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CaltechLive presents Opening Doors, a themed series of dance, music, and theater events on campus that showcase artists whose work engages with both the history of science and cutting-edge scientific research.

Following selected Opening Doors events, a moderated discussion will engage artists, Caltech scientists, and audience members in conversation around the topics explored in the performances, such as artificial intelligence, ethics in research, and climate change.

Upcoming Performances

Turing Tests, Apples, and Queens: Collective Storytelling Through Fairy Tales and Artificial Intelligence by Invertigo Dance Theatre

A group of dancers performing on stage

December 6, 2024, 8 PM
December 7, 2024, 8 PM
in Caltech's Beckman Auditorium


Tickets: $40 premium; $30 general; $10 students (with student ID)
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Turing Tests, Apples, and Queens: Collective Storytelling Through Fairy Tales and Artificial Intelligence blends fact and mythological fiction to explore the life and work of English mathematician Alan Turing through dance. Performed by LA-based Invertigo Dance Theatre, the program uses movement, music, and words to illuminate facets of Turing's experiences as a WWII codebreaker, the father of computer science, and a gay man who faced discrimination and criminalization. An interactive component of the performance will give audience members the opportunity to explore humankind's timeless, tangled, and nuanced relationship with technology as raised by Turing's work in artificial intelligence.

Choreographer and Invertigo Dance Theatre founder Laura Karlin has conceived this special program just for Caltech.

Written and choreographed by Laura Karlin

Past Performances

HomeCare by Tonality

November 16, 2024

Tonality Ensemble
Credit: Tonality

The Grammy Award–winning vocal ensemble Tonality presents HomeCare, a choral concert focused on the climate crisis that includes the use of words from young leaders who have spoken about the urgent need for action to conserve what resources are still available on this planet. Tonality's mission is to deliver authentic stories through voice and body to incite change, understanding, and dialogue. Directed by founder Alexander Lloyd Blake, the performance features 24 singers, five instrumentalists, and two ASL interpreters. Known for creating choral concerts that focus on issues rarely presented in choral music, Tonality received the 2020 Chorus America/ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming.

A panel discussion featuring Caltech researchers, including seismologist Lucy Jones, and Tonality founder Alexander Lloyd Blake followed the performance.

HUANG YI & KUKA

October 18–19, 2024

A person standing next to a robot on a dark stage
Credit: Huang Yi

HUANG YI & KUKA weaves together the art of modern dance and the science of mechanical engineering in a series of stunning vignettes between live dancers from the Huang Yi Studio and KUKA, a robot conceptualized and programmed by Huang Yi, an acclaimed Taiwanese choreographer, dancer, and inventor. A seamless synthesis of human movement and innovation, HUANG YI & KUKA is a groundbreaking work that celebrates the future of humanity and technology and has captivated global audiences. It aims to spark conversations about the capacity of computers to exhibit true creativity in a world where advances in autonomous robotics—including at Caltech—are moving at a rapid pace.

The HUANG YI & KUKA performances are made possible by the generous support of the Ministry of Culture of Taiwan.

Tesla, A Radio Play for the Stage

October 4–6, 2024

During the performance of "Tesla, A Radio Play for the Stage"
Credit: The California Tech

In 1900, Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla were the talk of New York, equally famous for their contributions to the science of electricity. But while Edison was monetizing inventions for the 20th century, Tesla was envisioning breakthroughs to revolutionize the 21st century.

Tesla: A Radio Play for the Stage tells the story of the brilliant but controversial inventor and futurist. Tesla's volatile relationship with Edison, his allegiance with George Westinghouse, and his confrontations with the power brokers of American business are recounted from the perspective of the possible implications of his work on national security.

The play is staged as a radio drama (fittingly, as Tesla was posthumously credited with inventing the radio) relying heavily on Tesla's own words from his personal writings and interview and featuring live sound effects and a small star-studded ensemble cast who portray close to 50 different characters while chronicling Tesla's life.

Cast and creative team bios

Opening Doors is made possible thanks to our generous sponsors:
A collage of logos of PST ART, CEFCU, and Friends of Beckman
A collage of logos of the Taiwan Ministry of Culture, Winnow & Glean, and TUF