You’re in a child’s memories, a cyberpunk dystopia, an Alpine fantasy, a haunted house — but you’re also in your living room.
How’s that possible? Ferryman Collective is producing compelling live theater, but it’s in virtual reality.
How it started
Deirdre V. Lyons — Ferryman co-founder alongside her husband, Stephen Butchko; Whitton Frank; and Christopher Lane Davis — launched Ferryman Collective in 2020 after performing in Tender Claws’ The Under Presents, a multiplayer VR experience with live actors, in 2019, and its VR adaptation of The Tempest in 2020.
Notably, this came at a time when stages were dark and interaction limited due to the pandemic.
“I had experienced intimacy in VR that most people don't think is possible,” Lyons told The Hustle. “Everybody [thinks of] shooter games and funny stuff, and I'd seen people in pain. There [were] hugs and there was camaraderie and tenderness.”
Ferryman Collective has collaborated on VR productions The Severance Theory: Welcome to Respite, writer/director Lyndsie Scoggin’s award-winning piece about dissociative identity disorder, and sci-fi adventure Uncanny Alley: A New Day, which takes place in a virtual IP created by Rick Treweek.
How it works
Attendees need a VR headset compatible with VRChat, a social app where users can explore, build, and interact in digital worlds.
Actors livestream into the shows’ worlds, swapping avatars and switching up their voices to change characters, while audience members follow and interact with actors, each other, and their environment.
There are challenges
Shows are small — ideally two actors and 6-7 attendees — to prevent them from being too loud and to preserve image quality.
Also:
- Onboarding can be tricky if people aren’t familiar with the tech — or don’t read emails containing instructions.
- Shows are dependent on the limitations of available technology — e.g., upload/download speeds.
- You can’t do musicals due to latency issues, and you have to wait longer for responses than you would IRL.
- Audience members may experience WiFi loss, a dead battery, or they might go exploring. Luckily, recall buttons can “portal” them back where they belong.
But benefits are big
In addition to an entirely new venue for artistic expression, VR offers opportunities for performers and audiences who may struggle to participate in traditional theater due to a disability, or their location.
The overhead is much lower, too. Butchko noted that while they may pay for software, they don’t pay for theater space, storage, or costumes. They can also perform much riskier stunts — “and we don’t have to pay for insurance.”
Wanna check it out? Hustle readers can get 30% off tickets to Uncanny Alley: A New Day with the promo code Hustle.
