Events and News

The BMO Lab is thrilled to announce that Sarah Bay-Cheng will join the Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies on July 1, 2025 as Professor of Emerging Technologies in Theatre and Performance and the Helen and Paul Phelan Chair in Drama. As an outstanding and field-shaping scholar, Professor Bay-Cheng will bring exciting research, collaboration, and pedagogical innovation to our department. In this position, Sarah will be an integral part of the BMO Lab team. Sarah Bay-Cheng… Read more: Welcome Professor Sarah Bay-Cheng!

Winter Keynote Lecture  Natalie Tin Yin Gan & Remy Siuof Hong Kong Exile & Sunset Visitorin conversation with Dr. Doug Eacho Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, 5-7pm Audio recording of the presentation: BMOLab · Algorithmic Millennium: Creating Staged & Digital Games – Hong Kong Exiles at BMO Lab What does experimental performance have to do with video games? How do emerging media provide new landscapes for diasporic narratives? How can live and digital bodies perform and resist… Read more: Algorithmic Millennium: Creating Staged & Digital Games – Feb 4, 2025

We are, as an interdisciplinary team comprising members from Performing Arts, Computer Science, Kinesiology, and Inclusive Design, developing methods for improving the representation and interpretation of human movement—in all its diversity—to enable a richer, more embodied, and more equitable presence for bodies of all sorts in engagements with machine learning systems. THE CHALLENGE: How we are situated in the world within our individual bodies defines much of our experience and agency as humans. We navigate the… Read more: Beyond the Pose: Towards an Interdisciplinary Understanding of Dynamic Human Movement

part of the 2024 BMO Lab Lecture Series, “Performance Infrastructures” curated by Doug Eacho. In this talk, Dr Chun introduced her forthcoming book, Revolutionary Stagecraft: Theatre, Technology, and Politics in Modern China, which draws on a rich corpus of literary, historical, and technical materials to reveal a deep entanglement among technological modernization, political agendas, and the performing arts in 20th century China. This unique approach to Chinese theatre history combines a close look at plays themselves,… Read more: Tarryn Li-Min Chun, Revolutionary Stagecraft: Theatre, Technology, and Politics in Modern China, Oct. 3 2024

The BMO Lab hosts its inaugural Nada Ristich Artist-in-Residence, Roland Schimmelpfennig, for two weeks in November. Schimmelpfennig is Germany’s most performed playwright and one of Europe’s most original voices, with productions worldwide in over 40 countries.  While in Toronto, Roland will be working closely with Lab Director David Rokeby to delve into artificial intelligence, its potential applications to theatre, and to gain a deeper understanding of what is at play in recent developments of AI and its… Read more: Roland Schimmelpfennig – Inaugural Nada Ristich Artist-in-Residence at BMO Lab

part of BMO Lab’s ‘Staging Infrastructures’ Winter Lecture Series Friday, March 27, 2024, 4-6 pm A recording of the lecture: Where does technology lead in the context of performing arts? In the logic of the discipline, technology is often equated with an extended concept of stagecraft, a domain of devices that are of interest in regards to their artistic use and the aesthetic experiences they enable. But a closer look at performance in practice reveals… Read more: Beware of Robots: Performance, Questions of Technology, and a Strong Program for Theatre Studies with Professor Ulf Otto – Mar. 27, 2024

part of BMO Lab’s ‘Staging Infrastructures’ Winter Lecture Series Theatre artists Amy Nostbakken and Norah Sadava joined Prof. Doug Eacho to discuss their recent Canadian Stage multimedia spectacle Universal Child Care, gendered issues of care work and arts-making, and the need for political performance today. Here is a recording of the presentation: Universal Child Care: Witness the sheer power and force of the unaccompanied human voice in the newest work from Quote Unquote Collective. Part… Read more: Staging Infrastructure with Norah Sadava and Amy Nostbakken, Mar. 8, 2024

part of BMO Lab’s ‘Staging Infrastructures’ Winter Lecture Series Christin Essin, Associate Professor at Vanderbilt University and author of Working Backstage and Stage Designers in Early 20th Century America, is an award-winning historian of technical theatre, performance design, and labour. This Friday she will share work from a new project on the intersections between race, technological change, and the styling and costuming of Broadway performers.  Essin’s research draws sharp focus to the skilled Broadway professionals whose… Read more: From Digital to Dressing Room: Hair Theory, Technology, and the Styling of Black Women on Broadway – Christin Essen – Mar. 1, 2024

