Jul 31, 2020The New BackstageThe actor takes a deep calming breath. The actor runs through a complex passage of text. The actor checks their microphone. The actor prepares. Dedicated focus, a quiet mind and eyes on the scene, the actor waits. …VR5 min readVR5 min read
Published inExploring New Realities·Apr 17, 2020Is Theater Essential? Virtually Opening the Open RehearsalTheaters are dark and empty from the beautiful Broadway stages, to the tiny improv basements across the country. But as Theater-makers we are bursting with creativity, even if our actors cannot grace the stage. As humans, we long to sit alongside one another, to laugh and cry and experience stories…VR7 min readVR7 min read
Published inAlive in Plasticland·Mar 13, 2019SXSW 2019 — Producing Live Performance in VRA sold-out workshop on March 13, 2019 It’s time! Our NYC Alive in Plasticland Team (Kiira Benzing, Alex Coulombe, David Gochfeld, Kevin Laibson) has arrived in Austin, TX. We are joined with technical support by our colleagues Dario Laverde (HTC Vive) and Mark Sternberg (REVRIE). …SXSW2 min readSXSW2 min read
Published inAlive in Plasticland·Mar 9, 2019Performing VR Improv: The Early ShowsIntroduction to our Troupe! Our troupe of veteran NYC actors include an array of professional improvisors who perform regularly between The PIT (Peoples Improv Theater) and UCB (Upright Citizens Brigade). …Improv6 min readImprov6 min read
Published inAlive in Plasticland·Mar 9, 2019Testing Performance Genres in Social VRFlashback to our Research! Over the summer we ran a series of experiments with actors ranging from the dramatic style of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar to Improv comedy. We invited pairs of actors to work with our VR team. Pairs of actors brought in a well-rehearsed scene. …Virtual Reality6 min readVirtual Reality6 min read
Published inAlive in Plasticland·Nov 12, 2018Pre-Test WorkshopOur first experiment. A pre-test before the real adventure begins! — Along with my colleagues Alex Coulombe (designer), David Gochfeld (technical director), and Adrian Vasquez de Velasco (production manager/ editor) we set out as a team to run new experiments with actors performing live in VR. Our actors had experienced some VR narratives but they had never been inside a VR…Virtual Reality3 min readVirtual Reality3 min read
Published inAlive in Plasticland·Sep 13, 2018Reality & VRThe challenges of a new performance medium — This is the fourth post in an ongoing series about live VR theatre case studies undertaken in partnership with High Fidelity. For more posts from Alive in Plasticland click here. This is going to be an incredibly difficult journey working with performance in VR because as an actor, you are…Virtual Reality4 min readVirtual Reality4 min read
Published inAlive in Plasticland·Aug 31, 2018How I Came to Work with Real Actors in Virtual RealityA personal journey I trained as an actor extensively in Theater around the world. At the Sorbonne, St. Petersburg Academy of the Arts in Russia, with MXAT in Cambridge, the National Theater Institute in CT, Circle in the Square in NY, and finally I did my post-grad at LAMDA in…Virtual Reality5 min readVirtual Reality5 min read
Published inMETROPOLES·Oct 10, 2017Oculus Launch Pad — Week 12 — Meeting the Demo Deadline!We submitted! Down to the wire but we finally figured out the upload to the Oculus platform. Shout out to developer Katelyn Thomas for making this happen because those final hours were filled with the most intense pressure. It was an enormous 12 weeks packed with many internal benchmarks. This…Virtual Reality1 min readVirtual Reality1 min read
