Stagecraft Rewired by Michael Harding

Stagecraft Rewired by Michael Harding

Stagecraft Rewired explores how artificial intelligence and intelligent systems can be seamlessly integrated into contemporary theatre while preserving artistic agency, ethical responsibility, and historical awareness.

The book offers a comprehensive journey from conceptual foundations to real-world applications. It includes critical analysis, case studies, production workflows, and pedagogical models, providing readers with clear frameworks for ethical tool use and practical strategies for rehearsal and production. The volume also addresses key topics such as authorship, collaboration, accessibility, and accountability in technology-mediated performance. By situating AI within a historical lineage of adaptation and creative recombination, the book reframes intelligent systems as an extension of traditional theatrical methods rather than a disruption. Readers will benefit from actionable guidance on institutional governance, teaching models that emphasize transparency, and forward-looking principles for navigating the future of stagecraft.

This book is an invaluable resource for theatre practitioners, educators, students, arts administrators, and cultural policy-makers interested in the intersection of technology and performance.

Michael Harding is an American academic and professor who works as the department head of Performing Arts and Lindenwood University in Saint Charles, USA.

James Hutson is currently a professor and department head of art history, AI, and visual culture at Lindenwood University in Saint Charles, USA.