GENAI 101 - Module 2: Theater

Theater Module Introduction

Step into digital storytelling, avatar-based performance, and drama-dance through AI. In this module you will experience how technology can transform theatrical expression while you build the competencies that let you evaluate and direct the tools rather than be directed by them.

Video: Theater Module Introduction. Four-minute overview of the four theater artifacts, the competencies each builds, and why the live art stays at the center. (Instructor: build with make_videos.py or record and embed your own.)

Welcome: Theatre Module. Recorded by the instructor for the 2025 pilot of this program.

Overview: Theatre Module. A complete walk through the theatre module from introduction to evaluation, as delivered in the 2025 pilot.

What you will make

Lesson	Artifact	Competencies
2.1 AI-Assisted Dramatic Storytelling	A two-character scene of 2 to 3 pages, drafted with a text model and revised by you	Prompt engineering, creativity and innovation
2.2 Avatar-Based Performance	A 45 to 90 second animated performance of a monologue or scene excerpt	Computational thinking, collaboration
2.3 Digital Choreography and Drama-Dance	A 30 to 60 second movement piece built from a text-to-video sequence	Problem solving, creativity and innovation
2.4 Evaluating AI Feedback and Ethics in Theater	A critique of AI feedback on your scene and a position on staging AI-generated work	AI feedback evaluation, AI ethics literacy

Before you start

Complete the account setup for Animaker and invideo AI, and confirm access to a text model.
Keep a running document titled "Theater Module Notes." Paste every prompt you use and one line about the result.
If you completed the Music module, notice how often the same moves return: the five-part brief, one variable per iteration, and the six-criteria evaluation. Theater changes the vocabulary, not the method.

A note on the live art

Theater happens between people in a room. Nothing here replaces that. The tools in this module help you draft faster, visualize staging before you have a cast, rehearse without a partner, and give students a way to see their ideas move. Every lesson asks how the artifact returns to the rehearsal room.

Estimated time

Four to six hours across the four lessons. Each lesson takes 60 to 90 minutes including the gallery post and knowledge check.