PerformanceXR

Toasterlab’s Involvement

Toasterlab presented a livestream of the symposium Performance and XR 2020 (PXR2020) on the global, commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv.

Overview of Discipline, Context, Intention

PXR2020 is a virtual reality symposium for Canadian artists and XR technologists, exploring creation and performance in XR. An opportunity for creators and digital content creators to come together to share discoveries and build partnerships for future collaborations, PXR2020 featured a series of presentations, discussions and showcases by artists, technologists and innovators in a virtual environment. Canadian theatre artists examined virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality (collectively known as XR) in the creation of live performance, developing and sharing strategies with industry leaders and XR programmers. 

With virtual presentations, conversations, and workshops by industry leaders and creators, PXR2020’s intention was to foster creative experimentation with emerging XR technologies in dialogue with the IT sector.

Experience

Accessed remotely either through a VR headset or on a laptop or desktop computer, PXR2020 took place on the VR chat application AltSpace VR. The symposium took place over four sessions in virtual reality, and included a keynote presentation by Yelena Rachitsky, Executive Producer at Oculus Experience, and a futurenote presentation by interdisciplinary artist Casey Koyczan. 

Development

A small team managed the entire conference, and ensured that many participants at the conference received their own Oculus Quest headset. These were delivered using Best Buy’s delivery system.

AltSpace VR was chosen as a platform because it is a hardware-agnostic platform (it can be accessed through most major virtual reality headsets and desktop and laptop computers). AltSpace was also attractive because they had recently added Beta Worlds, allowing the conference developers to create their own virtual environments for the conference.

Performance Runs

PXR2020 was shown on October 2, 3, 9, and 10 in 2020.

Relevant Organizations and People

Single Thread Theatre Company creates immersive theatre experiences in Canada and internationally that seek to advance the art of immersive storytelling through innovation and the presentation of new works.

Electric Company Theatre provides a highly collaborative environment for artists, creating the right conditions for experimentation, risk, and the pursuit of excellence. Their mission is to defy and expand the definition of what live theatre can be.

Alex Dault – Symposium Director