as an artistic research project funded by the German Federal Cultural Foundation with the artist and choreographer Silke Grabinger, which will explore the possibilities of humanoid robotics and AI in artistic collaboration with humans until 2028.

The Academy is also continuing its work in the field of education. The ‘Theater and Digitality’ Master’s programme, established in collaboration with Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts, is entering its next academic year and continues to attract significant international interest. The Academy is systematically expanding its networks – both internationally, for example through collaborations with South America, Australia and European countries, and nationally and locally. It also works closely with the other departments of the institution. From the coming season, for instance, it is developing a long-term collaboration with the Dortmund Ballet, in which issues relating to the body, technology and digital practice will be explored in a pioneering manner.

A particular highlight will be the premiere of the anniversary RING 10010110 in the summer of 2026, marking the 150th anniversary of Bayreuth Festival. The collaboration between the Festival and the Academy for Theatre and Digitality marks a milestone: new imaging techniques, made possible by the use of live-active artificial intelligence, will for the first time form an integral part of this Ring. The anniversary Ring exemplifies the ambition to anchor technological research and contemporary artistic practice at the heart of one of the most traditional institutions of high culture. I am delighted by the trust placed in me and the honour of helping to shape this project as a curator within this context.

The Academy for Theatre and Digitality thus sees itself as a place of ongoing reflection, research and development, as well as a partner for a theatre that does not conceive its future in opposition to tradition, but rather builds upon it.

Marcus Lobbes
Director of the Academy for Theatre and Digitality