From November 12th-14th, at Nancy Manocherian’s the Cell Theatre in New York, the inaugural woman-driven, Science in Theatre Festival will be taking place. And one of the featured playwrights is Saviana Stănescu who has written the play Zebra 2.0.

Saviana is an award-winning Romanian-born, New York-based poet, playwright, and artivist. She has experienced tremendous success over the years collecting awards such as; New York Innovative Theatre Award for Outstanding Script for Waxing West, Best Romanian Play of the Year UNITER Award for Inflatable Apocalypse, has been inducted into the Indie Theatre Hall of Fame, and was named the Indie Theatre Person of the Year of 2010.

The festival asks some important questions about the future and how technology and the arts will work in the future. The existing dichotomy between the arts and sciences is increasingly becoming irrelevant as the modern world needs us all to be thinking in far more inter-disciplinary terms. Saviana has also said that she believes that the arts and scientists are far more similar than most realise. She believes both are driven by adventure, discovery, and a need for experimentation. On top of that, she has also said that we need to work together to ensure that our great technological advancements are left to evolve negatively. She wants to explore how we can bring out the best in this new technology and benefit humanity.

When Transforma Inc. commissioned Zebra 2.0 for the festival, Saviana wanted to write about a subject that, not only, resonated with her but also brought to light a scientific issue. She worked closely with data scientist Niki Athanasiadou, Ph.D.; in looking at how Big Data is used in “teaching” AI. When asked about the process Saviana said

I really enjoyed reading about the latest trends in machine learning and collaborating with Dr. Niki

From those discussions, Saviana realized that the similarities between AI and human learning, and at its core, it is about trial and error, and the accumulation and repetition. It also raised interesting questions regarding Nature vs Nurture. At the end of the day Saviana believes that we are all the sum of our knowledge and memories, and, ultimately that is the same for AI.

Saviana has often written about marginalized people. Giving a voice to those who aren’t heard. Speaking the truth and holding a mirror to life and the systems that govern. Asking “what can be?” and looking at ways to extend our humanity. Zebra 2.0 is no different. It tells the story of an undocumented woman, working as a night-shift janitor at a Wildlife preservation/tracking company in the US, who develops an uncanny friendship with the main Artificial Intelligence.

I've always been trying to give a voice to the oppressed. That is why I wanted to write about an immigrant woman developing an authentic friendship with artificial intelligence.

The relationship develops as the woman, Rona, is cleaning the offices and starts talking to the AI. Ultimately it is both Rona and the AI that learn about each other and find their true selves.

Zebra 2.0 is directed by Jeremy Goren. He has said that the production has many different levels to it.

On one level it has a romantic comedy narrative that’s going on in this relationship between the two characters, which is really interesting. But I think also, because of the way that Saviana has written it, there is a structure and a flow to the language that is not the way that a lot of contemporary plays are written.

It is almost in verse. And that’s something that is provided to us as an interesting challenge theatrically, and also as an interesting possibility in terms of thinking about a play, or script, as an analogous to computer code. As we’re looking at this kind of intersection of human and artificial intelligence, trying to see and explore these questions that have to do, really in a lot of sense with consciousness, with development of who we are, and who we might create and what might be possible through technology and the script, kind of in the way that it’s written and in this sensitivity to language and structure, is presenting another level of engagement on those questions.

And so, for me, that’s a super interesting place to be working.

Saviana explores this relationship in terms of how we can form connections, not only with each other but between different species too. She highlights that we are always able to find common ground and a point of connection. Leading to understanding, communication, friendship, and more.

Theatre-goers will have an opportunity to see three original productions at the Science in Theatre Festival.  Each is an interdisciplinary collaboration between playwrights and scientists, with performances focusing on subjects that are at the cutting edge of scientific study. Tickets for the festival are available online now.

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