Art in Real-Time: Theatre and Virtual Reality

Art in Real-Time: Theatre and Virtual Reality: "One of the first scenes to ever be staged with VR technology remains one of the best examples of its potential; scene 2, in which Zero is fired by his boss. At the beginning of this scene, the characters of Zero and Daisy are working at the office, Daisy reading numbers wile Zero adds them. Behind them is a representation of the office and what appears to be the actors’ shadows on the screen. As Zero and Daisy grow weary of the monotonous task and begin to daydream, the actors leave their positions and. move about the stage while speaking their dream monologues. However, the shadows remain in their original positions. This effect was used to visually demonstrate that the characters have not actually left their work and the movement of the actors is only psychological. At the same time the virtual office is moved into the far background as another sigh that the character’s minds have traveled far from their jobs. Later in the scene Zero interacts with his Boss, portrayed by an actor who performs off-stage in front of a video camera. The video image of the boss was then superimposed into the computer generated office. By zooming the camera, the boss was be made to 'grow' during the scene appearing larger as he becomes more of a threat to Zero. In the end, the Boss fires Zero and his laughing face fills the entire screen. "