Exeunt Magazine: The word ‘experiment’ has been used a vast amount of times over the last few months. At least in my world as artistic director of ThickSkin, a theatre company based in Manchester. Usually, we create new productions that tour to venues around the country, but this all changed in March as theatres closed their doors and audiences stayed at home and socially distanced.
8 comments:
I have always been really interested in VR and how it could be applied to theatrical work, and I feel like this team has done a really good job of it. I like what they said about VR theater being its own thing. It is not an exact replica of any theatrical event - it just can not be. It is its own thing and it should be treated as such. I think this is when you can really start to get something interesting out of it. Figuring out what VR has to offer that even live theater can not do is exactly what they should be doing when producing this piece. It is also important to recognize, like they did, that what they are inevitably producing is a film. Unless of course you could have live performers in a VR environment which would be impressive in its own right. Otherwise, you have to acknowledge what it is you are actually doing and use that to your advantage. If you fail to do that, the piece is inevitably going to seem stale and like an imitation of what it is trying to be.
It would be naïve to think that as we transition to a world with more virtual and augmented reality that our industry will not also see it in theatrical work, and that is definitely being explored in this article through MATCHBOX and PETRICHOR. Virtual reality is an interesting integration into theatrical settings and definitely something that we can explore with in experimental theatre. I really like that this company is framing their work with this as an experiment and opportunity to explore both as the artist and the audience. I also really like the idea that virtual reality gives the audience member the opportunity to follow whatever character, experience, or space that they feel most inclined to. It’s a choose your own adventure mindset which a lot of immersive theatres have taken note of in their work. I think this is an interesting way to keep the audience engaged with the plot line and feel like they are not just a spectator, but rather a part of the experience. This idea- largely shaped by virtual reality- is one that I would like to see permeate more artistic spaces.
I think both yes and no that virtual reality can change the way we view theatre. On one hand, I think it already has done the part of shifting the way we view theatre in the sense that we limited ourselves to the different mediums of theatre and COVID definitely forced that on the theatre community. It was nice to see that the show does indeed go on, I was really excited when I found out that the production I had been working on last semester was still going to continue rehearsals and performances online. On the other hand, I think it’s just going to be difficult to accept that theatre will probably be different now and will probably have to stay virtual for a while longer until everything is a hundred percent back to normal. I think it’s also going to be difficult, from a directors stand point, to reimagine the possibilities of a production when you have such minimal space to work with.
I really couldn’t imagine having to design in this time of virtual theatre. Not saying that I wouldn’t be able to do it, but I imagine there being lots of challenges. With scenic design, lots of what we are trained to do, as with most things, are different now. For example- having a focal point. I don’t think that can be applied here. Any scenic focal point created for a virtual performance can act as a distraction, taking away from the performance. Same thing with molding a world in which a performance happens. I don’t think there’s much molding happening. It’s more of creating visual supports that enhance the story being told, which I’m sure is mostly happening in the form of back drops. It’s much like set decorating for television interviews where you’re make the room in the frame surrounding the speaker convey a feeling as opposed to attempting to transport the audience to a time and place and tell a story through scenery. In terms of virtual reality changing the way we see theatre… maybe. Maybe when we’re able to gather again, this can be a something cool in certain applications. Right now- I’m not sure. Maybe if there were a socially distant production this could be an innovative way to transport audience members into the world. Of course, designers would have lots to relearn here, as with virtual performances.
I appreciate how grounded this article is. I think this is the first time I have read about a virtual reality theatre production without a broad assertion that the show is the future of interactive performance. It is also useful to know that there is a new, slightly more affordable VR headset out there. While $300 is a very steep entry price for a show, there is a growing body of content out there. I think we are all finding that remote theatre is lacking; it limits what we get out of theatre to watching a show, rather than having an experience. VR may be able to provide a real experience. The technology is moving forward so quickly that VR creators are getting close to creating visceral environments. Selfishly, I want VR to continue to be on the fringes of theatre, because they probably do not (and may never) need physical scenery, which means that they do not need the skills of theatrical technical directors.
I really like the part where they pointed out that the virtual world is never a substitute for the real world. While I appreciate the digital improvements especially during the COVID period, I have been concerned since it might lead to the situation in which the virtual performances overtakes the real performance that are conducted in the theater. While being able to attend performances at home sounds very convenient and appealing, I want people to realize that it is not comparable to the feeling that audience get in the actual theaters. I totally support these kinds of VR projects or experiments though, as they not only shows how much the virtual reality has improved and how much it can help audience member to merge into the show, but also promotes the features of live performances. I would love to learn how to operate and create scenes with 360’ cameras as well.
I think VR theatre is something that will eventually make its way into our “theatre world” but I also don’t think it will necessarily be found along side or in a similar manner in which we consume theatre today. I think during this pandemic we have been trying to figure out better alternatives to “zoom theatre” and online based theatre and the natural conclusion is to look at how emerging technologies before the pandemic were progressing. I think while VR is getting cheaper and more accessible it still isn’t something that most theatre makers understand and something that most companies don’t have the capacity to implement in their productions. Over time I think that can definitely change but I think first we will find the companies working exclusively in VR before we find those traditional companies dipping their toes in the field. I could be wrong but I think with how VR is set up today almost everything in terms of the design aspect that we normally do would simply go out the window.
This was an extremely captivating account of exploring the place VR might have in the entertainment and theatrical worlds. I am a huge advocate for VR, so seeing its application into theatre, especially at a time in which we can't produce or watch theatre like we used to, is astounding to me. Of course, and as the article mentioned, VR could never be a full substitute for the real-life experience of the theater. We are all missing that experience right now, and many of these explorations have been in the hopes of bringing back just a bit of the many feelings theatre is able to inspire in all of us. That acknowledgment that this was never done in the hopes of replacing the theater experience is sobering in this way, because it is exciting to see an advancement that can be used for theatre in general yet disappointing in that it reminds us of just how much we have lost for the moment. Regardless of that, I'd love to experience this VR show at some point, and I hope that more companies will see this work and strive to make their own advancements in the area.
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