08/13/2026
Getting your play produced is harder than ever. Not just because of the cost involved, but because of audience fluctuations, the economy, changes in tourism, politics, and this thing called artificial intelligence.
Playwrights fear that AI will begin writing plays and replace them. Graphic designers, photographers, videographers, and even marketers are already being replaced by anyone in the production who has an iPhone and an app. In an industry where lack of funds and constant cost-cutting have always been at the top of the pyramid, it’s very easy to use AI as the tool that replaces these expensive services.
Even building a website, which used to cost upwards of $5,000, can now be done with AI for a few bucks a month—or even for free.
In my opinion, there is an abundance of chaos and fear, not just in theatre, but also in film, writing, journalism, and many other industries facing this new technology as a replacement for human work.
That’s why I’m shifting gears to better understand how AI will affect not just theatre, but film and other art forms.
With the exception of a few existing clients I respect and trust, I have walked away from theatre development, pitching plays, selling ad campaigns, and much of the other minutiae of production that I used to offer as a service. Instead, I’m turning my attention toward educating theatre makers about how AI fits into their new world.
And no, I’m not talking about how to use Claude to do your marketing. I’m talking about how these industries may be altered by AI in five years, ten years and beyond—and what we, as artists, can do with that knowledge.
It’s beyond technology. Beyond the idea of simply learning new tools. It’s about ethics, oversight, and having a well-rounded understanding of our new AI world—a world you can boycott, yes, but one that is here to stay either way.
So how do we deal with it?
I won’t produce new works. I have a few plays—not musicals—that I will continue to work on, like Cardano’s Formula and It’s All About Lorrie, and pretty much the projects Joe Battista works on. I won’t build websites, sell ad space, or do many of the things I used to do in the past.
I will still do publicity and PR, some minimal marketing, and work with a handful of artists I like and trust. Publicity is not just about contacts. It’s about building relationships with the media. And, by the way, the media has also dramatically changed.
I will still act because I love creating human—or fantasy—characters.
Since the start of the summer, I’ve jumped into researching not just AI, but where it may take us. And yes, it’s all a guess.
I’m not buying into the doom-and-gloom apocalypse because what we know for sure is that not being informed and prepared is what gets us there.
So I’m learning.
You should too.
Stop approaching theatrical productions as if it’s the year 2000.
This year, I will tour a series of talks on AI and the arts. I’m building one for education, too, because with AI, students are abandoning critical thinking. That’s very bad for our future.
So, going forward:
I can be hired as a publicist.
I can be hired as an actor.
And eventually, I can be hired to give keynotes on AI and the arts. FOLLOW FOR MORE
But that’s it.
Have questions? Message me.
