“AI Robot” cast members rehearse ahead of the Oct. 15-17 performances in SIU Carbondale’s Marion Kleinau Theatre. (Photo by Abigal Doyle)
October 13, 2026
SIU Carbondale students bring ‘AI Robot’ to the Kleinau Theatre Oct. 15-17
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Artificial intelligence learns to imitate people. In “AI Robot,” four Southern Illinois University students return the favor.
The show, devised by the cast and director, Jonathan Gray, runs at 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, Oct. 15-17, at the Marion Kleinau Theatre on the second floor of the Communications Building.
No AI went into the script, art or technology. The imitation is all done by the performers.
“Part of the production concept is that we use human creativity and mimetic talents to imitate generative AI agents and products,” said Gray, associate professor in the School of Communication Studies and faculty adviser for the Marion Kleinau Theatre.
Neither for nor against AI, the show looks at more than a century of robot stories, some hopeful and some cautionary, told through novels, comics, movies and video games. Gray said those stories helped shape this moment of transformation into the “AI age,” and the robots in them act as mirrors that teach people about what they “think it means to be human.”
“We also conclude that this is a collaboratively constructed world we live in, with AI/robots as both tools and results of that co-construction,” he said.
Letting humanity in
“AI Robot” is built on personal narrative. Asher Lybarger, a first-year master’s student in communication studies and member of the cast, said the performers use robot characters to tell their own stories about identity and how they relate to AI.
“We’re trying to let some of that humanity slip through and show that we’re all human. Imperfection is normal and should be celebrated,” Lybarger said.
That room for imperfection is built into the show itself. The cast started with no script. Each member chose some of their favorite robots, and over three weeks the group improvised and wrote from daily prompts before shaping those pieces into the show. Some moments are still unscripted, so performers can choose their words in the moment.
Gray said the show ultimately asks audiences to recognize that “through stories and performance and generative technologies, we build this world together.”
The cast members:
- Asher Lybarger, master’s student, communication studies.
- Danica Jenck, doctoral student, communication studies.
- Junara Quinn-Miller, master’s student, communication studies.
- Ethan Pennington, undergraduate senior, English.
Ticket information
Tickets are $7 for general admission and $5 for students with ID. For reservations, call 618-453-7570. The show explores mature themes and is rated PG-13.
For more details, email Jonathan Gray at jmgray@siu.edu.