VR in the Theater: Hybridization and Transformation of Formats Using the Example of Modern Performances

Abstract The development of computer technology is transforming the media environment and cultural practices. In the era of convergence, familiar phenomena take on new forms. The theater was no exception. As a syncretic art, it combines various artistic methods and techniques, resulting in fundamentally different production formats. Today, the theater, more than ever, is open to dialogue with its audience and is ready to compete for their attention with other creative industries, such as cinema and computer games. This study examines virtual reality in theater and its impact on the transformation of the modern stage. The purpose of the work is to analyze how VR technology can turn a performance into a transmedia project. To do this, the following tasks were solved during the study: connections between theater, transmedia and virtual reality were identified, and prospects for connecting these areas were identified; the vector for the development of relations between theater and virtual reality with the audience is indicated; arguments were found in favor of equating theater to an independent transmedia sphere; a review of released transmedia theatrical projects was carried out, including those using VR; the types of virtual reality that are presented in the theater today are described in detail; the challenges that theater faces using VR are formulated. The main research methods used were analysis of scientific literature, case studies and expert interviews. For the case study, performances that were performed since 2015 in different countries of the world were selected. Russian practitioners working in the field of theater and VR, as well as members of the academic community studying transmedia, took part in the expert interviews. The study concluded that virtual reality helps theater enhance immersiveness in productions and retain audience attention by adding interactive elements. VR can be presented as a separate performance in a “full immersion” format, or it can become a platform for transmedia expansion of theatrical content. Also, with the help of VR, theaters can establish partnerships with large companies and attract public attention to their projects.