From MREANEY@KUHUB.CC.UKANS.EDU Fri Jan 20 08:50:55 1995 Return-Path: Received: from mx5.u.washington.edu by stein2.u.washington.edu (5.65+UW94.10/UW-NDC Revision: 2.32 ) id AA02430; Fri, 20 Jan 95 08:50:55 -0800 Received: from hitl-new.hitl.washington.edu by mx5.u.washington.edu (5.65+UW94.10/UW-NDC Revision: 2.31 ) id AA09613; Fri, 20 Jan 95 08:50:54 -0800 Received: by hitl.hitl.washington.edu; id AA16453; Fri, 20 Jan 1995 08:46:59 -0800 Received: from kuhub.cc.ukans.edu by relay3.UU.NET with ESMTP id QQxznf14663; Fri, 20 Jan 1995 11:50:47 -0500 From: MREANEY@KUHUB.CC.UKANS.EDU Received: from KUHUB.CC.UKANS.EDU by KUHUB.CC.UKANS.EDU (PMDF V4.3-11 #9008) id <01HM2F06F8OG8ZKWZQ@KUHUB.CC.UKANS.EDU>; Fri, 20 Jan 1995 10:50:16 -0600 (CST) Date: Fri, 20 Jan 1995 10:50:16 -0600 (CST) Subject: ANNOUNCE: VR Theatre production To: sci-virtual-worlds@uunet.uu.net Message-Id: <01HM2F06GKPE8ZKWZQ@KUHUB.CC.UKANS.EDU> X-Vms-To: in%"sci-virtual-worlds@uunet.uu.net" Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7BIT Status: OR Path: kuhub.cc.ukans.edu!mreaney From: mreaney@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu Newsgroups: sci.virtual-worlds Subject: ANNOUNCE: VR Theatre production Message-ID: <1995Jan20.104931.83214@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu> Date: 20 Jan 95 10:49:31 CST Organization: University of Kansas Academic Computing Services News-Moderator: Approval required for posting to sci.virtual-worlds Lines: 78 News Release - 18 January, 1995 Live Theatre Meets Virtual Reality On April 18, 1995 the University Theatre of the University of Kansas will bring live theatre to cyberspace as it incorporates the use of "virtual reality" in a fully mounted theatrical production. Audiences will be invited to join live and computer generated actors in technologically produced three-dimensional environments within which the drama will unfold. The paths taken within these "virtual worlds" will not be pre-recorded; they will be improvised on the spot through the actions of these daring "cybernauts"! Virtual worlds will be created through the combination of real-time computer graphics and theatre quality projection equipment, which the audience will interface through wearing polarized glasses. This exciting new technology will spawn fantastic locals and special effects never before possible in a live theatre milieu. The script chosen for this audacious experimental production is Elmer Rice's THE ADDING MACHINE. Ironically, this classic American expressionist play focuses on the plight of one Mr. Zero as he tries to find happiness in a dehumanized and mechanized society. First produced in 1923, before the dawn of electronic computers, the play contains uncanny and dire predictions of the current information age. However, by using these foretold computers not as a dehumanizing force, but as an artistic medium, the production company will simultaniously illuminate Rice's story even while it embraces another, more sympathetic, view of technology. Under the guidance of designer-technologist Mark Reaney and the show's director Ronald A. Willis, this production of THE ADDING MACHINE will attempt to demonstrate ways in which virtual reality technology can be used to illuminate an existing dramatic text. Used not merely as spectacle for it's own sake, but as a new and exciting scenographic medium in the service of the script, virtual reality becomes another component of the collaborative theatre art. This production of THE ADDING MACHINE is part of a larger project exploring the many links between theatre and virtual reality technologies. Other facets of the project include the use of virtual reality to design traditional theatre settings, and the viewing of live theatre performances from a remote location via virtual reality interfaces. This unique production is made possible by the sponsorship of several area businesses, professional organizations and companies in the virtual reality industry: Bank IV, The United States Institute for Theatre Technology, Victor Maxx Technologies, Inc. and the Virtus Corporation. The USITT has served the theatrical community for 35 years as the "American Association of Design and Production Professionals in the Performing Arts." Victor Maxx Technologies Inc. of Chicago Illinois is a maker of affordable, high quality virtual reality equipment, most notably the CyberMaxx head mounted display and compatible software. The Virtus Corporation of Cary North Carolina develops and markets real-time 3-D rendering and visualization software for desktop computers. Virtus software has been employed in the development of major motion pictures including "The Abyss" and "The Firm" and will be heavily utilized in the production of THE ADDING MACHINE. THE ADDING MACHINE will run April 18-30 1995, in the Crafton-Preyer Theatre on the campus of the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas. Photos and video will be made available to the press upon request. In addition, dress rehearsals for the press have been scheduled and we will try to accommodate any special requests for access to the production. More information can be obtained from the box office at 864-3982 or by contacting: Mark Reaney, Production Designer or Ron Willis, Director Department of Theatre & Film, 317 Murphy Hall, University of Kansas Lawrence, KS 66045 (913) 864-3381 (913) 864-5251 fax MREANEY@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu RWILLIS@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu