Virtual stage linked with a physical miniature stage to support multiple users in planning theatrical productions

Theater is a collaborative art form that involves production team members with different specialties. Because theater involves various technical elements, such as stage design and lighting, the production team must work in cooperation among various departments to design a theatrical production. When planning a theatrical production, it is difficult to visualize the stage as a whole and to incorporate the ideas of production team members from various departments. In this paper, we propose a system for reproducing the theatrical stage by means of a virtual stage linked to a physical miniature stage. The miniature stage is presented on a tabletop interface, and the virtual stage is created by computer graphics to reflect the actions on the miniature stage in real time. By actually presenting theatrical production ideas in two spaces, users can more easily collaborate and gain a comprehensive view of the stage.