Theatre Design & Technology - Winter 2011 - 52

what is 5D?

5D is self-described as "a group of designers, scientists, artists, and educators who talk about learning about
seeing better stories." In 5D events and workshops around the world, participants have explored the idea that
digital technology has fundamentally changed the world of entertainment. Essential to the philosophy of 5D
is the notion that design, environment, and storytelling overlap and fuse in a collaborative, immersive, and
interactive experience.
As stated in the 5D Conference website, "5D explores our common goal of shaping immersive experience
through creative, collaborative world-building across all narrative media, virtual or real." And it defines
itself as "an evolutionary, interactive experience, based on community and a unique network, expanding and
adapting within the shifting landscape of narrative media."

The fiftieth anniversary of the USITT Conference & Stage Expo, held in Kansas City, MO, in March
2010, provided an occasion to celebrate just how much live entertainment design and technology
has evolved in the last half century. In many sessions and exhibits there was an opportunity to marvel
at our progress while simultaneously appreciating the imagination and quality of work that comprises our heritage. It was inspiring to recognize what remains constant: brilliant design is still brilliant,
and brilliant execution is still a thing of beauty. There were also a number of sessions that looked at
the future with a wary eye and an open mind.
Fifty years ago, television was in its early years, no one was online, and there were no video
games. (Pong, the video arcade game was invented in 1972 and three years later released as a home
video game.) The argument can be made that the theatre art form has not kept up with the culture it
aims to serve and that academic institutions are not training students for the variety of entertainment
industry jobs they will encounter in the future. Tom Walsh, president of the Art Directors Guild and
panelist for the USITT conference session, "5D: The Future of Theatre Minds in Immersive Design,"
advanced just such an argument in his recent
editorial, titled "Preparing Narrative Artists and
Practitioners for a New Century," in Perspective,
the journal of the Art Directors Guild (February-March 2010 issue). Walsh says, "academic
training can no longer be 'theatre-centric' to the
exclusion of all other entertainment." And he
added, "The academic syllabus that was established in the twentieth century became sorely in
need of updating as we entered the twenty-first
century and the digital age."
These sentiments were affirmed by the session's other panelists: Don Marinelli (Executive Director of the Entertainment Technology Center at Carnegie Mellon University), David Taylor (leader
of Global Theatre Consulting with the firm, Arup, and 5D Conference founder-member), Michael
Devine (film, television, and exhibits designer), and moderator Panela Leung (scenic designer and
scenic artist). Dr. Marinelli commented, "Our current academic programs are designed to prepare
young artists for the challenges and opportunities that made up a career twenty years ago. Our challenge today as educators though, is to prepare young people for the career opportunities that don't
yet exist. The only way we can do that is to make education a truly collaborate process between

what is Immersive Design?
"And as designers have adopted the 3D visual design tools more and more, they have actually created commonality
between various forms of media, so what 5D does is identify a new approach to design called 'immersive design,'
which uses digital tools to design in virtual space, creating a collaborative workspace that effectively pre-envisions and
visualizes the final product for the immersive experience." - 5D Founder and Co-director Alex McDowell

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theatre design

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w i n t e r 2011
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Winter 2011
