INVIVO

The Blind, a virtual reality play based on the work by Maurice Maeterlinck.

Twelve blind people are lost in an icy northern forest; in the middle of their group lies their guide, a priest. Thus opens The Blind, a highly technological and troubling iteration of Maeterlinck’s masterpiece.

INVIVO transposes Maeterlinck’s famous play to a world where technologies seem vital to daily life. The blind represent all of humanity: hesitant, anxious, unaware of its condition, and counting on a helping hand to guide it through the impending, uncertain future. This metaphysical tale explores our inability to act on what is occurring around us, and questions our perception of the other.

Equipped with VR headsets, the audience of twelve on stage is immersed in a raw, poetic virtual world. The experience is unique, both in what we perceive individually and how it resonates with the group after the play draws to a close. With this adaptation, INIVIVO continues to craft its vision for hybrid theatre at the intersection of the performing arts, digital arts, and virtual reality.

Starting in 2022, INVIVO will be an associate collective at Théâtre des Gémeaux in Sceaux.

Production: INVIVO – collective for exploration in the performing arts
Co-production: Théâtre Nouvelle Génération – CDN de Lyon | Les Gémeaux – scène nationale de Sceaux | Némo – International Biennial of Digital Arts of the Île-de-France Region, Le CENTQUATRE-PARIS | LUX – scène nationale de Valence
Support: Fonds d’aide aux expériences numériques (XN) – CNC | Région Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes | DRAC Auvergne-Rhône Alpes | Fonds SCAN – DRAC and Région Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes | Théâtre des Îlets – CDN de Montluçon

Production : INVIVO – collectif d’exploration scénique
Co-production : Théâtre Nouvelle Génération – CDN de Lyon | Les Gémeaux – scène nationale de Sceaux | Némo, Biennale des Arts Numériques de la Région Île-de-France, Le CENTQUATRE-PARIS | LUX – scène nationale de Valence
Soutiens : Fonds d’aide aux expériences numériques (XN) – CNC | Région Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes | DRAC Auvergne-Rhône Alpes | Fonds SCAN – DRAC et Région Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes | Théâtre des Îlets – CDN de Montluçon
Conception, adaptation et dispositif immersif : Julien Dubuc
Concept, adaptation and immersive system: Julien Dubuc
Sound design: Grégoire Durrande and Samuel Sérandour
VR development – 3D world – interactions: Antoine Vanel – Blindsp0t
Technological system: Samuel Sérandour
3D printing: David Udovtsch
Performers / voice actors: Sumaya Al-Attia / Jean-Rémy Chaize / Jeanne David / Grégory Fernandes / Alexandre Le Nours / Maxime Mikolajczak
Administration: Lise Déterne – Eloïse Royer – L’Échelle
Production – touring: Emilie Briglia