It was a big, big week in Immersive Land, wasn’t it, folks? So, what happened this week?
Game Of Thrones author George R.R. Martin has taken on a new role as Chief World Builder at Meow Wolf. Varjo announced its XR-1 Developer Edition, the world’s only photorealistic mixed reality headset. The Oculus Quest has proved so popular since its launch on May 21 that it was temporarily sold out at a few retailers this week. AWE (Augmented World Expo) took place in in Santa Clara this past week. The Overlook Film Festival is in full swing down in New Orleans this weekend with a host of immersive theatre and VR experiences and its multi-day alternate reality game. VRTO is currently heating up in Toronto, Canada. Over in the UK, Lyn Gardner wrote about the emancipation of immersive theatre audiences for Digital Theatre+. And The Guardian wrote about the role women are playing in the development of virtual reality as an industry.
And the biggest news of all: opening day for for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge was this past Friday, so tons of news, walkthroughs, videos, and reviews are coming out of that, including a spoiler-free review from our own Noah J. Nelson.
And here at NoPro, we celebrated the 200th episode of the No Proscenium podcast!
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ON THE PODCAST THIS WEEK
Two. Hundred. Episodes.
Two hundred.
So how do we celebrate? By getting the gang together — that being the senior editors — Kathryn Yu, Anthony Robinson, Jessica Lachenal, and Kevin Gossett together to just chat.
Here’s to 200 more.
OUR GUIDE TO HOLLYWOOD FRINGE IMMERSIVE
FROM THE WIRE: SHOWS, EVENTS, & EXPERIENCES
Chicago: To The Shore: ETHOS Episode I; Pullman Salon Vol. III
Gadsden, AL: The Noccalula Experience
LA: The Last Five Years: A Multisensory Experience; Poetry Brothel — Weird Wilde Pride
Nashville: Otherworld Encounter REACTIVE v1.2
NYC: Elgin Park; BAD NEWS! i was there
SF: Avenue Adventure; Rush V1: Immersive Club Experience
Toronto: Dérives; Where Dark Things Dwell
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REVIEWS
From No Proscenium:
At Home in a Galaxy Far, Far, Away — Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge (A NoPro Adventure)What will you find? Only what you take with you.noproscenium.comGet Personal with Paris During Wartime in ‘Close’ (Review)Big Drama stages their first immersive theatre shownoproscenium.comFalconworks Theater Company’s ‘I MIGRATION’ Finds Itself In Rocky Waters (Review)The immigrant-centered piece on a barge struggles to make use of its venue and audiencenoproscenium.com‘Within These Walls’ and ‘Dreams of Flight’ Have Wings on Angel Island (Review)Lenora Lee Dance’s two site-responsive dance productions are a moving tribute to the island’s historynoproscenium.com
From David & Lisa Spira of Room Escape Artist:
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“Ubisoft’s newest VR escape room, Beyond Medusa’s Gate, was a gigantic, dramatic, and intense journey through the worlds of Greek mythology and the Assassin’s Creed video game series. Beyond Medusa’s Gate accomplished what we believe is the key to a great virtual escape game: the gameplay provided experiences that cannot be created in real life escape games.”
“Spaceship Graveyard, located in Montreal, was a love letter to a few decades worth of space-based science fiction and fantasy. Codex structured this escape game as a largely split-team experience and did so in a way that we hadn’t seen before. This was an exciting twist on both the spaceship and split-team genres.”
STORIES
From NoProscenium.com and our Twitter feed:
An Oral History of The Speakeasy Society’s Kansas Collection (Feature)A look back with the cast and crew of the epic, ten chapter tale as it comes to a closenoproscenium.comRetelling a Cherokee Legend in ‘The Noccalula Experience’ (Q&A)An interview with Brian Clowdus of Serenbe Playhouse & Brian Clowdus Experiencesnoproscenium.comExploring the Concept of Home in the Site-Specific ‘Port Stories’ (Q&A)We speak to Idiot String’s co-founder and the show’s director, Rebecca Longworthnoproscenium.comI flew the Millennium Falcon and it was goodAfter visiting Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge several months ago to report on how it was built, I came back on the eve of it…techcrunch.comStar Wars: Galaxy's Edge is so ambitious Disneyland fans may not be ready for itHere's a familiar and effective design trick often used at theme parks: Corral guests under or through a passageway…www.latimes.comDisney's Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run is a fully realized 'Star Wars' toyDisneyland has long had games in its parks, from a shooting range in Frontierland to what is essentially a collection…www.latimes.comInside Disneyland's Star Wars Galaxy's EdgeDisney wants to make all your Star Wars dreams come true at the new Galaxy's Edge park inside Disneyland -- from riding…www.cnet.comWelcome to Galaxy's EdgeIn the summer of 2015, when the Walt Disney Company unveiled plans to build monumental "Star Wars" lands at its…www.nytimes.comYour guide to unlocking Galaxy's Edge's Star Wars secrets, from code words to porgsBlack Spire Outpost is a place with a rich and deep history. As the setting for Disneyland's new Star Wars: Galaxy's…www.syfy.comOculus Quest Sold Out Across Multiple RetailersFacebook's new Oculus Quest virtual reality (VR) headset seems to be a hit with early adopters, causing inventory…variety.comVirtual reality: how women are taking a leading role in the sectorDespite a well-documented gender imbalance within the tech industry, a survey suggests that when it comes to VR, women…www.theguardian.comLyn Gardner on Theatre and Performance: Immersive Theatre and Performance | Digital TheatreWe frequently talk about getting 'lost' in a play, that wonderful moment when we suspend our disbelief - although I…www.digitaltheatreplus.comXR-1 - Varjo.comBlend the real and the virtual with XR-1, the only device that lets you build photorealistic mixed reality scenarios…varjo.com'Moon Rider' Is A Free Beat Saber Alternative Available Via WebVR - VRScoutShare TweetPunch and slash your way through a catalog of hit songs from any web browsing device. Although still in its…vrscout.com'Game Of Thrones' Author George R.R. Martin Takes On A New Quest...EXCLUSIVE: It's George R.R. Martin's world and Meow Wolf wants to live in it. The Game of Thrones author is the new…deadline.com
From David & Lisa Spira of Room Escape Artist:
“Nick Moran, formerly of Time Run, in London, the company behind Sherlock: The Game is Now, got into escape rooms by way of immersive theater. He is a huge fan of immersion and world building. And he’s a hilarious interviewee!”
From Michael Anderson of ARGN:
“’Tis the season for Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge news…and my current obsession are fans ‘kitbashing’ together Batuu-appropriate datapads to more fully immerse themselves in the Parks experience. Make your phones look like they’re from a long time ago and a galaxy far, far away!”
From Jesse Damiani of VR Scout:
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