Theatre is made of more then sets, words, and actors. It is made possible thanks to countless forces, energies, efforts, and things – from janitorial services to urban transit, air conditioning to box office tabulation. Increasingly theatre scholars as well as artists are following the broader “infrastructural turn” in cultural and media studies to notice the unnoticed ‘backstage’ of our art, and our wider world. This March, the Lab will host three events pulling back… Read more: BMO Lab’s 2024 Winter Lecture Series: Staging Infrastructure

Interpolations 1 was a one-day symposium at the BMO Lab devoted to the interfaces between computational media and the performing arts. A dozen scholars of digital performance, VR theatre, the tech industry, computational dance, and more gathered to chart connections and pathways for this increasingly vital area of research. The day culminated in a keynote address “The Work of Art in the Age of Digital Commodification.” from renowned theatre artist Annie Dorsen and philanthropic leader… Read more: Symposium: Interpolations 1 – Oct. 21, 2023

Creators Patrick Blenkarn, Milton Lim and Laurel Green came to BMO Lab to discuss their 7 hour gaming-based theatre production. How can and why should we make a video game for the theatre? The artists behind the video game performance asses.masses will break down the project’s development from its origins as a 20-minute interactive experiment to a touring 7+ hour event for theatres in multiple languages. The artists will reflect upon how asses.masses was made and how their collaborative approaches… Read more: Artists’ talk with the creators of asses.masses – Sept. 20, 2023

BMO Lab for Creative Research in the Arts, Performance, Emerging Technologies and AI The third in a series of events in BMO Lab’s Performance Capture Series. For those who were interested but not able to attend, here is the video recording of the lecture: In the past few years, access to motion capture data, 3D base models, and software to “make an animation of yourself” has skyrocketed. From MakeHuman to Mixamo to CMU’s motion capture… Read more: “Black Movement in Digital Spaces” lecture by LaJuné McMillian, March 2, 2023 (recording available)

Is My Robot Happy? – A History of Movement and Emotion in People and Machines Whitney Laemmli, Carnegie Mellon University The second of a series of events in BMO Lab’s Performance Capture Series Wednesday February 15, 2023, 5-7 pm BMO Lab for Creative Research in the Arts, Performance, Emerging Technologies and AI Over the past few decades, an eclectic mix of artists, roboticists, and computer scientists have utilized a notation system called Laban Movement Analysis… Read more: “Is My Robot Happy”, Lecture by Whitney Laemmli – February 15, 2023

When: Oct. 25, Feb. 15, March 2 (5–7pm)  We held a lecture series at the BMO Lab this academic year (2022-3) entitled “Performance Capture – on the margins of the computable.” These events, which ran on Tuesdays or Thursdays from 5-7pm, introduces major thinkers on themes of performance and digital culture to our community through lectures and extended, in-depth conversation (with refreshments!). This year, our speakers will focus on the tenuous compatibility and disjuncture between digital… Read more: Lecture Series: Performance Capture – on the margins of the computable (2022-3)

Relational Dramaturgies: Co-Producing Spectators, Immersive Spaces and the change of the locus of dramaturgy October 25, 2022, 5-7 pm BMO Lab for Creative Research in the Arts, Performance, Emerging Technologies and AI PLEASE NOTE NEW LOCATION OF LAB: University College, Room H-12 (map below) People are walking the street, doing strange things, a theatre audience is discussing greenhouse gas reductions of countries that they do not know exist – these are just two examples of… Read more: Relational Dramaturgies: Lecture by Imanuel Schipper: October 25, 2022 (recording available)

BMO Lab is proud to be a sponsor of this exciting event. Join us this Monday, September 19th, for an evening discussion on the technophilosopy of virtual and augmented reality. A panel of leading thinkers will explore the social and ethical implications of emerging VR and AR technologies. Doors open: 5:00pmEvent starts: 5:30pmRegistration: technophilosophy.ca Speakers: Jessica Hall (University of Toronto, Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology) Karan Singh (University of Toronto, Department of Computer… Read more: How will Virtual Reality Affect our Lives? : Sept 19, 2022

Johanna Schall is a freelance director living in Berlin. Before starting her directing career, she was an actor at the Deutsches Theater in Berlin for 15 years, working there with a wide range of directors like Thomas Langhoff, Frank Castorf, Alexander Lang and Heiner Mueller. In the mid 90s she directed her first play, Strindberg’s The Pelican, and from 2002 to 2008 Johanna acted as the artistic director of the Volkstheater in Rostock, Germany, where… Read more: Arturo Ui – Interview with Director Johanna Schall

