Escaping the Digital Cell: How Festival Artworks Challenge Technology and AI

A husband and wife stand close on an empty stage, yet a deep divide keeps them apart.

Blind Runner, a new piece at St. Ann’s Warehouse until January 24 (part of Under the Radar), uses live video to highlight this disconnect. The actors’ faces fill the back wall in intense close-ups, showcasing their pain and yearning. This visual technique allows the performers’ emotional depth to shine without any distractions.

This play is one of many works in New York’s busy January festival that blend live video with storytelling. Some productions integrate technology smoothly; others struggle, sometimes losing focus with unnecessary tech. Blind Runner definitely uses video thoughtfully. Created by Mehr Theatre Group and performed in Farsi, the play depicts an Iranian man’s visits to his wife, a political prisoner in Tehran. Director Amir Reza Koohestani, who also wrote the play, uses close-ups to reveal the couple’s drifting connection and the oppressive atmosphere of a surveillance state.

In one scene, the couple jogs together, their forms blurring on screen like distant memories. It’s a simple yet powerful image.

The play does slow down with melodrama as the husband gets involved with someone new, leaving his wife behind. At times, the dialogue feels repetitive. But Ainaz Azarhoush and Mohammad Reza Hosseinzadeh deliver solid performances that keep the story alive while the video elements enhance the overall experience.

Back in 2020, I saw The 7th Voyage of Egon Tichy by Sinking Ship & Theatre in Quarantine online. It made me question what “live” truly meant. The show featured Egon Tichy, a space traveler, who encounters many versions of himself. While the script was clever, the online format made it hard to identify what was actually live.

Now, the in-person version, The 7th Voyage of Egon Tichy [Redux] (playing at New York Theatre Workshop until February 2), addresses those concerns. It includes the same core elements while featuring the live performance of Joshua William Gelb as Tichy. Watching him switch between characters is a thrilling experience, despite some pacing issues in the middle of the story.

Less successful in blending story and tech is kanishk pandey’s PRISONCORE!, part of The Exponential Festival. I caught this show when pandey stepped in to fill a role due to illness. The story features a cruel prison guard named Lucky who enlists the audience as inmates to aid in his online gambling schemes. As the plot evolves, it shifts to Rain, a livestream dealer caught in Lucky’s games.

While the technical execution is smooth, the concept lacks depth, making the plot feel trivial. Furthermore, when AI appears in the narrative, it doesn’t add much value.

In contrast, the project TECHNE, which relies heavily on AI, presents mixed results. At BAM Fisher, I saw two installations. The first, “The Vivid Unknown” seeks to recreate Godfrey Reggio’s classic film Koyaanisqatsi using AI, but it falls flat. The beauty of Reggio’s original was its careful composition, which AI fails to capture.

On a brighter note, “Voices” by Margarita Athanasiou shines as a clever video essay about American mediums and spiritualism. While some AI imagery feels disruptive, Athanasiou’s connections between personal history and broader themes resonate. The approach mirrors the storytelling seen in Runner and Tichy, finding compelling intersections between technology and narrative.

Blind Runner runs at St. Ann’s Warehouse until January 24. The 7th Voyage of Egon Tichy [Redux] plays at Fourth Street Theatre through February 2. TECHNE continues at BAM Fisher until January 29, while PRISONCORE! has ended its run.