We recreate five lost theatres in accurate virtual reality to explore the venues’ social and political histories and theatrical praxis.
Visualising Lost Theatres studies venues that have been ‘lost,’ whether through demolition or substantial remodelling. Venues are living systems rather than passive containers of performance, but their contribution to the creation of live performance has been underestimated.
The venues include the • Rose Theatre in 1590s London, • Komediehuset in Bergen, Norway in the mid-nineteenth century, the 1841 • Queen’s Theatre in Adelaide, South Australia, • 粤剧 Yueju Cantonese opera performances in circus tents in Australia’s goldfields in the 1850s, and the • Stardust showroom in 1950s Las Vegas.
Shaping some of the most enduring genres of world theatre and cultural production, these venues each represent a significant cultural transformation.
This study pioneers the development and use of visualisation—effectively a virtual reconstruction—to provide the visual and immersive feel of a venue, as well as revealing performance logistics for actors and audience alike.
The book, Visualising Lost Theatres, provides new knowledge on each venue’s socio-political histories and theatrical praxis.
The 3D models and fly-throughs are available for download.
Book launch and VR exhibition at the Queen’s Theatre, Adelaide, Wednesday 21 September 2022.