Keeping the living bond between actors and remote audiences in distributed virtual theater

Abstract

This paper introduces a new method to achieve remote distributed performances using a virtual shadow theater and real time motion capture. It was used during the lockdowns in France in 2020-21 to reach remote scholar audiences with The Wizard without Shadow performance. After a review of remote distributed virtual experiments in performing arts, the paper details the creation-as-research process that leads to two versions of the same story. It shows how the quality of the theatrical bond between the actor and the audience of the first face-to-face version is maintained in the second remote version combining a video conference platform and live motion capture in a video game engine to bring actors performances to two remote distributed audiences.