DRA 3907HF: Theatre and Emerging Technologies
CSC 2524: Topics in Interactive Computing
A student interacts with a projected fluid simulation in a rehearsal for “Come Good Rain”. In this scene, rain washes blood from bullet wounds, saving the life of the main character.
This graduate course is a combined initiative of the Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies and the Department of Computer Science. It was hosted in the BMO Lab, and taught by Lab Director David Rokeby, Lab Co-founder Prof. Pia Kleber and Prof. Karan Singh from Computer Science.
This course brought together students from Drama/Theatre, Visual Studies, Music, Comparative Literature, Engineering and Computer Science. Students were gathered into interdisciplinary groups which worked together to create theatrical scenes that integrated digital technologies. The projects were unified through a shared focus on rain or the weather.
End of Year Projects
excerpt from Come Good Rain by George Seremba, using depth sensors, interactive sound and interactive video projection
https://sites.google.com/view/come-good-rain-vr/home
excerpt from Come Good Rain by George Seremba, using Virtual Reality, Unity and video projection
https://leeleo3x.github.io/MakeItRain-Site/
an interactive sound and video installation based on Bertolt Brecht’s Radio Play Flight over the Ocean
https://han18918731053.wixsite.com/flightovertheocean
Course Schedule:
Sept. 11: Introduction to the Course
General Introduction to Course
Introduction of Faculty and Students
Discussion of the Structure of the Course, the Assignments and process of Evaluation
Sept. 18: Presenting Rain
Introduction to historical and contemporary ways of representing rain on stage.
An initial tutorial on the MaxMSP software that we use for a lot of our interaction design
Reading:
David Chapman – ‘How should we evaluate progress in AI?’
Sept. 19: Friedrich Kirschner Lecture
12:00-2:00: presentation by Friedrich Kirschner, director of puppetry and software developer at the Ernst Busch University of Performing Arts, Berlin
Sept. 25: Introduction to the work of Robert Wilson and trip to the Opera
Introduction to the work and methodologies of theatre director Robert Wilson.
Class trip to the production of Puccini’s Turandot directed by Robert Wilson at the Canadian Opera Company
Sept. 26: Robert Wilson in Conversation
12:00-2:00: Conversation between Alexander Neef (Director of COC) and Robert Wilson with reception following (at BMO Lab)
Oct. 2: Augmented and Virtual Reality
presentation of documentation of existing performance work using AR and VR
Tech Demonstration:
experiential presentation of AR and VR
Discussion of applications of AR and VR to our production
Hands On:
An initial tutorial on the Unity software for 3D world design for VR.
Reading:
Steve Dickson: ‘A History of virtual reality in performance’
Oct. 9: Projection Mapping
Documentation of relevant existing performance work using Projection Mapping
Tech Demonstration:
Projection Mapping technology
Discussion of applications of Projection Mapping to our production
Reading:
Steve Dickson: ‘Multimedia Theater 1911-1959’
Oct. 16: Interaction and Immersive Environments
Documentation of existing works
Tech Demonstration:
experiential presentation of example immersive technologies
Discussion of applications of interaction and immersion to our production
Reading:
Robert Wechsler: ‘Artistic Considerations in the Use of Motion Tracking’
Oct. 23: Sound Technologies
Documentation of existing works using sound in performance
Tech Demonstration:
experiential presentation of example sound technologies
Discussion of applications of sound to our production
Oct. 30: Motion Capture
Documentation of existing works using motion capture in performance
Tech Demonstration:
experiential presentation of example motion capture technologies
Discussion of applications of motion capture to our production
Reading:
Kaisu Koski – ‘Performing an Avatar’
Nov. 6: Reading Week
Students are encouraged to continue developing their ideas and implementations for productions in their groups during Reading Week.
Nov. 13: Production Refinement and Rehearsal
Nov. 20: Production Refinement and Rehearsal
Nov. 27: Production Refinement and Rehearsal
Dec. 4: Public presentation of Production of the Chosen Scenes