Brooklyn Academy of Music is hosting two spring conversations that bring together prominent voices from literature, performance and technology for discussions that explore storytelling, culture and the impact of artificial intelligence.
The events will take place at BAM venues in Downtown Brooklyn and feature appearances by Lena Dunham, Andrew Rannells, Annie Dorsen and Safiya Noble.
On March 18, the series BAMtalks: Thinking Out Loud brings together MacArthur Fellows Dorsen and Noble for a discussion examining artificial intelligence, bias, and the ways digital systems shape cultural narratives. The program takes place at BAM Fisher (Fishman Space), located at 321 Ashland Pl.
Dorsen is a theater director whose work explores the intersection of live performance and algorithmic systems. Her projects often incorporate computer-generated text and code-based structures to challenge traditional theatrical forms. Noble is a scholar whose research focuses on the social consequences of digital technologies, including how search engines, algorithms and data systems reproduce racial and gender biases.
Their conversation will examine how artificial intelligence systems are built using training data and algorithmic structures that can replicate or amplify existing social inequalities. As AI tools become more embedded in daily life and creative production, the speakers will explore how these technologies influence representation, authority, and cultural power.
The discussion will also consider broader questions about how systems of representation, both technological and artistic, encode values and shape public understanding. By bringing together perspectives from theater and information studies, the event aims to highlight the overlapping concerns between artistic experimentation and critical scholarship.
Following the conversation, the program will include a 30-minute audience question-and-answer session.
Admission to the March 18 BAMtalks event is free and open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis, though capacity is limited.
On April 14, Lena Dunham graces the stage in a conversation with Andrew Rannells in an evening centered on Dunham’s new book Famesick. The event will be held at the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, located at 30 Lafayette Ave.
Dunham returns to the stage to discuss her first book in more than a decade, offering reflections on fame, illness, creativity and the complicated process of shaping one’s public and personal identity. The evening is expected to blend humor, personal storytelling and cultural commentary as Dunham revisits themes that have defined her career while introducing new perspectives from Famesick.
The conversation will also touch on the cultural landscape of the 2010s, the pressures surrounding visibility and ambition, and the evolving ways artists tell their own stories.
Tickets for the April event start at $60 and include a copy of Famesick. The program is presented by BAM in association with Greenlight Bookstore.
