THE INTEGRATION OF VR AND AR INTO IMMERSIVE THEATER
The implementation of VR and AR into immersive theater is happening globally, and in many ways. The immersive entertainment industry as a whole was reported as being valued at more than $60 billion dollars in 2019, with immersive theater contributing just over $28 million dollars to the total. One of the leaders of VR integration with immersive theater is the National Theatre in London. The National Theatre is known for its cutting edge and boundary pushing productions, such as its performances of the VR musical adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland” titled “Wonder.land” by Damon Albarn in 2016. The National Theatre is not only producing fully fledged productions in this vein. It also launched an artist support project entitled “alt.barbican,” which encouraged theater makers who had creative ideas that blended VR and AR with immersive theater performance in 2017. More recently, however, in 2019, the National Theatre received a Sundance nomination for its VR production of “All Kinds of Limbo” by Raffy Bushman and Nubiya Brandon.
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THE FUTURE OF THEATER
The integration of VR and AR have allowed for the increased success of immersive theater experiences over the past few years due to the ability of these performances to remain unique and emotional while growing the style and challenging creators and performers in engaging ways. Virtual reality can also be taken in a different direction and, rather than being incorporated into the development of a performance, can be the canvas on which a show takes place. “Hamlet 360: Thy Father’s Spirit,” created, developed, and presented by Commonwealth Shakespeare Company in 2019, is a VR adaptation of “Hamlet” by William Shakespeare. This production offered audiences the opportunity to view the performance of “Hamlet” in a VR space, though the production was not reliant on the integration of the technology.
This utilization of VR and AR also extends to the world of all live performance. Musical artists have been applying this format to concert performances at increasing rates as well. It is likely that as long as audience interest in this technology continues to grow, the future of theater will only become more and more intertwined with it. Virtual and augmented reality, though they pose technological challenges, also provide the opportunity for the future of theater to become increasingly accessible. Despite the difficulties of 2020 and the sentiments that traditional performances are old hat, the world of theater has proven that it is ever-evolving with technology and with the times, showing that it is here to stay and may just be viewable in your own living room».
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