Gap, Etcetera Theatre
Another day, another set of Camden Fringe interviews for your pleasure. You can find all our Camden Fringe interviews here.
Gap promises to be a sharp, seductive thriller where art, ambition, and artificial intelligence collide. This groundbreaking production claims to be the first play ever written using artificial intelligence and blurs the lines between human creativity and artificial intelligence, asking provocative questions about art, desire, and what it means to be authentic in a digital age. We managed to grab some time with Kirill Levman, who is behind the idea of the show and who has led the creative team.
What can audiences expect from the show?
We are creating something that defies traditional categories – a theatrical experience that blurs the boundaries between human creativity and artificial intelligence. Audiences will witness a sophisticated drawing room drama that transforms into something far more provocative and unsettling.
We’re breaking the fourth wall in entirely new ways. Bring your phones, because you’re not just watching this performance – you’re participating in it. We’ve integrated real-time social media interactions by a WhatsApp group. It’s theatre reimagined for the digital age, with unexpected musical moments that heighten the absurdity.
Is Camden Fringe going to be the show’s first time on stage, or have you already performed elsewhere?
This is absolutely our premiere. The Camden Fringe will be witnessing the birth of Gap as a fully realized production. We’ve been conducting Zoom rehearsals, which initially seemed like a compromise, but has evolved into an integral part of our creative process. There’s something fitting about developing an AI-inspired play through the disjointed, glitchy medium of video calls – it’s become part of our artistic language.
What was your inspiration behind the show?
I hit a creative wall. After exhausting myself searching through contemporary works and navigating the frustrating maze of copyright permissions, I found myself without the spark I needed. The classics are brilliant, of course, but didn’t match my current artistic impulses.
Then it struck me – why not engage with the technology that’s transforming every aspect of our lives? AI isn’t just a topic on every news program; it’s challenging the very foundation of creative expression. Rather than fear this disruption, I decided to collaborate with it, to explore that tense space between human and machine creativity. It wasn’t about taking shortcuts – it was about investigating a new artistic frontier.
Is this version how you originally envisioned it or has it changed drastically since you first put pen to paper?
What’s fascinating about this project is that the concept of a “final version” feels almost contradictory to our process. Working with AI means embracing a continual state of evolution and surprise. My role has been more curatorial than traditionally authorial – selecting, refining, and shaping rather than generating from scratch.
The development has been organic and unexpected. I’ve found myself incorporating elements that emerged accidentally during our remote rehearsals – technical glitches, miscommunications, moments of digital alienation. What began as a straightforward examination of AI in the art world has transformed into something far more layered and self-referential.
What brought you all together?
Marie Reinherr, Dan Iliadis, and Patric Schwaab each responded to different elements of these characters caught in the crossfire between traditional art values and technological disruption.
Vera Parnikel, our composer, has created something truly remarkable – composing human music for the AI-generated song lyrics in the script. The tension between the algorithmic words and her organic compositions creates exactly the kind of productive dissonance we’re exploring throughout the production.
Yulia Savitskaya and Lucien Campbell have been collaborating with me for years, and for this production, they were particularly drawn to the challenge of creating a work that seamlessly integrates digital elements while preserving an authentic theatrical atmosphere.
Being a fringe festival, we all know sets have to be bare minimum, how have you got around this with your set and props?
We’ve transformed our budget limitations into a conceptual strength. The play explores the tension between authenticity and artificial construction, so we’re deliberately playing with theatrical minimalism and suggestion rather than literal representation.
The script calls for a luxurious Islington flat filled with expensive art, but we’re creating this through carefully chosen symbolic elements that transforms simple objects into something more evocative. The abstract painting that changes throughout the show is realized through projection techniques that allow us to alter its appearance as the emotional temperature of scenes shifts.
What has been the biggest challenge in realising the writer’s vision for the show?
The most fascinating challenge has been navigating my dual role as both curator and creator. While the initial text was AI-generated, the real artistic work came through my selection, arrangement, and refinement of that raw material. I’m simultaneously honoring the unique patterns that emerged from the AI while shaping them into something theatrically viable.
This creates an intriguing question about creative ownership that mirrors the play’s themes. The biggest challenge isn’t technical but philosophical – understanding where the AI’s contribution ends and mine begins, and whether that distinction even matters in the final experience.
How important is audience interaction to you?
It’s fundamental to this production. We’re not just acknowledging the audience’s presence; we’re actively incorporating them into the creative process. The traditional theatrical contract of silenced, passive viewers doesn’t apply here – we want engaged, digitally connected participants.
This approach directly challenges the conventional wisdom of theatre etiquette. Instead of the familiar pre-show announcement to silence phones, we’re encouraging their active use. The WhatsApp group, and social media integration aren’t gimmicks – they’re essential components that allow the audience to shape the performance they’re experiencing.
Are there any plans for what comes next after the show has finished its run– for you or the show?
I’m focusing entirely on making this Camden Fringe run as powerful as possible. Theatre exists in the present moment – particularly this production, which relies so heavily on the specific audience members who participate each night.
That said, if the response indicates we’ve struck a chord, I’m open to extending the conversation. London offers opportunities to reach diverse audiences, and the themes we’re exploring only grow more relevant by the day. The beauty of fringe theatre is its adaptability – we can evolve the production based on what we learn from these initial performances.
What’s the weirdest or most unconventional prop used in your show, and how did it come to be part of the production?
The audience’s smartphones are our most unconventional prop – turning a traditional theatrical nuisance into an essential performance element. It embodies the blurring line between artificial and authentic that sits at the heart of our production.
What’s the link between the title Gap and the production’s themes?
Gap operates on multiple levels for us. At first glance, audiences might assume it refers to the age gap between George and Kirsten – this 21-year-old artist and his 39-year-old gallery owner girlfriend. But that’s merely the surface level, the most obvious interpretation.
The title actually works on much deeper planes. It’s the space between human creativity and artificial generation, between intention and interpretation, between performer and audience. It represents those undefined zones where meaning becomes fluid and boundaries blur: exactly what happens when AI enters the creative process.
The title also references the warning heard throughout the London Underground – “Mind the gap” – which feels appropriate for a play that asks audiences to pay attention to the spaces between things.
Thanks for giving us such a great insight into your work, Kirill. It sounds like a fascinating idea and one that is sure to be popular in the age of the smartphone! Gap will play at the Etcetera Theatre on Tuesday 19 and Wednesday 20 August 2025.
