00:00 This QR code is concealing a world of surreal adventure.
00:05 Leonora Carrington's production "Ein Flan on Nachthemd" takes place in augmented reality.
00:10 Augsburg's State Theatre is taking the stage to the city's streets with this radical new production.
00:16 The QR codes are everywhere, on the streets, on postcards and online.
00:26 There aren't the same barriers like buying a ticket or choosing an outfit.
00:30 You can just experience the theatre in the city.
00:33 Benjamin Seufert makes it happen.
00:35 His 3D models make the stage for the actors, who are recorded in front of a green screen, in 2D.
00:41 That introduces an interesting challenge for them.
00:52 While you can move freely on a stage, in the studio we had the challenge of moving on a 2D plane.
00:57 We were shooting with a green screen and had only ever seen the set as a 3D model.
01:02 In another project, Augsburg's State Theatre is performing the opera "Erwartung", but this time as an interactive game.
01:13 "Erwartung" will become a VR game.
01:21 Arnold Schoenberg's opera, but in a 360 degree walkable environment, that the audience can experience in first person.
01:29 The perspectives change throughout and they have to solve tasks.
01:35 It will be a completely different opera experience.
01:40 It's a new experience for singer Sally Durant, too.
01:48 3D scans are used to create an avatar.
01:51 Then she will be filmed singing using face tracking technology.
01:55 AI software will then project her facial expressions onto the avatar.
01:59 The technology that we now have will change, I think, a lot in the theatre.
02:08 I would prefer it not to be too big, because for me it's still important to have my connection with the audience and it's live.
02:17 Augsburg's "Program of the Future" will continue with both conventional and digital productions.
02:22 The possibilities are endless.
02:25 VR works particularly well in scenes that are huge, scenes that would dwarf any normal stage.
02:33 For "Opheo et Oridice" we modelled the entire underworld for virtual reality.
02:39 Today the theatre is offering 12 productions in virtual reality.
02:46 Dance, drama and concerts.
02:48 The theatre ships out VR goggles to audiences in Germany and Austria.
02:53 But you can also buy a download and watch performances on your own VR device.
02:57 There is a lot of interest. We have a surprising target group, influencers between 40 and 60.
03:06 They get the VR goggles delivered and give them to their parents who are around 80 and their own children who are around 20.
03:15 That means we're reaching a whole family and an incredibly wide range of people.
03:20 Augsburg's VR productions are reinvigorating theatre and breaking barriers for audiences everywhere.
03:29 [MUSIC PLAYING]
