XR / IMMERSIVE
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WHY ARE THEATRE-MAKERS WORKING WITH XR AND IMMERSIVE TECHNOLOGY?
Theatre-makers are, at heart, spatial storytellers. They work with movement, presence, light, sound, and the dynamics of space itself to shape narratives. XR is, fundamentally, a spatial medium. Tools like 360° cameras, game engines, virtual production volumes, and AR interfaces all create new environments for storytelling.
Because of this, theatre-makers are uniquely positioned to work within these immersive “performance spaces.” Their deep understanding of how to activate space, and how audiences experience it, translates seamlessly into XR.
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WHY IS VR THE BEST IMMERSIVE TECH FOR THEATRE-MAKERS?
For many artists and organizations, VR is the most accessible entry point into immersive technology. There are several reasons:
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An inverted theatre-in-the-round: In VR, the audience literally sits at the center of the experience, with the action unfolding in every direction—even above and below. This structure resonates naturally with theatre-makers.
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Immediate comprehension: Directors, actors, designers, and writers often find VR intuitive once they step inside it.
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Accessibility and maturity: VR is the most established of the XR trio. Headsets are sophisticated, and creative engines like Unreal offer approachable ways to learn the fundamentals of VR storytelling.
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Built-in distribution: 360° content is supported (and often monetizable) across platforms like YouTube, Vimeo, and Facebook.
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Lowering costs: Equipment continues to become more affordable as headset adoption grows.
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Practical applications: Beyond narrative work, VR supports pre-visualization for set, sound, and lighting design, as well as marketing and audience engagement.
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Theatre-makers bring a rich toolbox of skills to this new frontier—skills grounded in live performance but wholly relevant to immersive media. Their perspectives are helping to shape a space that draws equally from video games, film, and theatre. Increasingly, theatre artists are not just entering XR—they’re having a hand in building it.
DEFINITIONS:
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XR = Extended Reality: includes virtual (VR), augmented (AR) and mixed reality (MR).
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Immersive = deep absorption or immersion in something. This is a foundational feature of XR, spatial audio, virtual production and video games.
BEHIND THE SCENES ON TOSCA VR
A peak into the making of Tosca VR and the various approaches to shifting an opera from a traditional theatre space into a location-based virtual performance space.
"My experience is that the best ideas come when a creative vision is married to technological innovation. Relative Motion are a great example of that. They have a real understanding of storytelling and audience agency, developed through many years of theatrical expertise, and a sure-footed approach to virtual reality. To scale, immersive technology needs more engaging and exciting content of the kind that Relative Motion are delivering."
Phil Jones, Managing Director, Wired Sussex
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"Their ability to deploy more traditional immersive theatrical techniques such as how to choreograph people’s attention around a space provides a really valuable asset in terms of spatial storytelling. That, combined with a truly audience-first attitude, means I always look forward to seeing the immersive stories they choose to tell."
Joe Bell - Sideburn Panda
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