Seize the Show ’ s hour-long shows , which to date have averaged about 400 audience members , typically hit engagement rates north of 95 %. Shows often adhere to seasonal themes — for example ,
A Christmas Karen ran during the holidays .
Carpenter sees potential for this kind of interactive , collaborative experience beyond plays . A band might let audiences vote in real time about the songs they want to hear next , for example . “ It adds another level of connection that I think we all want to have ,” he says .
Amplifying and centering Black voices in XR In addition to making theater more accessible to widely dispersed audiences , Lauren Ruffin , co-CEO of the arts advocacy organization
Fractured Atlas , believes VR can be a tool that helps underrepresented creators tell stories — and make a living doing so .
In-person shows only allow for a finite number of seats , which makes it difficult for small and midsize theaters to keep the lights on . The virtual world , on the other hand , represents an opportunity to scale up exponentially . But Ruffin says there wasn ’ t a clear , financially viable avenue for Black creators and other people of color to break into XR — an umbrella term that encompasses VR , augmented reality ( AR ), and other new and emerging forms of mixed-reality technology .
“ Black creators who were submitting immersive content to [ mainstream festivals ] were raising significantly less money than White creators , even though they were doing really high-quality content ,” she says .
In 2017 , Ruffin and Dafina McMillan , an arts management , technology , and communications professional , started Crux , an organization that centers around Black voices via XR storytelling . After McMillan left the organization to focus on her consulting business , Ruffin brought Nick Leavens , a director , writer , and producer , into the fold . Earlier this year , the duo launched
the Black Imagination Series , short VR plays directed and produced by Black creatives .
The stories cover a range of topics , including current events , pop culture , and meta themes like the awkwardness of being in VR for the first time . For example , in It ’ s Homecoming , Y ’ all !, by
Breane C . Venablé , a group of alumni from historically Black colleges and universities ( HBCUs ) try to navigate a VR gathering that has replaced the traditional parade .
Blair Russell , an XR producer with Crux , notes that among the barriers to entry for creators and performers is the sheer expansiveness of the virtual world . “ One of the biggest challenges is that it is limitless ,” he says . “ How can you exist in this space ? And what are the possibilities ?”
The first iterations of the series have been experimental , so Crux has offered tickets at no cost — although the actors and creatives involved were paid a fair wage , comparable to or more than Off-Broadway rates . Crux is
currently accepting donations , and as the series progresses , he says he plans to begin charging for tickets .
“ As the model develops , we see it as not dissimilar to [ traditional ] theater — we ’ ll have similar revenue streams , such as ticket sales , foundations , donors , and sponsors , but exponentially scalable and more accessible .”
The Black Imagination Series shows , which sold out quickly , debuted in October in a custom-built , immersive environment hosted on
AltspaceVR , a VR platform that enabled up to 30 people to congregate in user-generated spaces . The platform has since expanded that cap . Going forward , the series will offer two types of programming : Crux-produced events , and partnered events with organizations like the
Actors Theatre of Louisville and
New York Live Arts , which worked with Crux on a virtual version of its annual
Live Artery , a platform for new and recent works . Crux is also toying with ideas like interactive livestreaming ; exploring improv in XR ; and creating 360-capture , stereoscopic shows .
“[ The Black Imagination Series ] showed us that not only is there an audience eager for this type of content , but it ’ s national , it ’ s global ,” says Leavens .
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