Hummingbird: A Collaborative Live Theater and Virtual Reality Adventure

Hummingbird: is a modern, innovative performance merging live theater and interactive virtual reality by bringing a group of active participants into a shared space for a live performance. The performance premiered as part of Chicago's Tony Award-winning Goodman Theatre New Stages Festival showcasing innovative and ground-breaking theater works in December 2021. This project bridges art, science and live theater through a collaborative research effort between computer science and design faculty and students at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) Electronic Visualization Laboratory (EVL) and Chicago theater directors, actors, videographers and producers. Hummingbird’s story celebrates courage and coming of age through the eyes of a gutsy teen who must outsmart her mother's narcissistic boss and survive dangerous new technology in a live, immersive adventure. Hummingbird extends traditional live theater and makes virtual reality art accessible to a broader audience, demonstrating how virtual reality can transform theatrical storytelling.