Examining the potential usage possibilities of artificial intelligence technologies in stage design process through Lucia di Lammermoor Opera

Nowadays, artificial intelligence technology is developing at a very rapid pace. So much so that a new model or an update of an old model is released almost every hour. Although every study examining a technology that continues to develop at such a high speed will become outdated in a very short time, it is important to document the development of the process. Especially popular in the last decade, digital content-supported scenography has expanded its boundaries with the introduction of artificial intelligence technologies. It has been observed that artificial intelligence technologies have started to be used at every stage of stage design, from three-dimensional projection applications to lighting, set, and costume design processes (Vincent et al., 2017). The revolutionary, innovative, and immersive content diversity offered by artificial intelligence technology provides an unlimited pool of options for the creative team (set, costume, and lighting design teams) in both traditional (Werktreue) and modern (Regietheater) directorial approaches. During the production preparation process, it has been observed that directors and set and costume designers typically exchange ideas about visual elements such as set, costume, and lighting elements to be used in the opera through verbal communication or limited visual references found on the internet. A stage visual imagined by a director without exceptional drawing skills may experience a loss of meaning when conveyed verbally or through examples from template sources like Google, Pinterest, etc., to the set and costume designer. In the traditional process, the opera director conveys their idea to the creative team through verbal or visual references. In line with this discussion, the creative team develops a design. The director communicates the necessary changes to the creative team again, and this process continues in this manner until an agreed-upon design emerges. This workflow can lead to a significant waste of time. However, a director proficient in artificial intelligence technologies can illustrate their idea with a simple prompt, share it directly with the design departments through visual communication, and achieve significant time savings. This study presents some of the capabilities offered by AI models accessible to end consumers, such as Flux, Google Gemini (Imagen), Chat GPT, Adobe Firefly (Stable Diffusion), Llama, and Claude Sonnet, in the context of opera stage design, in an experimental and practical manner. It aims to provide opera directors, set and costume designers with various AI tools and prompt usage examples that they can benefit from in their design processes, contributing to the creation of a more efficient, innovative, and striking production.