One Minute World Arts- All Kinds of Limbo: Turing Live Performance into A Digital Experience

Under the influence of the COVID #pandemic over the past 2 years, technology has evolved greatly in facilitating performing arts. From simple chatroom rehearsals to the emerging #AugmentedReality (AR) and #VirtualReality (VR) shows, people are now urged to reimagine and redefine what performing arts can be.

Collaborating with #Microsoft, the National Theatre London has presented a digital production, All Kinds of Limbo. In order to give the audience options and make them enjoy the experience to the greatest extent, this production has provided not only #AR, but also #VR for the audience to choose from, according to what devices they have at home. Although performances of this kind have gained some good reviews, the market is still far smaller than those digital #concerts held online by singers. 

The plan of making All Kinds of Limbo was initiated in 2019 by the National Theatre’s #Immersive Storytelling Studio. Vocalist Nubiya Brandon and composer Raffy Bushman were invited to create and record a 10-minute song sequence related to the play’s themes. This digital production was initially presented in one of the theatre’s event spaces as a VR experience; however, as the pandemic shut down many performing venues in March 2020, the studio decided to turn the experience into an at-home experience. 

從劇院到自家空間：#科技 與 #劇場 交鋒

疫情影響下的這2年多，科技在表演藝術領域的揮灑空間也大幅提升：從簡單的視訊創作，到現在昂揚起飛的 #擴增實境 (AR)與 #虛擬實境 (VR)，在在打破了原先人們對於 #表演藝術 的定義與想像。

#英國 倫敦國家劇院於今年1月，聯手微軟公司，推出了數位實境製作《歌舞百相》(All Kinds of Limbo)，並將各式觀戲體驗與使用者的裝置限制納入考量，採「擴增實境」(AR)、「虛擬實境」(VR)等不同的放送方式，讓觀眾可以自由選擇適合自己的型態來感受這部作品。儘管劇場與數位科技的結合獲得了不錯的迴響，但與歌手所舉辦的數位線上演唱會相較之下，觀眾為數仍少。

此次推出的《歌舞百相》，其籌劃工作早在2019年便已展開：倫敦國家劇院的「沉浸式故事體驗工作室」(National Theatre Immersive Storytelling Studio)，邀請女歌手紐碧雅‧布蘭登(Nubiya Brandon)與作曲家拉菲‧布希曼(Raffy Bushman)合作，配合故事的主題，錄製了長達10分鐘的歌曲，並以虛擬實境的方式在 #劇場 的展演室率先呈現；直到2020年3月，劇院因疫情被迫 #閉館 後，才將其改成觀眾可以自行在家體驗的 #虛擬演出。

Sources:
https://npacntt.tw/n16RrRub 
https://www.allkindsoflimbo.com/ 

Photo Credit: The National Theatre