Centre Phi presents The
Horrifically Real Virtuality

Experience a new narrative genre, an artistic and technological innovation

Offered in French or English until April 28 at Centre Phi, the collective, immersive theatre experience The Horrifically Real Virtuality invites you on the set of a new film by Ed Wood (the worst filmmaker of all time!), starring Bela Lugosi.

When Lugosi meets the humanoids

From DVgroup comes a new immersive theatre experience directed by Marie Jourdren and co-produced by Phi. The Horrifically Real Virtuality combines virtual reality, cinema and audience participation. This comedic homage to American filmmaker Ed Wood, a figurehead in Z-movie culture, paints a portrait that’s introspective, mocking and tender —all at once— of this meeting between traditional cinema and virtual reality

… spectators are invited to join Lugosi and a troupe of real-life actors to help save the “filming” of Ed Wood’s new movie.

The “film” itself stars Bela Lugosi, famous for his vampire portrayals, who agrees to participate in his friend Ed Wood’s film to help give him a chance in Hollywood. Lugosi possesses a unique ability to access a parallel dimension, in virtual reality, where he’s called upon to meet strange humanoids from another space-time: the Phi Centre in 2019.

In fact, spectators are invited to join Lugosi and a troupe of real-life actors to help save the “filming” of Ed Wood’s new movie. On a very strange set —where the objects are sometimes real, sometimes fictitious— the audience will explore the set and backstage area and will deal with special effects that blend high technology with the grotesque. Afterwards, they will be seated in a small virtual reality theatre, where they will, with their VR headsets on, attend the inaugural screening of their first short film.

‘… The Horrifically Real Virtuality will give visitors the chance to live an immersive theatre experience that’s simply unique.’

With a duration of almost one hour, the installation makes spectators wander through multiple spaces devoted, either simultaneously or successively, to theatre, cinema and virtual reality. Given the participatory role of the spectators and the presence of live actors, the experience is limited to ten people at a time and reservations are required. The experience is presented in French or English, according to the schedule.

A Canadian premiere you won’t want to miss

Presented at the recent Venice Film Festival and at the New York Future of Storytelling (FoST) Festival, where it won the Innovation in Storytelling prize, The Horrifically Real Virtuality will give visitors the chance to live an immersive theatre experience that’s simply unique. Since immersive new technologies like virtual reality, augmented reality and mixed reality are changing our perceptions of the world, it’s no wonder that this new form of storytelling continues to excite both creators and viewers around the globe.

‘On top of this immersive experience, spectators are invited to continue their exploration of the amazing universe of Ed Wood through an installation open to the general public.’

Explore the world of Ed Wood

On top of this immersive experience, spectators are invited to continue their exploration of the amazing universe of Ed Wood through an installation, which is also open to the general public. The installation, created by Phi, will allow visitors to immerse themselves in Ed Wood’s supernatural universe through an overview of various characters. There will also be a bar and boutique inspired by Wood’s films Plan 9 from Outer Space and Bride of the Monster.

Studio DVgroup: from Alice to Lugosi

This is the second time that the French studio DVgroup presents their immersive theatre work in Montreal. During the Lucid Realities exhibition at the Phi Centre in 2017, their installation Alice, The Virtual Reality Play delighted fans with its reinterpretation of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, which mixed virtual reality, theatre and methods from cinema and video game production. The Real Thing VR, a more standard virtual reality work produced by DVgroup, was presented as part of the Echo exhibition of the Phi Centre, from September 2018 to February 2019.

The Horrifically Real Virtuality

Showtimes
Tuesday to Sunday
English: 1:15 PM, 4 PM, 8 PM
French: 10:30 AM, 11:45 AM, 2:30 PM, 5:15 PM, 6:45 PM

Tickets
Regular: $46 – $55
Seniors and students: $40 – $50
Taxes and fees included
Prices vary according to the time

*Access to the exhibition is strictly reserved for 13 +.
*The experience is limited to ten people at a time and reservations are required.

Centre Phi
407, rue Saint-Pierre, Montréal • 514 225-0525
For details and tickets, visit centre-phi.com

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Image: courtesy of Centre Phi

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