Who are the Actors?
Inside/Outside the Metaverse
A conference on storytelling and audience agency in immersive theater experiences and games
October 28th 2022 from 10-17
Parolesalen, Arsenalet, Kasernevej 8, 8800 Viborg
Through this conference White Hole Theater wishes to explore how we can combine the live experience of theater with the unique point of view and agency in online gaming. The challenge we always face and discuss in theater is that every time we empower the audience with choice and agency, we run the risk of losing intensity and dramaturgy. So how do you create a dramaturgy and storytelling to embrace this and succeed? This is one of the questions we ask at the conference on October 28th.
At the conference, which will be moderated by game consultant Simon Løvind from DFI, attendees will experience presentations by academic Peter Vistisen, interactive writer Joshua Rubin, concept developer and role-player Martin Rauff Nielsen and White Hole Theater director Jakob Tekla Jørgensen, followed by a panel discussion which gives an insight in the potential in combining gaming and digital theater. The panel participants are Joshua Rubin, Peter Vistisen, Martin Rauff Nielsen and from the White Hole Theater core team: Jakob Tekla Jørgensen, Martina Scarpelli and Lars Hemmingsen. The conference ends in a network dinner, with the purpose of creating connections between performing arts professionals, game designers, XR specialists, producers and academics who work the crossover of art and digital technologies internationally and in Denmark.
MODERATOR
SIMON LØVIND
Simon Løvind is a commissioning editor, and has been the head of the Games and Digital Media department at the Danish Film Institute for more than 10 years. He is a specialist in game development, interaction design and concept development amongst other things. The Games and Digital Media department strives to advance digital games as a cultural media form.
PARTICIPANTS
PETER VISTISEN
Peter Vistisen, Phd, is Associate professor at Aalborg University, at the Department of Communication & Psychology. In his research, Peter studies the use of digital media used both to facilitate better communication of complex information, as well as a design material on its own premises. His passion is to help and support the visual industry to use their amazing skills in creating more informed and critical audiences and users across sectors. During the past 10 years Peter has been teaching and supervision students at AAU, and disseminated and consulted academic institutions and industries based on his research.
JOSHUA RUBIN
Joshua Rubin is an Emmy-winning veteran of the entertainment industry, a writer and interactive narrative consultant, based in New York, with nearly 20 years of experience in Film, TV and Video Games. Joshua is known for co-writing ASSASSIN'S CREED 2, he was part of the core creative team at Bungie that built the world of DESTINY, and went on to work at legendary Telltale games, writing on THE WALKING DEAD and GAME OF THRONES. Joshua is also an XR pioneer, known for THE ARGOS FILE, a VR film which premiered at the Venice Film Festival, and GROUNDHOG DAY: LIKE FATHER LIKE SON, Sony's 2019 VR sequel to the beloved Bill Murray movie. His original AR sci-fi thriller HELIOS will be released by Verizon in 2023. He currently runs Subverse Narrative Consulting (www.subverse.org)
MARTIN RAUFF NIELSEN
Martin Rauff Nielsen is an independent contractor, and has worked his whole life in a field suspended between play, narrative and concept development. As a developer he has, among much else created the fantasy universe BARDA. BARDA ran for six seasons on TV in Denmark, Norway and Sweden, where Martin also was the host and gamemaster of the Danish release. He has worked with computer games, tradingcard games, books, museums, TV and music, but regardless of the media, the role of the audience and how to engage them has been a cornerstone in both development and release of projects.
JAKOB TEKLA JØRGENSEN
Two times Reumert winner Jakob Tekla Jørgensen is development consultant for performing arts at Viborg Kommune and the creator and theater director at the virtual theater White Hole Theater. He holds a master degree in philosophy and literature from Aarhus University, and was theaterchief at Teater Nordkraft for 10 years before starting White Hole Theater. As a theater maker, Jakob is interested in the cross-section between virtual and material reality, fiction and non-fiction and the meeting between actor, gamer and audience
MARTINA SCARPELLI
Italian Filmmaker Martina Scarpelli is the Creative Director at White Hole Theater.
In her work she pushes provocative stories with sophisticated storytelling. Martina’s short film Egg was awarded with a Crystal for first film at Annecy, received a Golden Dove at Dok Leipzig, Golden Horseman at Filmfest Dresden, Grand Jury Award at AFI Fest, among others. Her latest music video “A Little Too Much” won a crystal for commissioned film at Annecy 2021. Currently working on projects that merge animation, opera and VR. She is a member of Viborg based PLASTIC Collective.
LARS HEMMINGSEN
Lars Hemmingsen is the Technical Director at White Hole Theater. Through his professional work he has been focused on providing work for client in every aspect of the CGI pipeline. Since November 2017 he has been working through his own company: Midtjysk 3D Service and is CEO for PLASTIC Collective.
PROGRAM
10.00-11.00 Peter Vistisen – What’s up with the Metaverse? Cutting Through the Hype
11.00-11.30 Break
11.30-12.30 Martin Rauff Nielsen – Who are the Actors?
12.30-13.30 Lunch
13.30-14.30 Joshua Rubin – Story Living: 10 Tools from Video Games and Immersive Theater We'll Need to Tell Stories in
the Metaverse
14.45-15.30 Jakob Tekla Jørgensen – #jesuisValdemar
15.30-15.45 Break
15.45-17.00 Panel discussion on storytelling and audience agency in immersive theater experiences and games
moderated by Simon Løvind with Peter Vistisen, Joshua Rubin, Jakob Tekla Jørgensen, Martina Scarpelli, Lars Hemmingsen
17.00-18.00 Drinks
18.00-20.00 Network event and dinner
PRACTICAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE EVENT
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When: October 28th 2022, conference from 10-17.00, and network event from 17.00-20.00
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Where: Parolesalen, Arsenalet, Kasernevej 8, 8800 Viborg
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Price:
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Standard – 575kr (included lunch and network dinner)
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Conference + lunch – 450kr
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Student – free (included lunch, without dinner)
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Language: The conference is in English
The conference is arranged in close collaboration between Late Love Production, White Hole Theater, Dansk Teater 300 Years, Viborg Visuals with support by Vision Denmark and the Danish Arts Council.
