XR Network+ at Beyond 2025

On 26 November, XR Network+ will present a panel discussion at Beyond 2025 to share outputs from two collaborative research and development projects. The projects were undertaken as part of the XR Network+ R&D Challenge, in partnership with the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC).

The panel will explore how virtual production technologies are transforming both the creative process and the audience experience to blur the lines between live and digital theatre.

Participants will discuss the outputs and innovations emerging from the R&D Challenge, including a virtual rehearsal room prototype developed by a team led by the Centre for Performance, Technology and Equity (PTEQ) at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.

Discussions will also focus on R&D undertaken by the Centre for the Analysis of Motion, Entertainment Research and Applications (CAMERA) at the University of Bath. The CAMERA team developed an artist-centred ‘actor engine’ – a real-time toolset that enables onstage performers to dynamically control lights, sound and video through advanced tracking systems.

Panel participants

• John Rose-Adams, Associate Director, Research, Development and Innovation, XR Stories and XR Network+ (Chair)
• Sarah Ellis, Director of Creative Innovation, Royal Shakespeare Company
• Eva Martino, Innovation Lead, CAMERA, University of Bath
• David Gochfeld, Performance Lab Fellow, Royal Central School of Speech and Drama