Huan Shi and Virtual Reality

The author believes that the successful implementation of virtual reality in theater productions precludes the use of the isolating forms of technology usually associated with the genre, such as goggles and headsets. His theater group, Huan Shi, has been working with computers since 1990 to create illusions through real-time digitization and projection. Through descriptions of the company’s productions in Taiwan and New York, the author outlines Huan Shi's attempts to foster audience involvement and to use this technology in an integrative rather than a spectacular manner.