The Severance Theory: Welcome to Respite
Welcome to Respite is a psychological-thriller that explores the parts of our mind that both help us and haunt us through the lens of a mental illness called Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), formerly known as multiple personality disorder. This fictional story allows audience members to step into the shoes of Alex, the main character and host of the personality system, as they embark on a surreal journey into a forgotten childhood memory.
Welcome to Respite is a live, immersive, and intimate VR show with two actors and up to 10 participants. Audiences may attend from anywhere in the world, as long as they have access to a VR headset! Through the magic of VR technology, participants will feel fully immersed within the 3D world.
HOW TO BOOK & ACCESS THE LIVE PERFORMANCE IN VRCHAT
To attend The Severance Theory: Welcome to Respite you can purchase a ticket here. Raindance attendees may use the code Rain2021 for a 20% discount on the $45 premium ticket or the $25 general admission ticket. Once a ticket has been secured, onboarding instructions will be sent directly to you by email.
PREMIUM TICKET - There is only ONE premium ticket available for each show time. This audience member will be the primary focus of the experience, playing the role of Alex. Participants in this category can expect a high level of interactivity.
GENERAL TICKET - General audiences will serve as passive spectators of Alex's experience, playing the role of the alternate personalities within the personality system. While they will not interact with characters directly, they will be given unique opportunities to interact with and explore the space.
You will need an Oculus Quest/Quest 2, or a VR ready PC and a compatible headset such as HTC Vive/Pro/Pro 2, Oculus Rift/Rift S, Valve Index or a Windows Mixed Reality headset. Download VRChat and create an account.
Dates for the show:
Oct 28th - 31st at 7pm BST
Nov 4th - 7th at 7pm GMT
Nov 11th - 14th at 7pm GMT
Nov 18th - 21st at 7pm GMT
ABOUT THE CREATORS
Founded by Los Angeles immersive theatre producer Lyndsie Scoggin, CoAct Productions is an independent immersive design company. Focusing on presenting narrative as an embodied experience, immersive theatre has provided a platform to create intimate performances that are uniquely engaging, CoAct is deeply passionate about developing these one-of-a-kind experiences. Past work includes The Sideshow (2018), The Severance Theory: Welcome to Respite (2019), and Cold War Lounge (2019). In 2021, they joined forces with Ferryman Collective to bring The Severance Theory: Welcome to Respite into VR.
Ferryman Collective is a group of theatre-makers dedicated to furthering the art of live theatre in VR. Drawing from the experience gained developing their previous productions, PARA and Krampusnacht, the latter a finalist for the PGA Innovation Award, they continued to create the VR version of The Severance Theory: Welcome to Respite, which world premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and had its international premiere at the prestigious Venice Film Festival. Pushing the boundaries of what the medium offers in their in-house productions, they also serve as a resource for third-party creators by providing a diverse set of artistic and logistical talent to bring their plans to life.
CREDITS
Lyndsie Scoggin: Producer, Creative Director, Performer
Deirdre V. Lyons: Producer, Performer
Stephen Butchko: Producer, Performer
Braden Roy: Producer, VR Adaptation, Performer
Christopher Lane Davis: Special Effects & Animation Designer, Performer, Co- Audio Director
Whitton Frank: Marketing, Performer
Morghann Stevens: Voice of The Shadow
Brian Tull: Producer, VR World Builder
Danielle Levesque: Art Director
Jeff Heimbuch: Co-Audio Director, Voice of Kyle
Andy Aloisio: VR World Building, Programming
Beaux Cooper: Character Design
Eliot Addams: Performer
Brendan Bradley: Performer
Kelly B. Jones: Performer
Jonathan David Martin: Performer
Lee Erdman: Perfomer
Brandon Bales: Performer
Live theatrical performance in VRChat | Running time: 60 mins | Platform: VRChat | Compatible headsets: HTC Vive/Pro/Pro 2, Oculus Rift/Rift S, Oculus Quest, Valve Index and Windows Mixed Reality headsets
Award nomination: Best Narrative Experience