SL Shakespeare Company
Encyclopedia
The SL Shakespeare Company produces Shakespearean and other plays in the Second Life
virtual world. Professional and amateur talent is used for productions in a replica of the Globe Theater. The actors are special purpose avatars
, controlled by prerecorded and real time live input.
The initial program audiences are residents of Second Life, however performances are available outside Second Life. The first abbreviated performance was of a scene from Hamlet
in February 2008 under the guidance of Ina Centaur, the company’s Visual Director. The company is funded by donations.
All of the building components which are visible to the audience resemble the modern-day replica in London. To view a live production, a Second Life avatar stands on the floor or sits in a gallery seat. