The impact of AI on live performance

Performers now fit in the palm of your hand.
Provided
Performers now fit in the palm of your hand.
Oscar and Emmy nominee and Screen Actors Guild and Golden Globe Award winner Steve Carell recently made his Broadway debut in the well-received production of Uncle Vanya. In an interview in advance of the opening, Carell commented: “I am a huge proponent of live concerts, [and] theatre. I kind of think it’s the wave of the future, frankly. With AI and with everything you’re seeing on a screen, who knows what’s real and what’s not. And when you go to see someone perform live, there’s no hiding. It’s exactly what you think it’s going to be.”
The use of video projections aside, that reflection does indeed resonate with those of us in the theater community.
Others have written or spoken about the value of live theater – as well other forms of live entertainment, such as concerts, poetry readings, and sports – as an antidote for artificial intelligence, or as writer Victor D. Infante put in a piece for Worcester (Massachusetts) Magazine, “live entertainment [is] an antidote to computer-generated cultural overload.” Infante was reflecting in comments with GBH (Boston Public Radio) executive arts editor and host Jared Bowen on how live theater is “an opportunity – and antidote to overproduced, overly computer-generated entertainment.”
Sharon’s very own PBS radio station, Robin Hood Radio, concurs: “Live is everything! It’s all about live. It’s all about communication. Marshall Miles always said what people didn’t realize about radio is the immediacy. That is key,” commented Jill Goodman, co-founder with Marshall Miles of Robin Hood Radio, Sharon, in a live interview.
Perhaps this is not a new thought, or even an obvious observation. However, who cannot deny that people today are looking for something “real” or to use an overused word, “authentic”? Both of these commentators shared that they yearn for “real acting, real singing and real comedy. It’s hard not to see live entertainment as a sort of remedy to that virtual ailment.”
As we know, in live entertainment anything can happen. Sometimes flubs or breaking character are part of the enjoyment of live entertainment, as it shows us that the performers are “real” people, as vulnerable to making mistakes as we are. Recently, on a live broadcast of Saturday Night Live, actor Heidi Gardner found a skit so funny that she broke into uncontrollable laughter. She was worried how her producers would react. But the audience and viewers LOVED it! Also, in live theater, there are no do-overs…except for sometimes. Some years ago, when theater legend Nathan Lane was giving a Tony Award winning performance of the classic A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Forum, he accidently slipped and plopped while making an entrance to a song. He picked himself up and said directly to the audience, “Let’s try that again.” The audience’s applause lasted for several minutes.
Brisa Carleton, three-time Tony Award winning producer, also reflected: “While…AI [has the potential] to enhance the live theater experience, it is worth noting that human creativity and performance remains a key aspect of live entertainment. AI is likely to augment rather than replace human contributions in the industry. Theater is an opportunity to remember what it means to be connected to other people in an experience that will never happen quite the same way, ever again.”
As you might expect, The Sharon Playhouse’s own Education & Associate Artistic Director Michael Kevin Baldwin, feels the same: “Live theater and other forms of live entertainment offer a unique, irreplaceable experience that stands as a powerful antidote to the rise of artificial intelligence and computer-generated media. They foster genuine human connection, evoke real emotions, and remind us of our shared humanity in ways that technology simply cannot replicate.”
Whatever the eventual role of AI is in the arts, one thing is certain. AI and computer-generated media can never replace the impact of live theater. Come and experience the impact and pleasures of live theater for yourself at The Sharon Playhouse. Visit www.sharonplayhouse.org to order tickets and for more information about our 2024 Season.
Lee A. Davies is a member of the Board of Directors of The Sharon Playhouse. You can reach him at leeadavies4@gmail.com.
Long-term town employees were recognized at the Town Board meeting on Thursday, June 12. Honorees pictured with Town Supervisor Leo Blackman, were Judy Carlson, Office Manager at the Town Garage, center, for her 35 years of service to the town and Megan Chamberlin, current Highway Superintendent, for 20 years.
AMENIA — Acknowledging the many years of service accumulated by town employees, the Town Board paused to honor that service at its meeting on Thursday, June 12.
“Thank you for making a difference,” said Town Supervisor Leo Blackman in recognizing Judy Carlson, Office Manager at the town garage, for her 35 years of service.
“Megan’s job is not an easy one,” Blackman said, honoring Megan Chamberlin, current Highway Superintendent who has served the town for 20 years.
Also among those honored was Town Clerk Dawn Marie Klingner for 20 years of service as Court Clerk.
Maureen Moore, Court Clerk, was also honored in absentia for her 20 years of town service.
In anticipation of the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the start of the American Revolution in 2026, new historic markers are appearing at each of the local cemeteries where Revolutionary War veterans are buried. Unveiling the new marker at Amenia Union Cemetery on Saturday, June 21, were left to right, Town Historian Betsy Strauss, Jim Middlebrook representing the regional chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, and Gail Seymour, President of the Union Cemetery Association.
AMENIA — One by one, new historic markers are appearing at local cemeteries where Revolutionary War dead are buried. On Saturday, June 21, community members gathered to see a new marker unveiled at Amenia Union Cemetery on Leedsville Road.
A tent provided welcome shade for the attendees and refreshments as about 30 residents gathered for the unveiling and to share stories of local history with one another.
As with the first historic market installation at the Old Amenia Burying Ground, held in April, Amenia Union Cemetery graves of Revolutionary War veterans had been marked with American flags in advance.
Jim Middlebrook, representing the Columbia Mid-Hudson chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, attended along with other members of his chapter. Speaking before the unveiling, Middlebrook said that the historic marker project had begun in August 2024, and included a detailed process to certify the names on the graves.
Middlebrook described the work of the William C. Pomeroy Foundation of Syracuse whose mission is to promote “pride of place” by providing grants in support of installing historic markers and plaques nationwide to honor patriots for their service. Active now in seven or eight states, Middlebrook said, the foundation will soon add Connecticut and Massachusetts to the list.
The new Amenia Union marker honors “at least five veterans of the American Revolution interred between 1787 and 1810,” although Town Historian Betsy Strauss lists six veterans buried in the cemetery. The sixth, Gerhard Winegar, whose burial had been in 1781 could not fully satisfy the certification standards.
Strauss provided the following listing of six names:
Col. Colbe Chamberlain, 1739-1796
Capt. William Chamberlain, 1745-1810
Lieut. Samuel Snyder, 1712-1808
Gerhard Winegar, 1750-1781
Ensign Henry Winegar, 1723-1787
Capt. William Young, 1747-1806
Bee Bee the clown, face painters and a community wide scavenger hunt are among the activities planned for the Millerton Street Fair in Downtown Millerton on Saturday, June 28.
MILLERTON — The Millerton News, in partnership with the North East Community Center (NECC) and the Millerton Business Alliance, is hosting its first Street Fair on Saturday in a celebration of the town.
Rain or shine from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m, the fair will bring together local nonprofits and businesses, with live music, entertainment, kids’ activities, local eats, and family fun in Veterans Park, in front of the Millerton Inn, and beyond.
“The Millerton Street Fair will celebrate everything we love about this community — its spirit, its dedication to service and its creative energy,” said James Clark, publisher and CEO of The Millerton News.
Local nonprofits will showcase their work and impact, including Climate Smart Millerton, Eddie Collins Memorial Park, North East Historical Society, Townscape, Tri-Corner FEED, Village of Millerton, and the Webutuck Elementary School.Participating businesses include Bes, Little Red Bird Studio, NBT, The Elephant’s Tusk, and many more.Local retail and dining establishments will be open with special promotions. NECC’s Farmer’s Market will run during the event.
Among the planned festivities are live music from John Stey and the Resilience Brass Band, performances from Bee Bee the Clown, face painting by students from Webutuck High School, and a community-wide scavenger hunt for kids.Other kids’ activities include egg and spoon races, and a “touch-a-truck” open house at the firehouse.The Irondale Schoolhouse will be hosting a special exhibit, and the North East-Millerton Library will be offering signups for the Summer Reading Program, a science show from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., lawn games, and a cookie cook-off.
For more information, go to millertonnews.com/street-fair.
The Nine Partners Road Quaker Meetinghouse, built in 1780, will be the site of two summer lectures sponsored by the Millbrook Historical Society.
MILLBROOK — Long in the planning, the Millbrook Historical Society has announced that it is sponsoring two lectures in observance of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution. Both lectures relating to Quaker history are to be held in the historic Quaker Meeting House on Nine Partners Road.
For the first talk, scheduled for Sunday, June 29, at 2 p.m., the historical society has invited Sarah Gronningsater, Professor of History at the University of Pennsylvania, to talk on “Quakers, Anti-slavery, and the American Revolution.” The topic will explore the role that New York’s Quakers, especially in the Hudson Valley, played in the rise of the anti-slavery movement that followed the American Revolution.
The second talk, scheduled for Sunday, July 27, at 2 p.m., invites Carl Lounsbury of the College of William and Mary and Colonial Williamsburg to speak on the architecture of the Nine Partners Meetinghouse. His talk is titled, “Nine Partners Meetinghouse Plan: A New Form in the Hudson Valley.” Expert in early American architecture, Lounsbury’s talk will compare Nine Partners with other later houses of worship in New York and New England.
Both lecture events will be held at the 1780 brick Nine Partners Quaker Meetinghouse in Millbrook. An earlier meetinghouse on the site had burned. The building has remained largely unchanged since the 18th century.
Given the age of the structure, handicapped access is limited and there are no rest room facilities.
Visitors should enter through the cemetery gate entrance.
The lectures are free and open to all, supported by a grant from the county and offered as part of Dutchess County’s participation in the nation’s 250th anniversary commemoration.