Theatre Nova, which will be celebrating 10 years in the Fall, is currently presenting a world premiere of a thought-provoking play about an AI robot and what it means to be human, titled “Doctor Moloch.”
“Doctor Moloch” runs July 12- August 4. Theatre Nova is located at 410 W Huron, Ann Arbor.
Carla Milarch, founding artistic director of Theatre Nova and the playwright of Doctor Moloch, said she got the idea of the play when AI scientists issued a kind of warning about the technology.
“In March of 2023, a number of scientists signed an open letter calling for a ‘pause’ in AI development,” Milarch said. “That got me interested in the ethical as well as practical dilemmas of developing such a powerful technology through a process governed by profit above all else. I started to do research and found an extensive online conversation about AI, its potential, and its pitfalls.”
Milarch engaged in extensive research for the play.
“I would say there were several hundred hours of interviews with various scientists and thinkers, from computer scientists, to cognitive scientists, to biologists, just discussing the nature of consciousness, and what makes us ‘human,’” Milarch said. “Max Tegmark, Joscha Bach, Eliezer Yudkowsky, Mo Gawdat, Michael Levin, and many others influenced and inspired my thinking.”
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“Once I get the inspiration or idea for something, I take some time and go down the internet rabbit hole on whatever topic I’m writing about,” Milarch said. “There’s lots of twists and turns and I usually just let myself be led in this direction or that, depending on what I find interesting. After that, I have what I call my ‘percolating’ phase, where the play is just kind of brewing inside of me. Lots of ideas, lots of snippets of dialogue, etc. Then, I finally sit down to write and it becomes a kind of recursive process. I write something down, which inspires the next thought and then the next. Usually, that leads me in a totally new direction. After that, it’s all over but the editing—of which there is a ton.”
The play has three characters, the AI humanoid robot doctor, skillfully played by Artun Kircali; the tech startup VitalAI executive, played by Louie Chen, and the sophisticated yet full of humanity and human feelings actress, played by Shelby Bradley.
“I like three-character plays because there are lots of possibilities for allegiances to change,” Milarch said. “Characters can switch sides and gang up on each other, so there’s lots of potential for good, interesting conflict.”
The community reaction to the play is outstanding.
“Mostly people say that it’s ‘interesting’ or ‘fascinating’ or ‘powerful,’” said Milarch. “I think a lot of it is new information for people, and it’s pretty dense with ideas, so there’s a lot to process, think about, and chew on.”
“Our mission is to raise awareness of the value and excitement of new plays and new playwrights in a diverse and expanding audience; and provide resources and outlets for playwrights to develop their craft, by importing, exporting and developing new plays and playwrights,’” Milarch said.
Milarch also described her own history in theatre.
“NOVA just announced its 10th anniversary season,” Milarch said. “Before that, I was artistic and executive director at Performance Network. I’ve been passionate about new plays for decades. As a dramaturg, director, and artistic director, I’ve personally worked on over 25 world premieres, as well as hundreds of staged readings at the Michigan Playwrights Festival, the Fireside New Play Festival, the National New Play Network (NNPN) National Showcase of New Plays, and the Kennedy Center’s MFA playwright’s showcase. I was a board member of NNPN for 10 years, and I co-founded the Michigan Equity Theatre Alliance, where I served as Board President from 2011-2014. When Performance Network closed, it seemed like a good opportunity to pursue my passion of bringing new plays (5 years old and newer) to Ann Arbor audiences.”
“Next year, we’re celebrating our 10th anniversary by programming a season that is ALL World Premieres,” Milarch said. “It is going to be a very ambitious and exciting season, which you can read all about here!”
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Donna Marie Iadipaolo is a writer, journalist, and State of Michigan certified teacher, since 1990. She has written for national publications like The Village Voice, Ear Magazine of New Music, Insurance & Technology, and TheStreet.
She is now writing locally for many publications, including Current Magazine, Ann Arbor Family, and the Ann Arbor Independent. Her undergraduate degree is from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, where she graduated with an honors bachelor’s degree and three teacher certificate majors: mathematics, social sciences, English. She also earned three graduate degrees in Master of Science, Master of Arts, and Education Specialist Degree.
