Ten days ago I had the pleasure of presenting “Constellations” a hybrid #VR/live student play at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre.

Beyond testing the capabilities of the new Showtime VR cloud service (cheaper, with some caveats), we observed how an audience would receive a play about multiverses (originally penned by Nick Payne) adapted to also include the concepts of second brain and digital twins.

Academically speaking I passed (with some great feedback), but I think I also passed the audience test. At least four audience members approached to me to say that the play left them thinking about the role of virtual reality in their personal lives.

When experimenting in #VR or #film gets tough, I always think in the words of Lisa Simpson: “You know, if we get through to just that one little girl, it’ll all be worth it!”

And it was.

PS. I would like to acknowledge some amazing helpers/saviors/supporters behind this project: thesis advisors Madli Pesti and Marion Jõepera, Ph.D., producer Nevena Semova, editor Tul Paloma Rodríguez Agudelo, sound designer Sangam Panta, light artist Swapnil Domade, DoP Sofia Steiner Garro, my amazing cast Elise Nikonov and Henri Lind, Rein Zobel from the EEVR – Estonian VR & AR Association, and Artur Stashkevitsh from TalTech Innovation and Business Centre Mektory. And finally I want to send big thank you to my family and friends and to my husband Henri Vasserman, who will hopefully will not turn me a ghost in a machine (or a headset) once I am gone.