Transforming Traditional Theatre with Immersive Technologies

Naveen Joshi 30/03/2020 4

Leveraging AR and VR theatres can enhance attendees’ engagement and attract more viewers to bring back live theatre’s popularity.

Live theatre has been around for as long as we can remember. It used to be a major source of entertainment. But now, with the emergence of cinema and online streaming services, the popularity of live theatre is diminishing. Theatre is losing its appeal due to lack of engagement, high costs, and lack of immersive storytelling. Theatre businesses now have a chance to make their shows more engaging and attract more audiences with the help of immersive technologies. VR and AR, which have changed our lives in many ways, through AR and VR theatres can now provide a whole new level of interaction between performers and audiences.

How AR and VR Theatres are Transforming Traditional Ones

AR and VR devices are enabling theatres to enhance on-stage animation and provide viewers a first-person perspective into theatrical performances.

Improving On-Stage Animation

There isn’t a lot of room for computer-driven animation in theatres. But they use animation sometimes either for completely animated play or to enhance background visuals. In both cases, theatres are not able to provide the high animation that can engage viewers like recorded films. In fact, there are chances that theatre animation might impact the actors' performances.

Theatres can make live performances more immersive by using AR glasses and overlaying animation effects on the stage. AR headsets can also provide deaf people with immersive theatre experiences by displaying dialogue captions while actors deliver their lines.

Enabling 360° Experiences

VR headsets enable viewers to get a 360° view of the performance. They can virtually roam on the stage and view the act from multiple angles from the comfort of their seats. Whether they want to know what's happening behind the actors or want to view their expressions from different angles, it will all be possible with VR. This will enhance engagement as viewers will get every minute detail they want.

Offering a First-Person Perspective

VR headsets allow audiences to view the story from a first-person perspective. Audiences can step into the shoes of any on-stage actor using VR headsets and experience shows from a first-person perspective. Theatre artists can make viewers a part of their play with the help of AR and VR headsets. For instance, in an action drama, viewers can become a soldier on the field to experience the action on a whole new level. This can make attendees more connected to the play and enhance their overall experience.

AR and VR theatres are surely going to transform traditional ones and attract more audiences. But they may not be well-received by traditional theatre-going audiences. Current viewers of theatre are mostly those who love art in the traditional form. They won’t love to see immersive technologies completely transforming traditional theatres. Theatres will, hence, have to maintain this traditional artistic touch even if they implement immersive technologies. They need to carefully walk the fine line between art and technology so that art lovers are not disappointed.

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Naveen Joshi

Tech Expert

Naveen is the Founder and CEO of Allerin, a software solutions provider that delivers innovative and agile solutions that enable to automate, inspire and impress. He is a seasoned professional with more than 20 years of experience, with extensive experience in customizing open source products for cost optimizations of large scale IT deployment. He is currently working on Internet of Things solutions with Big Data Analytics. Naveen completed his programming qualifications in various Indian institutes.

Transforming Traditional Theatre with Immersive Technologies