Ciara Sotto says ‘no’ to AI in theater, embraces life as soccer mom to Crixus

Ciara Sotto returns as Nellie in “South Pacific,” drawing the line on artificial intelligence in musical theater.

Ciara Sotto is not ready to hand over the heart of theater to artificial intelligence.

While she recognizes that AI can make life easier, particularly for research and other practical uses, the actress and singer said she draws the line when it comes to music, theater and show business.

“I’m actually not supporting the AI music,” Ciara said in this exclusive interview with radar Entertainment. “Kasi iba pa rin ang human touch, human compassion. Iba pa rin ‘yong heart.”

For Ciara, that human element is what makes live performance meaningful.

“I don’t think AI has heart. So it’ll always be a ‘no’ for me,” she said, adding that she does not think AI is good for theater or the entertainment business in general.

“Because it’s not real. It’s always gonna be fake, even if it sounds nice. But it didn’t come from the heart,” she added.

She also raised concerns about AI potentially taking away work from musicians and other creatives.

Ciara’s stance comes as she returns to musical theater in “South Pacific,” more than a decade after her last stage production.

Her previous theater project was “Greece,” which she did before becoming a mother. Eleven years later, she finally found her way back to the stage when the “South Pacific” production adjusted its schedule to accommodate her.

“So when they said na they’re going to adjust to my schedule, sabi ko okay, ‘I think I can do that,’” she recalled.

Ciara plays US Navy nurse Nellie Forbush in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s classic musical, a role she said she relates to because of Nellie’s caring nature.

The February staging proved to be both nostalgic and nerve-wracking for Ciara, who found herself performing alongside students and graduates of the University of Santo Tomas Conservatory of Music, where she also had old classmates and teachers.

“It was nostalgic but it was also touching,” she said.

The response to the initial run eventually led to the comeback staging, giving Ciara another chance to experience the theater community she had long wanted to return to.

She also believes the renewed interest in live theater comes at a time when audiences could use something different from the usual screen-based entertainment.

“Everybody is just glued to their gadgets and their TVs,” Ciara said. “It’s a different atmosphere if you watch a musical because it’s live and there’s a lot of singing.”

For her, theater also offers something that cannot be replicated by simply watching content alone.

“You meet a lot of new people and you get to see it live,” she said. “So I think mas mare-refresh ang mga tao.”

Away from the stage, Ciara is equally happy spending her weekends as a soccer mom.

She said watching her son Crixus play, whether he wins or loses, is already rewarding. “Even if he’s not playing soccer, I like watching him. I like watching him have fun, doing everything,” she said.

Ciara said she is willing to brave the heat, drive to practices and spend weekends at tournaments because she knows how much the sport means to her son.

“Even if he loses, even if he didn’t play correctly or perfectly, you know, there’s so much joy in me watching him and watching him do what he loves to do,” she said.

The experience has also given her a community of fellow parents, whom she describes as one big family. They help each other with rides and make sure the kids get where they need to be even when one parent cannot make it.

For Ciara, that combination of motherhood, friendship and watching her son enjoy something he loves is fulfilling in itself.

Meanwhile, Ciara is back onstage as Nellie Forbush in “South Pacific,” which is having its comeback run at The Proscenium Theater in Rockwell, Makati. The musical runs on September 12, 13, 18, 19 and 20, with eight performances scheduled across those dates. 

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