‘Don’t Be Evil’ — First Ever Play To Debut in VR and Live Theater
On September 10th, before a live-audience, Don’t Be Evil — a play from director Gabriel Montoya and playwright Bennett Fisher — will be filmed for virtual reality with CloserVR’s camera rig in 360 degrees. This will be the first time ever that a play uses this type of technology that will allow people to view the play as a virtual reality film using any virtual reality headset, including Oculus Rift, Samsung Gear VR, or on mobile phones with Google Cardboard.
The Department of Badassery and CloserVR looks to take advantage of the technology so that audiences that don’t have the chance to attend the show — which will have 4-week run for San Francisco theater audiences from September 11th through October 3rd at PianoFight — from anywhere in the world using virtual reality technology.
“Never before has it been possible to provide an experience to a viewer that feels as immediate and immersive as being in the same room as the performers,” says DBA Co-Founder Robin Fontaine, who has a background in theater, VFX and video games.
“I think it’s important to see VR as a completely distinct new storytelling medium. It’s still developing a language, and the techniques that have been honed by theater makers for thousands of years will have a role to play,” says Fontaine. “Our production house would like to take part in this conversation, and this project is just the beginning.”
Don’t Be Evil’s director, Gabriel Montoya, who moonlights as one of the most respected professional boxing pundits in the country, says of working with CloserVR, “Empathy, the loss and gain of it, its very nature, is a theme in the play. But more, it’s what we come to the theater for. We come for an emotional adventure. VR opens theater artists up to the world in a way we’ve never had before. The live experience of a play is hard to capture and share beyond the four walls of a theater space. But with VR, the audience is brought into the room. It will be impossible not to connect to the material on a deeper level.” Dave Arendash, CTO of CloserVR, agrees, saying, “It’s not just 360 degrees. We also provide a 3D experience. Beyond that we’re operating in not just a 3D space, but an emotional space that really pulls you in.”
The 360 video Virtual Reality capture session will be Thursday, September 10th at 8pm. To be a permanent part of history and the captured studio audience, please join us by RSVP’ing here. The play Don’t Be Evil runs Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, September 11 through October 3, at PianoFight, 144 Taylor St in San Francisco. Get tickets at www.thedepartmentofbadassery.
Have a look at the trailer below.
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Jeff Sorensen is an author, writer and occasional comedian living in Detroit, Michigan. You can look for more of his work on The Huffington Post,UPROXX,BGR and by just looking up his name.
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