By: Christina Ordonez, ITA Secretary
At 11:47pm, many theatre educators and directors are not thinking about artistry.
They are writing rehearsal reports, reorganizing conflict calendars, responding to emails, adjusting prop lists, creating social media posts, rewriting rehearsal plans, formatting programs, or trying to remember whether they ever actually sent that costume reminder.
Theatre has always required extraordinary creativity but it also requires extraordinary labor and organization.
As artificial intelligence tools become more accessible, many theatre professionals are asking an important question: Can AI productively support theatre work without sacrificing the humanity at the center of the art form?
The answer may be yes… but only if we use it intentionally.
The most productive use of AI in theatre is not replacing creativity. It is reducing the invisible workload surrounding theatre so educators and artists can spend more time creating meaningful human experiences.
Theatre Professionals Already Wear Too Many Hats
Theatre teachers, directors, and production staff rarely operate within a single role. On any given day, we may function as directors, teachers, producers, marketers, counselors, event coordinators, dramaturgs, grant writers, stage managers, conflict negotiators, and public relations representatives. AI tools can help streamline many of these support tasks.
For example, AI can help:
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draft rehearsal schedules,
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organize production timelines,
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create company and parent communication,
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generate study guides,
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build technical theatre safety quizzes,
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summarize research for dramaturgy,
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brainstorm warm-up activities,
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create promotional blurbs for social media or programs,
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and differentiate instructional materials for diverse learners.
None of these tasks replace artistry. They simply create more room for it.
Supporting Accessibility and Inclusion
One of the most promising uses of AI in theatre education is improving accessibility.
Many theatre programs serve multilingual and multicultural company or audience members, those who are neurodivergent, those whose only safe spot is in theatre, and possibly even those who may never have considered theatre “for them”.
AI tools can assist in creating:
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translated communication,
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simplified rehearsal instructions,
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visual schedules,
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vocabulary supports,
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character summaries,
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sensory-friendly preparation materials,
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and differentiated instructional resources.
For example, a director can quickly generate a glossary of theatre terms in multiple languages or create a simplified summary of a Shakespeare scene to support comprehension before rehearsal begins.
These supports do not lower expectations. Instead, they help remove barriers so more company and audience members can fully participate in the collaborative and transformative experience theatre provides.
AI in the Rehearsal Room
AI can also serve as a brainstorming partner during the creative process.
Directors and actors might use AI tools to:
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explore historical context,
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examine character motivations,
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generate rehearsal reflection prompts,
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research dialects,
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brainstorm improvisation scenarios,
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or investigate thematic connections within a script.
Technical theatre students can use AI to support planning and organization in areas such as:
The key distinction is this: AI may support preparation, but human artists still make the artistic choices.
An algorithm cannot replicate vulnerability, spontaneity, ensemble trust, or the electricity of live performance. Theatre remains deeply human work.
Ethical and Responsible Use Matters
Of course, AI use in theatre also raises important questions.
Who owns AI-generated content? How do we protect original artistic voices? How do we ensure students continue developing authentic creative thinking skills? These are conversations worth having.
Like any tool, AI can be used thoughtfully or carelessly. In Theatre, we have an opportunity to model responsible use by emphasizing:
Users should understand that AI-generated ideas are starting points and not final artistic products.
Theatre has always evolved alongside technology. Lighting systems, sound design, projection, digital editing, and virtual rehearsal tools once felt new and unfamiliar as well. The challenge is not whether technology exists, but how we choose to use it.
Keeping Theatre Human
Theatre has survived centuries because it fulfills a deeply human need: gathering together to tell stories, allowing for windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors into the human experience. No AI program can replace the feeling of opening night, the silence before a monologue lands, the moment music and lighting shifts and the scene’s tenor changes, or the collective breath of an audience. But AI can help theatre professionals reclaim some of their time and energy from the administrative demands surrounding the art.
If used intentionally, AI allows us to spend less time buried in logistics and more time doing what drew us to theatre in the first place creating stories, building community, and helping students and audiences connect with something profoundly human.
Christina Ordonez is the Technology and Media Department Chair at Hoffman Estates High School. A published author and award winner for her work with Artificial Intelligence, she works nationally with educators on creating AI integration that is effective, efficient, ethical, and equitable. She enjoys helping theatre educators and arts organizations explore practical ways AI can support creative work while keeping human storytelling at the center of the process. This article was written in the "sandwich" mode - human, AI, human. Christina wrote out her thoughts, outline, and lines she particularly wanted included in a rough draft. She asked ChatGPT to read her draft and comment if there were any major points that sounded repetitive or were missing. She also asked it to summarize in one line what it believed the point of her article was, to confirm that her main argument was solid. From there, Christina revised her draft. She then asked Microsoft Word to edit for grammar and spelling. Finally, she read her draft and revised it for the final draft she submitted.
