Garden Theatre Launches
Immersive Digital Experience
State-of-the-Art Technology Propels Peter Pan to $1 Million Project
In January, the City of Winter Garden approved a $100,000 funding
request for a project that will revolutionize how digital technology is
used in entertainment and provide a sustainable community asset for
the residents of Winter Garden. The Garden Theatre has rallied local
digital and technology companies to donate over $825,000 in in-kind
goods and services to convert the Garden Theatre into an immersive
digital experience that enhances the live action of a classic play for the
May 2015 production of Peter Pan.
“This is the next step in theatrical magic,” says Garden Theatre
Executive Director Alauna Friskics. “It is being done on Broadway
with new plays, in arena concerts and in theme parks. However, we
will be the first to take a classic play and digitally enhance the scenes,
especially in a venue of our intimate size.”
Traditionally, hoists and wires have been used to make Peter and the
actors fly. In an intimate venue such as the Garden Theatre, wires
would be visible and the magic would be lost. The Garden Theatre
turned to their neighbors for help.
A synergistic partnership has been formed between the nonprofit Garden Theatre and local digital and technology companies
including Nth Degree Design & Visual FX, Birket Engineering,
Inc., Goodtheory Studios, Phoenix Rising, LLC, Christie, Candela
Controls and Valencia College bringing this cutting-edge technology
to the Garden Theatre’s May 2015 musical production of Peter Pan.
The digital partners are providing the animation and visual fx,
projectionable surfaces, projectors, show controls, rigging, cables,
servers, and media.
Through the efforts of local officials, Winter Garden has become the
home of many cutting-edge companies in digital technology. Despite
their