Dream was a live VR performance lifted from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream that used live motion capture and avatars inside a computer generated environment.
Puck and friends wondered for 25 minutes around an enchanted forest where dangers lurked in the shadows. As it was, they physically wondered around a 12x12m black box studio, in motion capture (mocap) suits, and some camera trickery was employed if you paid attention to the cuts. The level of interactivity for the viewer/user or player was minimal and didn’t warrant the addition to the price tag.
We couldn’t get the computing power, costs and staff needed for this to happen live, how sustainable it is at any level, to put on such a show. Artistically it felt balanced and the soundtrack was particularly enchanting and immersed the users. But it also felt the RSC would commit to this experiment to ensure they planted well the flag on a new ‘culinary’ territory – in case they need to claim it for the love of Shakespeare, later.
At £10 a ticket it some regard this made theatre more accessible, more than the RSC usually do. Bearing in mind the enlarged numbers who streamed the performance this maybe was a smart business decision more than a solid commitment to the future.
Post event talk with the people directly involved in the production
