Robot Theaters

Collisions in Performance and Social Robotics
1. Auflage 2026
ISBN: 978-1-032-95637-4
Verlag: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Buch, Englisch, 384 Seiten, Format (B × H): 156 mm x 234 mm

Reihe: Routledge Advances in Theatre & Performance Studies

Robot Theaters explore the fascinating theatrical nature of robots and their unique capacity to illuminate human performativity through their own machinic performances.

This groundbreaking anthology challenges conventional scientific and commercial approaches to robotics by positioning theater and dance methodologies as essential frameworks for understanding our increasingly automated world. The collection traverses diverse territories—from the historical contexts of performing robots in social and staged settings to the industrial and military applications of robotics technology. Contributors examine the creative possibilities emerging at the intersection of choreography and robotic performance, revealing unexpected spaces for play, joy, and artistic collaboration. The book weaves together scholarly perspectives with insights from practicing artists through illuminating interviews with prominent figures in the field: Thomas DeFrantz discusses the racial dimensions of robot performance, Sydney Skybetter reflects on choreorobotic practice within university research environments, and Taiwanese choreographer-roboticist Huang Yi shares his pioneering creative methodologies. By bringing together these interdisciplinary conversations spanning choreography, critical race studies, feminist media studies, research-creation methods, and biopolitics, the anthology offers a rich tapestry of perspectives on the robot as performer.

This innovative collection will appeal to scholars and practitioners in performance studies, robotics, media arts, and cultural studies, as well as anyone interested in the evolving relationship between technology and creative expression.

Zielgruppe

Academic

Autoren/Hrsg.

Simon, Benny

Bergen, Hilary

Mullis, Eric

Skybetter, Sydney

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Kunst Kunstformen, Kunsthandwerk Installations-, Aktions-, Computer- und Videokunst
• Technische Wissenschaften Elektronik | Nachrichtentechnik Elektronik Robotik

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Contributor Biographies

Introduction: Hilary Bergen, Eric Mullis, Benny Simon, Sydney Skybetter

Part One: Histories

Chapter 1: Bolshevist Fantasies and Soviet Realities: Constructivist Ideology and Sergei Prokofiev’s Le Pas d’acier. Andrew Grossman

Chapter 2: Ogmios Z42 Across Reality and Fiction: The Birth of Robot Characters.
Marina Hanganu

Chapter 3: Robot Action Spectacular!: Risk, Assemblage, and Stuntronics in the Theme Park Stunt Show. Chip Limeburner

Part Two: Close Encounters

Chapter 4: Tender Robotics: A Framework for Meaning-Making through Emotional Investment. Ilya Vidrin

Chapter 5: Seat at the Table: A Conversation with Sydney Skybetter. Jessica Rajko

Chapter 6: Machinic Expressivity: Performative Encounters with Proto-AI in the Work of

Nell Tenhaaf and Norman White. Treva Legassie

Part Three: Processes and Processing

Chapter 7: I Am Not Just One Person: An Interview with Huang Yi.

Eric Mullis and Sydney Skybetter

Chapter 8: Together//Apart: Explorations in Choreorobotic Performance Ontologies.
Patrick Martin and Kate Sicchio

Chapter 9: No Time to Dance: An Interview with Joy Davis.

Jessica Rajko

Chapter 10: Exploring the Interplay of Swarm Robotics and Choreography to Nourish Expressivity and Construction of Meaning.
Hélène Duval, Audrey Rochette, Geneviève Dussault, and David St-Onge

Chapter 11: Computing Connections: An Interview with Thomas F. DeFrantz.
Eric Mullis

Part Four: Agencies

Chapter 12: How Should I Move with You, Robot?
Eric Mullis

Chapter 13: Improper Bodies: Robots, Prosthetics, and Disability in Contemporary Performance.
Marco Donnarumma and Elizabeth Jochum

Chapter 14: Dancing with Machines: A New Materialist Dramaturgy for More-than-Human Encounters.
Petra Gemeinboeck

Index

Über Autor(innen)

Hilary Bergen holds a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Humanities from Concordia University, Montreal, Canada. She is an FRQSC Postdoctoral Researcher at The New School in New York City.

Eric Mullis is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Queens University of Charlotte, U.S.A.

Benny Simon received an MA in Dance Education from New York University, and is a PhD candidate in Dance Studies at The Ohio State University.

Sydney Skybetter is the Director of the Brown Arts Institute and an Associate Professor of Theatre Arts and Performance Studies at Brown University, U.S.A.