VR/AR/MR TRENDS
TOP: Deep in Dr. Crumb’s lab in Dr. Crumb’s School for Disobedient Pets, which combines features of immersive performance, an escape room and a role-playing game. (Image courtesy of Adventure Lab) BOTTOM: An immersive environment in Dr. Crumb’s School for Disobedient Pets, which requires a VR headset to explore. (Image courtesy of Adventure Lab)
track the actors and the viewers, but also every single prop and set element that you can then lift, move around and play with, in the context of the narration. We also designed custom smells with a nose expert, heat and cold cannons, huge fans for wind blowing, etc.” Up until today, he comments, “Jack really is one of the most complete and insane multi-sensorial VR experiments [ever] attempted.” Chelebourg thinks there is also a place for live VR theater where audiences participate remotely and do not share the same physical space as the play’s actors. “It’s here to stay! And it has proven powerful, especially [last] year when we spent half our time interacting remotely inside VR worlds for festivals, events and performances. We also held Baba Yaga’s premiere in VRChat [the social VR platform] with cast and press. I’m curious about it, I love to experiment with it [live remote VR theater].” Live VR theater can be experienced at home or it can be on a set. Either way, at the moment it requires a great deal of flexibility on the part of the cast. Actors played multiple roles in both Jack and Alice. “It’s the beauty of live mocap performance,” says Chelebourg. “It’s at the same time part puppeteering, part traditional presence on stage. In Alice the actor plays three different roles, and in Jack the actress embodies two drastically different characters. I was very meticulous in casting performers with voice-shifting talents and mime-playing notions because to me that was key to make it work.” Improvisation is a key element in this new field of live VR theater. In Jack, a character would engage the audience in conversation. “What surprised me was the sheer variety of reactions!” Chelebourg comments. “Jack was, like Alice, based on a pretty
82 • VFXVOICE.COM FALL 2021
PG 80-85 LIVE VR THEATER.indd 82
8/29/21 2:45 PM
