(Vancouver) Tetsuro Shigematsu’s new play explores lives swallowed up by the lure of virtual reality
In Kuroko, a co-production between the Cultch and Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre, Maya (Kanon Hewitt) is a young woman who has secluded herself in her room for the better part of six years. But when a mysterious stranger challenges her to help save her dying father, she is forced to come to terms with the outside world.
Rather than delve too deeply into the latest developments in virtual reality tech, which would have dated the play (“It would be the equivalent of doing a show about MySpace,” he said), he was more fascinated by the phenomenon of hikikomori — people, like Maya, who opt out of society and retreat into their rooms.
“We realized that even if you’re watching what someone is doing in virtual reality on a screen, it’s still a solitary experience to behold. So we decided to go completely analog — using theatrical conventions of gestures and no masks or goggles at all, and letting audience members use their imagination.”
See the full story here: https://vancouversun.com/entertainment/local-arts/tetsuro-shigematsus-new-play-explores-lives-swallowed-up-by-the-lure-of-virtual-reality