The Dream project, developed within Visual Arena's Residency for Innovators in Art (RIA) program, has explored new ways of combining theater, gaming, and digital technology. 

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The Dream project was led by the theater company Fearsome Thing and aimed to redefine performance art through immersive storytelling at the intersection of digital and analog worlds. Using Extended Reality (XR), they developed performative prototypes that combined the magic of theater with interactive elements and collective experiences.

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During the residency, immersive workshop labs were held, inviting the audience to participate in a magical world where reality and dreams merged. The audience described strong emotional connections to the experience and particularly appreciated being active participants rather than passive observers. The opportunity to share the experience with others was highlighted as an important aspect that created a sense of community and deepened the connection among participants.

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The creative processes in Dream were built on collective risk-taking, with safety, inclusion, and a sense of community as central principles. By combining digital and analog XR effects, the story's believability was enhanced, and the audience was drawn deeper into the created world.

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The results point to new paths forward for performance art, where audiences can be engaged through interactivity, sensory experiences, and world-building storytelling. The project's methods open doors for both internationalization and new forms of collaboration between the cultural sector and other industries.

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After the residency concluded, the project has continued to have a ripple effect with staged performances, marking the next step in bringing the work to a wider audience.

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A big thank you to everyone at Visual Arena and to all participants who poked and prodded at the possibilities of storytelling with us!