EdFringe Talk: AI: The Waiting Room – An Audiovisual Journey

Posted in *EdFestivals 2025, *Written Interviews by

“Wifi is a huge part of our show and from our past 2 years of experience, getting a reliable Wifi has been challenging.”

WHO: Joyce Lao

WHAT: “A mysterious message from the “future self” invites participants into an immersive space where AI unveils their projected histories. In The Waiting Room, choices shape a unique, evolving audio narrative, guiding participants through moments of dreams realised and challenges faced. As their future unfolds, from the fulfilment of deepest aspirations to a global crisis that transforms the world, participants explore a bizarre, unpredictable world where technology and humanity collide, prompting reflection on how our choices shape the future.”

WHERE: studio at C ARTS | C venues | C alto (Venue40) 

WHEN: 15:00 (40 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is our third time in Edinburgh producing an AI show. In 2023, there were only 2 AI shows going on and we were one of them. Edfringe allows us to be bold, to experiment. It inspires us to see and be with other artists and we are creating our own small AI theater community at Edfringe. We all know each other and we are all friends. We are happy to be back at the C Venues Alto, at the Quaker Meeting House, which was the fringe central when we first did our production in 2023. There is a sense of community and competitiveness at Edfringe that I personally find intriguing. We, as a group love coming back here because it’s an anticipated event in our calendar. This is where we present iterations of our work. It’s a great playground for our immersive project to grow.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2024 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

To enjoy our time every time we arrive at Edfringe and trust the process. Sometimes, admittedly we were stressed out because of the unreliable internet connection in Edinburgh. Wifi is a huge part of our show and from our past 2 years of experience, getting a reliable Wifi has been challenging. We end up using our US mobile plans sometimes if we have to. We just had to adjust to this part of the Edinburgh experience. We hope that this will be resolved this year. In spite of this, we had multiple sold out shows last year – and that is trusting the process. We cannot control everything, all we can do is to do our best.

Tell us about your show.

We are a human created and written show. The AI is being used for something that is not humanly possible in a theatrical space: a live personalization of content for individual audience members. It means that every participant will have scenes based on their unique input and therefore be more personal within a story written by the author. It uses a concept of indeterminacy of art, that creates uniquely tailored stories for every participant.

We use AI creatively, and not to replace our own voices, thoughts and opinions. We have spent thousands of hours writing, playtesting, rehearsing, discussing and securing our show.

We started as a group of four NYC theatre artists—Natalia, Joyce, Anna, and Sabrina—in 2023. Though we had known each other for years, we wanted to create something together: a one-of-a-kind immersive show unlike anything seen in NYC before. Our diverse backgrounds—interactive theatre, dance performance, traditional theatre, vocal work, and experimental tech—complemented each other perfectly.

Around the same time Natalia was exploring AI technology, and together, we decided to experiment with it. That’s how our first production, Soulmates (Not) Found, was born. The show made it to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where we were among only 4 or 5 AI shows and gained valuable insights into how AI can spark connection, interaction, and self-expression in immersive theatre.

With the help of an amazing developer, David Gaynor, we created a custom AI tool that personalizes the narrative in real-time, adjusting the story based on audience input. With our talented set designer, August Henney, we had a fantastic first run at Edinburgh Fringe 2024, selling out nearly every show. In 2025, Shafik Quoraishee joined our team to help us bring visual elements into our work, which had previously been focused on audio and immersive space design.

We are thrilled to announce an exciting expansion! Our show, previously an intimate 10-person experience, will now accommodate 20 audience members per performance, making it accessible to even more people. For our Edfringe run, audience members will need to bring their own charged smartphones and head or earphones. However, for future productions, with the provision of production-supplied devices and reliable internet, the audience per show could potentially exceed 100.

What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?

We have 2 other AI shows that we would like to recommend – Improbotics – of course, they are the first ever Ai show here. Piotr Mirowski, who is an AI engineer and an improviser created this show and he is our good friend. Also, there is a new AI show called AI campfire at Venue 13. We also know the producers there. It’s led by ian Garrett – a Veteran Edfringe producer from Canada who also works as a theater artist in the US.

In the comedy realm, I also am producing #40sandsingle – The Secrets to Finding Love. I play Dr. Kara Kibara – the world’s most successful relationship and dating guru at theSpaceUK. People will see the dorky side of me.

We are exploring other immersive and experimental shows as well…

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