PEOPLE will soon be able to ‘visit’ York Theatre Royal and see a play – without leaving their homes.
Cutting edge virtual reality technology will be used to make shows accessible for those who cannot attend the theatre, perhaps because of Covid fears or disability, or because they're in hospital.
Wearing headsets, these ‘theatregoers’ will view immersive recordings which make the experience as close as possible to watching a live show in the theatre with an audience.
They will feel as if they are sitting in the auditorium, able to see other theatregoers if they turn their head.
A £4,753 grant from the Theatres Trust is helping the theatre buy cameras, headsets and equipment for the project.
Chief Executive Tom Bird says the idea is to replicate the live theatre experience as much as possible.
"This is a cutting edge digital project aimed at those facing barriers to attending the theatre in person, making shows more widely accessible.”
He said the theatre had been working with University of York-based XR Stories to develop the concept and, across two trials, had fine-tuned a methodology for producing immersive recordings.
“Our aim is to build on this by installing a VR camera system in the theatre and purchase equipment to deliver these experiences to small groups in our community,” he said.
A spokesperson said the immediate aim was to take the theatre’s work out to members of the community that were not able to visit the theatre in person.
"This could be people who are still fearful of crowds due to coronavirus, people with specific mental health needs, people unable to travel to the theatre, people in care homes, or inpatients in hospitals," they said.
"Over the next two months, the VR recording of The Coppergate Woman, York Theatre Royal’s community production staged at the theatre in the summer, will be taken to The Hut and the Kyra Women’s Project, and used as part of a drop in at York Theatre Royal for the International Day of Older People."
Mr Bird said:“We see the combination of this technology with our ability to tell important and engaging stories as a pathway for those that feel there are barriers to them attending the theatre.
"It can engage a far broader young audience, remove social-economic barriers and provide a safe way for neuro-diverse individuals to experience theatre.
“Over time, we aim to reach larger and more diverse audiences to increase access and engage more of our community but also leverage the commerciality of the concept and provide greater financial stability to the theatre.
“The secondary aim is to build relationships with organisations in Yorkshire that specialise in digital media and work towards new and exciting immersive performance content.
“As York is a UNESCO City of Media Arts, potential partners with the city and region are working at the leading edge of immersive and interactive storytelling."
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