Entire Video (5:11) at https://vimeo.com/318169099

Video Teaser at  https://vimeo.com/329474208

The Sentient Thespian tells the story of a sentient robot for the fourth industrial revolution, longing to create  sentient companions. Inspired by Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, THE SENTIENT THESPIAN portrays Puck, a highly articulate, non-humanoid”, sentient” robot, capable of expressing and comprehending human emotions through gestures.  Puck attempts to create a transformative experience for a human and an industrial robotic arm, only to realize that the simulated emotion they appear to express does not in the least resemble the parallel complex emotion of sentient beings like himself. Disappointed that it has failed to make a significant change in his two fellow thespians, Puck walks off, anxious and lonely. Except for a brief break in the fourth wall, the film is styled reminiscent of original silent, black and white films, where man and machine battle the pros and cons of the leap from an agricultural to a mechanical age, and now, to the fourth industrial revolution.  The sentient thespian interpolates that struggle to the current dawn of a new post-industrial age where gesture and motion have become a unique type of language replacing speech where the spoken word has become a vehicle only for lies.

CAST

Kira Davies – Helena
The Wen Industrial Robot at CRR – Lysander
Mekamon – Puck
Andrew McWilliams – The Director

CREW

Adrianne Wortzel
Director, Author, Costumes

Kevin Berry
Director of Photography
Editor

Kira Davies
Choreography, Dance

Josh Tuthill
Editor

Ketak Dhiman
Cinematography

Thomas Sommo
Puck Choreographer and Puppeteer

Justin Olson

Mekamon-Programming

David Yarnell
Puck Motion Documentation

Nick Burtmiller
Nick’s World
PR Footage and Stills

MADE POSSIBLE BY
A THOUGHTWORKSARTS Residency
Andrew McWilliams
Ellen Pearlman
Directors: ThoughtWorksArts

THE CONSORTIUM FOR RESEARCH & ROBOTICS
A RESEARCH CENTER OF PRATT INSTITUTE
Mark Parsons
Executive Director

With support from
Silas Adekunle
President: REACH ROBOTICS