Fusing Realities: Dream at RSC Online

With the explosion of innovation in computer technology in the past couple of decades, it’s hardly a surprise that some truly original and exciting ways of presenting theatre are springing from the ground. Mixing real-time motion capture with a virtual world created using the Unreal Engine, the Royal Shakespeare Company are conceiving of exhilarating ways to capture their audience’s imagination by creating a setting that oozes atmosphere – the music, the acting, everything is performed in real-time, but it’s all displayed in an entirely rendered space with a result that fuses different types of realities.

Dream – a project inspired by Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream – is a live theatrical performance with a twist. It’s the result of a collaboration of research and technology, gaming and theatre, all performed live in a beautiful spectacle. So far it is relatively short and not a full-length experience, but it still manages to raise questions of how audiences might engage with theatre in the future – not necessarily as a replacement, but as an alternative, demonstrating new possibilities of exploring a story. That said, the production itself already displays an impressive encounter with a dreamscape, set in a mystical forest with strange creatures and vibrant colours; lush orchestral music – also performed live – rounds off the experience and offers a sense of warmth.

Aside from the technological innovation, the project also addresses questions on how to make theatre as accessible as possible. Using this fusion of multiple realities, a production’s reach is truly global, being able to reach audiences across the world. It is also easy to use: participants with little knowledge of the digital world will be able to enjoy the performance to the best of their degree. It’s not quite the same as watching a film online; viewers are perfectly aware that this is a live performance, and through interactive elements they are even able to participate (if currently in a comparatively minute way), and the actors can react and adapt to what their audience is doing.

But the heart of the project is still this: finding new ways to tell a narrative. In its current state, Dream is already blurring the lines between real and virtual, and the current a situation provides an opportunity to consider what to do with this innovation. What other stories can be told in this way? What technologies can be utilised in a performance? It’s an exciting time to witness the development of theatre, and the RSC is right at the forefront, giving a glimpse of what tomorrow may look like. 

Michael Higgs

Dream is available to view via Zoom from 12^th until 20^th March 2021. For further information or to book visit the Royal Shakespeare Company’s website here.

Watch a trailer for the show here: