Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 2019 - 61

resolution," with the company Varjo
claiming to have already crossed the
finish line. Its VR-1 headset will set
you back $6,600 for its ability to match
your eyes' visual acuity at the center of
the display. Moving out from center, the
resolution drops off in much the same
way your vision naturally progresses
towards the periphery. This concentrating of pixel density and high-resolution content where your eye is focused,
while attenuating both towards your
periphery, is a strategy called foveated
rendering.
■ Eye-tracking. The newest VR headsets are combining foveated rendering
with eye-tracking capabilities for ultraefficient use of processing resources.
Limiting the highest quality rendering to only where the user is currently looking significantly lightens the
graphical load. In a theatrical context,
these imaging strategies would allow
the viewer to see the details of scenic
elements, costumes, and props, as
well as the facial expressions of actors
blocked farther away. This would be a
significant improvement over current
headsets in the sub-$500 range that

do best with basic details presented
within a range of about 15 feet from
the viewer.
■ AR Lenses. R&D teams producing
AR displays have had a host of challenges all their own. As you might
imagine, presenting high-quality dimensional imagery that integrates
seamlessly with the user's world-view
is no small feat. However, after years
of struggling to miniaturize advanced
light-field techniques, the few major
players in this arena show promising
new developments in thin, wide fieldof-view, waveguide lenses. Waveguide
lenses essentially guide light laterally
through the side of the lens, similarly
to fiber optics, before employing various methods to reflect the image back
towards the user's eye. Though the
details of each design vary, the common obstacle has been achieving this
effect for a large enough visual area
to provide a useful, if not immersive,
experience for the wearer. Technology
is still falling well short of the average
human's natural field-of-view of approximately 200°.
VR and AR can play an exciting role

in the future of live performance and
how it is experienced by audiences new
and old. In looking forward to how and
when the potential of these emerging
media will be fully realized, we should
view it as journey rather than a destination. Perhaps we'll be able to compare
their path to the one forged by video design over the last decade, or they may
clear a new path all their own. Whatever
the case, audiences and designers alike
should expect these technologies to provide an array of exciting possibilities for
theatrical storytelling. And I, for one,
can't wait to give some flying monkeys a
much-needed smackdown.
Ryan Swift Joyner is an
assistant professor of sound
design at Baylor University's
Department of Theatre Arts.
He obtained his MFA in
lighting and sound design from California
State University Fullerton as well as a BFA
from Baylor. As part of his research into
immersive theatre technology, Joyner explores
the intersection of virtual and augmented
reality with live performance.

@RUTGERS
P R O F E S S I O N A L

C O N S E R VAT O R Y

T R A I N I N G

DEGREE PROGRAMS:
» Design: set, lighting, costume,
and costume technology
» Stage Management
» Technical Direction
Design program features
one-semester residency
in London
INTERVIEWS:
LiNK; USITT; Chicago;
and New Brunswick, NJ
45 MINUTES FROM NEW YORK CITY

www.masongross.rutgers.edu
admissions@mgsa.rutgers.edu
FALL 2019

THEATRE DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY

| 61

http://www.masongross.rutgers.edu

Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 2019