Expanding Realities – DIY Immersive Performance Toolkit

DIY_Immersive_Performance_Toolkit.pdf (251kb)

How can we create an ethically held, immersive performance for audiences to explore?

Where realities overlap, time travel is possible, and audiences have agency.

Where stories are told based on personal experience, and this experience speaks directly to audiences using more than words, in a sensory, embodied, out-of-this-world way?

As part of a build-up to our new work inspired by the infiltration of activist networks by the police, Common/Wealth has been working with Creative Technologist Nathaniel Mason to explore and integrate low-cost XR technologies and immersive audio into site-specific performance. We see immersive technology has the power to shape our futures – how stories are told and by who.

Like theatre, this should belong to everyone. We want our audience to see, feel, hear, empathise, understand, be moved, and help shape how this technology is developed and applied.

This toolkit offers practical approaches for theatre makers, artists, and performers who want to experiment with technology, to augment reality through immersive media in live performance, all without needing a huge budget or a dedicated tech team. It focuses on DIY methods, accessible tools, and practical, experimental workflows that can be adapted to various creative contexts.

Rather than a step-by-step manual, this is a collection of approaches, techniques, and insights that can be mixed and matched depending on the needs, but it is by no means exhaustive. It covers everything from using projection as a dynamic light source to integrating real-time AR elements and live-streaming visuals into a performance space. The emphasis is on flexibility, working with what you have, making quick prototypes, and testing ideas in the room rather than getting stuck in technical setups.

Theatre has always been an act of transformation, using simple means to create expansive worlds. This toolkit is an extension of that tradition, offering ways to layer digital media into performance while keeping the focus on liveness, presence, and storytelling.

None of this is plug-and-play; every setup will need testing, tweaking, and adapting to suit the demands of the project. But that’s part of the process, learning by doing, pushing the limits of the tools, and figuring out what fits. The aim is not to replace live presence but to extend it, to bring audiences into the work in new ways, whether they’re in the room or connecting remotely.

If there’s one takeaway, it’s this: don’t wait for the ‘right’ equipment or a perfect setup. Start with what’s at hand, experiment, and build from there.

This research was funded by Media Cymru Seed Fund and supported by PDR