Lying Flat 2.0

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Notre Dame Film, Television, and Theatre

What moment in your life made you feel most alive? First staged in Mandarin Chinese at the Wuzhen Theatre Festival in 2024, Lying Flat 2.0 (Tangping 2.0) is an immersive, participatory theatre work that integrates live-feed video projection and real-time use of AI in performance to interrogate pressing existential questions.

Lying Flat 2.0 is directed by Wang Chong, a leading contemporary experimental theatre maker, and produced by Théâtre du Rêve Expérimental. It was nominated for "Best Innovative Play" at the 9th annual Chinese Theatre Awards.

The play is co-written by Wang Chong and ChatGPT, combining human creativity with AI computing power to explore the boundaries between reality and virtuality. Music in the show is generated by Suno AI, and the posters were designed by Midjourney, exploring the integration of artistic expression and cutting-edge technology. In addition, ChatGPT participates as one of the actors, playing the role of "Gao Puti" and interacting with the audience in real time.

This immersive experience takes participants aboard a spaceship bound for the "Lying-Down Planet" under the guidance of the AI "Gao Puti". Throughout the performance, audience members literally "lay flat" while watching live-feed video of human actors and ChatGPT visualizations projected onto a large screen hanging above them. As the journey progresses, more about the mysterious "Lying-Down Planet" is revealed and participants must confront a series of thought-provoking questions through interactions with the AI and actors.

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