Theatre / Bristol old vic
An augmented reality version of The Grinning Man
A sell-out success at Bristol Old Vic that transferred to the West End has been given a new and possibly everlasting lease of life.
Thanks to technology being trialled by a company co-founded by actor Andy Serkis, best known for his performance capture roles such as Gollum in The Lord of the Rings.
The Imaginarium have motion-captured a performance of The Grinning Man after Serkis saw its potential for the medium, with Bristol24/7 among the first to don headsets to experience the company’s first AR theatre experience.
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Motion capture refers to the recording of people or objects and then using that information to animate digital character mock-ups in 3D computer animation.
The full motion capture of the performance was funded by Magic Leap. It was directed by Imaginarium founder Andy Serkis and The Grinning Man director and Old Vic creative director Tom Morris.
The headsets allow people to watch the same images on separate headsets at the same time, which has never been achieved before. The new technology immerses its audience in the first song from the musical simultaneously.
This preview in Bristol was in fact the first time anyone in the UK has had the opportunity to take part in this experience using simultaneous viewing software; with rapid technological advances potentially leading to a new kind of immersive AR drama that can be experienced by mass audiences at the same time.
Trying out the new technology at the Bristol Old Vic preview
Watching other people with the headset on from the sidelines, it is hard not to wonder what the 21st century has come to in terms of experiencing theatre.
As technologically sophisticated as it is, it seems a little purposeless to me as I watch those with headsets on stumbling around, poking at thin air and making the odd dramatic sweeping gesture with their arms as they stalk and circle invisible prey.
Such cynicism quickly fades, however, when I am immersed in the virtual experience myself. A technician slips the goggles over my eyes and the previously empty space in front of me is transformed into a stage.
Not just any stage, the technicians insist, but the stage that was used in original production itself. Adding a fantastical element, the borders of the stage are designed to resemble lips painted blood red and holding the stage in between its teeth.
Enter Barkilphedro, a clown portrayed by Julian Bleach, and later four other cast members. It is as if they are all real as they dance and prance around.
What’s especially impressive is how viewers can walk around the characters and get a glimpse of them from different angles; it’s easy to forget they’re not really there and getting up close and personal with them is surprisingly unnerving.
Barkilphedro’s facial features move in a remarkably realistic manner and this – we are told – is only ten per cent of what is possible with facial animation technology.
The Grinning Man originally opened at Bristol Old Vic in 2016
“The performance can become anything,” a technician tells me. “It can stay on this device, it can be on a virtual reality headset, it can be on a 2D screen, it could be turned into a film. You name it.”
A desire to allow plays to outlive their original theatre run inspired Imaginarium Serkis to work with motion capture in this way.
“It had been fermenting in my mind for a long time that whenever theatre shows come to an end, all the work that has gone into them just vanishes into thin air,” he said.
Not any longer, and Imaginarium plan to make the experience multi-faceted. One day the action could even play out on your kitchen table.
Read more: Inside UWE’s virtual reality Master’s degree
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