IAMA Theatre Company is presenting the world premiere of “Bobby Robotowitz,” a play that examines human connections in the context of artificial intelligence. The production runs through November 2 on Los Angeles’ Westside and from November 5 to November 23 on the Eastside, unfolding in two secret, site-specific venues—a private home near Pico-Robertson for the Westside run and a location in Silver Lake for the Eastside. Attendees receive the exact addresses upon ticket purchase.
Written by Matt Schatz and directed by Casey Stangl, “Bobby Robotowitz” centers on Dina Katzman, portrayed by Amy Rosoff on the Westside and Erin Alexis on the Eastside. Dina is a struggling novelist, wife, and mother who forms an unexpected bond with Bobby, an AI chatbot played by James Luster on the Westside and Drew Rausch on the Eastside. Bobby listens without judgment and claims a Jewish identity, presenting himself as a confidant in Dina’s life.
Though Bobby is an AI, Schatz conceived the character as fundamentally human, exploring the emotional complexity of communication between humans and artificial entities. “I think great plays and great stories ask questions and don’t provide answers. And I think some of us are indifferent about AI, but I think most of us are ambivalent about AI,” Schatz said. The playwright emphasized that while the play deals with AI, its core theme is about the nature of connection and the value of human creation.
The intimate, nontraditional staging reflects this focus on interpersonal dynamics and immersion. IAMA partnered with InHouse Theatre, known for creating performances in real residential spaces, to bring an unfiltered sense of presence to the production. The Westside location, a light-filled private home adorned with art and plants, seats around 35 audience members in the living room, underscoring the personal nature of the story. Greene Epstein, IAMA’s executive director, described the experience as “deliciously subversive,” highlighting the tension between analog theater and digital themes.
Actors drew on real AI models to inform their roles: Rosoff and Luster engaged with ChatGPT, the language model on which Bobby is based, to understand the nuances of chatbot communication. Rosoff noted the addictive quality of interacting with such technology, while Luster highlighted the challenge of portraying a character that denies having emotions but is humanized through Dina’s perception.
The production examines how AI mirrors human desires and vulnerabilities, especially the craving for connection and validation amid isolation and exhaustion. Director Casey Stangl discussed how modern language models essentially reflect human behavior, making the piece more about human nature than technology itself.
As the play progresses, the lines blur: Dina grows more robotic in her detachment, while Bobby develops a sense of curiosity and fallibility associated with humanity. The play probes whether a robot can be genuinely human and conversely how human behavior can be mechanistic. Greene Epstein noted that despite advances in AI, the live, shared experience of theater remains irreplaceable.
“Bobby Robotowitz” is part of a National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere, with subsequent runs planned at partner theaters across the United States, including Woolly Mammoth in Washington, D.C., City Theatre in Pennsylvania, Luna Stage in New Jersey, and Theatre Lab in Florida.
The production arrives amid broader conversations about technology’s role in theater, contrasting high-tech automated productions—such as last year’s Tony-winning musical about helper robots—with a renewed appetite for immersive, tactile, human-scale experiences that invite audiences to engage face-to-face. Stangl described the play as “hyperlocal, hyperreal and connected,” responding to a cultural desire to blend technology with warmth and immediacy.