# OPEN-THEATRE: An Open-Source Toolkit for LLM-based Interactive Drama

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.16713 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2509.16713/

## Key facts

- Cited by 1 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Placed in Multimodal and embodied agents, one of 16 directions in LLM agents and tool use.
- Builds on 10 of its 24 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 20 Sep 2025.

## Placed in

- LLM agents and tool use / [Multimodal and embodied agents](https://mlsanity.com/agents/multimodal-and-embodied-agents/)

## Builds on (most cited first, 10 of 10)

- [Generative Agents: Interactive Simulacra of Human Behavior](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2304.03442/) (2023)
- [AutoGen: Enabling Next-Gen LLM Applications via Multi-Agent Conversation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2308.08155/) (2023)
- [MapCoder: Multi-Agent Code Generation for Competitive Problem Solving](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2405.11403/) (2024)
- [MAGIS: LLM-Based Multi-Agent Framework for GitHub Issue Resolution](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2403.17927/) (2024)
- [SocialBench: Sociality Evaluation of Role-Playing Conversational Agents](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2403.13679/) (2024)
- [From Role-Play to Drama-Interaction: An LLM Solution](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2405.14231/) (2024)
- [IBSEN: Director-Actor Agent Collaboration for Controllable and Interactive Drama Script Generation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2407.01093/) (2024)
- [Towards Enhanced Immersion and Agency for LLM-based Interactive Drama](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2502.17878/) (2025)
- [X-TURING: Towards an Enhanced and Efficient Turing Test for Long-Term Dialogue Agents](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2408.09853/) (2024)
- [The Drama Machine: Simulating Character Development with LLM Agents](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2408.01725/) (2024)

## Built on by (most cited first, 1 of 1)

- [EvoSpark: Endogenous Interactive Agent Societies for Unified Long-Horizon Narrative Evolution](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2604.12776/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

LLM-based Interactive Drama introduces a novel dialogue scenario in which the player immerses into a character and engages in a dramatic story by interacting with LLM agents. Despite the fact that this emerging area holds significant promise, it remains largely underexplored due to the lack of a well-designed playground to develop a complete drama. This makes a significant barrier for researchers to replicate, extend, and study such systems. Hence, we present Open-Theatre, the first open-source toolkit for experiencing and customizing LLM-based interactive drama. It refines prior work with an efficient multi-agent architecture and a hierarchical retrieval-based memory system, designed to enhance narrative coherence and realistic long-term behavior in complex interactions. In addition, we provide a highly configurable pipeline, making it easy for researchers to develop and optimize new approaches.