This Wednesday evening, long-time Second Life resident and artist DC Spensley (aka DanCoyote Antonelli in SL) is presenting a free, mixed reality theater performance in San Francisco. If you’re in the area, come see the show in person - details from DanCoyote are below.

Avant Garden, a mixed reality performance presented by DC Spensley

Avant Garden is a mixed reality theater performance by Artistic Director and Virtual Worlds Producer DC Spensley. Mixed reality in this sense means a combination of live and virtual reality dance performers interacting by means of a rear projection screen. The virtual team is called the ZERO SkyDancers, an ensemble that has been performing professionally since 2006 at art biennials, festivals and commissions, log in from all over North America using their computers to rehearse and perform together in simulated space. Imagine people controlling puppets over the internet all together on a stage similar to a video game environment. The live dancer (physically present) Kathleen Moore (of Dance Generators) performs in front of the screen allowing her to interact with the virtual performers and stage set.

Avant Garden is a combination of avant garde and walled garden, and refers to the challenge presented in offering virtual reality theater to a physical audience. Avant Garden is an experiment in doing exactly that: sharing virtual theater with a live audience.

This show is only for the live audience in the physical theater, but for those unable to attend, it sounds like performances for inworld audiences are also planned for the future. As details become available, we’ll share them here!