A discussion with Toronto vocalist Fides Krucker, and London beatboxer Reeps One (Harry Yeff), moderated by Natalie Klym and hosted by the BMOLab at the University of Toronto. Friday, Mar 18, 2022, 2:00-2:45 pm Fides Krucker uses the unmediated voice to unlock the power of the self. Reeps One (Harry Yeff) is using AI to unlock the power of the voice. In this session Krucker and Yeff compare and contrast their work to explore what… Read more: AI As Foil Series: Hacking the Voice – Friday, Mar 18, 2022

A Discussion with fashion designer Daniela Bosco and Idris Mootee, CEO of Urbancoolab Friday, February 19, 2021, 2:00-2:45pm This online event was part of the series AI as Foil: Exploring the Co-evolution of Art and Technology curated by Natalie Klym. Craft/discipline: Fashion design Guest artist: Daniela Bosco, Creative Consultant/Stylist AI respondent: Idris Mootee, Co-founder of Urbancoolab   When Toronto fashion designer Daniela Bosco creates, she draws inspiration from photography, architecture, music, and cinema. So does STiCH, the fashion robot driving Urbancoolab’s streetwear design and commerce platform. STiCH is… Read more: AI as Foil Series: The Essence of Style: AI Meets Fashion Design – Feb 19, 2021

Here is the recording of the event: (the very active chat that took place during this event is presented in full below.) How should the recent explosion of research, investment, and discourse around “artificial intelligence” be critically understood? Which methods, traditions, and narratives from the humanities and social sciences are fit to grasp these unusual technologies? What elements of today’s society are influencing tomorrow’s computing? This panel invited four researchers to present their emerging but… Read more: Diagonal: “Enchanting Infrastructure: New Approaches to AI” – Feb. 5, 2021

For the 20.21 season, Ryan Cunningham and Sébastien Heins are participating in the BMO Lab in Creative Research in the Arts, Performance, Emerging Technologies and Artificial Intelligence. Canadian Stage and the Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies, University of Toronto have partnered to create this unique paid opportunity for two professional actors who will immerse themselves with the Lab’s technologies and research possibilities for application to live theatre performance. Video by: https://www.videocompany.ca/​ The BMO… Read more: CanadianStage debuts its short film about the BMO Lab / CanStage Residency

On January 8th, The Diagonal Reading Group held its second meeting. We discussed Louise Amoor’s Cloud Ethics: Algorithms and the Attributes of Ourselves and Others. It was again a lively and invigorating discussion. Thanks to everyone who participated! Doug Eacho’s Invitation prior to the event: Louise Amoore is a Professor of Geography at the University of Durham, and her Cloud Ethics: Algorithms and the Attributes of Ourselves and Others (Duke, 2020) has generated a lot of attention… Read more: Diagonal Reading Group: “Cloud Ethics” by Louise Amoore – Jan 8, 2021

Dance Composition through Live Coding Abstract: Technology is often used within dance as a way of extending or enhancing a performance, many times ending up as decoration. But what happens when technology is used to interrupt movement or used within the inner workings of a choreographic process? This talk explores the field of live coding and how to use programming as a way to make dances in real-time. It will also demo Terpsicode, a new programming… Read more: Hacking Choreography: Kate Sicchio – Dec 2, 2020

A Discussion with Thom Payne, Architect, and Francesco Iorio, CEO and Chief Scientist, Augmenta AI Friday, November 27, 2:00-2:45pm Here is the recording of the Zoom Event: This online event is part of the series AI as Foil: Exploring the Co-evolution of Art and Technology curated by Natalie Klym. Craft/discipline: Architecture, Drawing Guest artist: Thomas Payne, Architect AI respondent: Francesco Iorio, CEO and Chief Scientist, Augmenta AI Thomas Payne, architect of multiple cultural institutions throughout Canada and around the world spoke about his evolving… Read more: AI as Foil Series: The Automation of Beauty: AI’s Role in Architecture – Nov 27

The pioneering AI movie, 2001: A Space Odyssey, brought us one of the most iconic (and brutal) opening scenes in the history of film, The Dawn of Man. This classic cinematic moment features the ape-man, Moon Watcher, transforming the bone of a dead animal into a weapon, sealing the fate of humankind. Made long before CGI was available, director Stanley Kubrick relied on the skills of professional mime, Dan Richter to perform this scene and train the other actors re the nuances of ape movements. Dan—the man inside the ape suit—will join us remotely from California in conversation with new CDTPS Faculty member Douglas Eacho to discuss this unique experience. Through this discussion we will explore the current and future opportunities for AI to play a role in the acting process, as well as new roles for actors, including outside the arts.

When you think of a laboratory, what comes to mind? Experiments? Ground-breaking innovations? Maybe an explosion or two? These are all true of BMO Lab, the country’s only theatre workshop solely devoted to explorations in emergent technologies. Think of Sébastien Heins and Ryan Cunningham as the latest “scientists” to explore, experiment, and break new ground in their crafts. They are the two innovative artists that Canadian Stage has invited to join the Lab for this… Read more: Canadian Stage / BMO Lab Performers-in-Residence Announced

Canadian Stage and the BMO Lab in Creative Research in the Arts, Performance, Emerging Technologies and Artificial Intelligence at the Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies, University of Toronto are partnering to host two paid professional artist residencies for the 2020/21 Season.  Salary will be jointly paid by Canadian Stage and the BMO Lab, with each recipient receiving a total of $10,000 (CAN). APPLY HERE About the BMO Lab Residency The BMO Lab residency… Read more: BMO Lab / Canadian Stage Performers-in-Residence Call

The Vector Institute and the BMO Lab are excited to present: A lecture with Allison Parrish  Friday, August 28, 2 – 3:30 p.m. EST Machines are playing increasingly significant roles in creative activities such as music, architecture, poetry, visual and performing arts, as well as science. This distinguished lecture series will take a look at the evolving and complex relationship between AI and the human creative process. How might AI assist and augment human creativity? How… Read more: ARTificial Intelligence: AI and Creativity Distinguished Lecture – Allison Parrish – Aug 28

During the Covid-19 lockdown, the BMO Lab has been hosting regular zoom-based meetings of actors, directors, and other theatre people to present the Lab, its facilities and technologies and its mission to the Toronto and International theatre community. Lab Director David Rokeby presented introductions to various technologies and approaches such as motion capture, GPT-2 based text generation, Generative Adversarial Networks for face generation and real-time scenography, virtual face puppetry. The wonderful group of actors, directors… Read more: BMO Lab and the theatre community Zoom Sessions

Workshop: February 29th, 1-4 pm — Artist’s Talk / Lecture: March 2, 4:30-6 pm The BMO Lab for Creative Research in the Arts, Performance, Emerging Technologies and Artificial Intelligence was very pleased to present two events with internationally renowned artist Kyle McDonald.   Kyle McDonald is an artist working with code. He crafts interactive installations, performances, sneaky interventions, playful websites, workshops, and toolkits for other artists working with code. He explores the possibilities of new technologies: to understand how they affect society,… Read more: Artists Talk / Workshop with Kyle McDonald

BMO Lab presents a screening of Montreal artist Dale Hayward’s award-winning film “BONE MOTHER,” a work created entirely with the use of 3D printing. Join us after the screening for a talk with Dale and an exhibition of the physical artifacts.  BONE MOTHER A vain and arrogant youth dares to enter Baba Yaga’s living house of bones. What emerges will forever fill our nights with terror.

With its largest-ever gift to a single Canadian institution, BMO Financial Group is investing $5 million to explore the potential of artificial intelligence and other revolutionary technologies in a novel way. The BMO Lab for Creative Research in the Arts, Performance, Emerging Technologies and AI, an initiative of the University of Toronto’s Centre for Drama, Theatre & Performance Studies, will harness the latest technological developments to create new forms of human expression. Through multidisciplinary work… Read more: Official Opening

The BMO Lab for Creative Research in the Arts, Performance, Emerging Technologies and AI hosted a reception for internationally acclaimed theatre and opera director Robert Wilson in honour of his Lifetime Achievement Award from the Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies. To learn more about the event, visit our events page. 

The BMO Lab for Creative Research in the Arts, Performance, Emerging Technologies and AI hosted a presentation by Friedrich Kirschner of the Ernst Busch School of the Performing Arts, Berlin.  Friedrich Kirschner is a professor for digital media in puppetry at the renowned Ernst Busch School of Performing Arts in Berlin. He is a theater director and software developer, devising participatory performances, social simulations and interactive installations. He is a Professor for digital media at the… Read more: Friedrich Kirschner, ’Spiel und Objekt’

BMO Lab Director David Rokeby was invited by the Vector Institute to give the inaugural Distinguished Lecture on Creativity and Artificial Intelligence. He described his presentation, ‘Creativity in the Age of Artificial Intelligence’ as follows: Artificial Intelligence research has provided an abundance of powerful tools for artistic creation in visual arts, music and the literary arts. But amazing tools, in themselves, do not necessarily make for a better, more creative artist. Artists exploring the creative… Read more: Creativity in the Age of Artificial Intelligence