Welcome at the website of the Researchgroup Virtual Theatre. We are part of the Research Centre for Theatre Making Processes at the Faculty of Theatre of the Utrecht School for the Arts. In Dutch this research Centre is called Lectoraat Theatrale Maakprocessen.
Our research group is interested in the interplay between creative making processes and interactive digital technology. Especially in the rehearsal phase of a theatre making process. This interplay is studied form two perspectives; the interface and mixed reality. For this research we combine theory and practise through quick prototyping principles, ideas and hypothesizes are tested in practical setups and projects. In these projects we look at three aspects; person, proces and product.
Scroll down on this page and see an video impression of the presentation we gave at Centraal Museum Studio, showcasing the capabilities of our ongoing project called The Performance Engine. Or read about it more in-depth here.
Or maybe you like to see what we have done in the Theatre ourselves? Have a look at the Respons(e)ible project, a participation theatre piece where we have 3D scanned our audience…
Read the whole website already and want to read more, go to Publications.
Het gebruik van technologie in het theater is zo oud als het theater zelf. Hedendaagse technologische ontwikkelingen gaan echter zo snel dat theatermakers niet alle innovaties kunnen bijhouden en integreren. In een theatermaakproces waar improvisatie en maken op de vloer een rol speelt lijkt complexe technologie vaak een belemmering voor de creatieve flow van het moment. Zowel technologie als de maker moeten zich aanpassen om samen te kunnen werken.
Deze theatrale lezing, een zogenaamde Performance Lecture, is een lezing met illustratieve theatrale momenten, geïnspireerd door Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis. Hiervoor wordt
gebruik gemaakt van de Performance Engine, een door de onderzoeksgroep ontwikkelt prototype van een interactief systeem die improvisatie mogelijk maakt met digitale media.
On Saturday 7th of november at 13:30 we gave a live presentation of the Performance Engine v0.4 at the Central Museum Studio. This presentation was part of the afternoon program of ‘Niemandsland – Utrecht meets Berlin’. Organized by Born Digital.
In this 50 minute presentation we show all major features of the Performance Engine and give some insight on its research context and development philosophy. The 50 minute video below is divided into six chapters, so you have a choice of watching the full presentation or jump right to the part that has your particular interest. Read a brief description of the chapters below the video (click on the ‘Continue reading…’ link).
Please select your preferred resolution (360p /480p / 720p) in the player toolbar after pressing the play button for better videoquality. Pressing the button right next to the play button (left side) will show you the thumbnails of all 7 video parts. Or use simply the arrow buttons to browse through them. If you like to see the whole 50 minute presentation just press play and enjoy!
Read the content of the chapters below and choose the part of your particular interest!
[In DUTCH only]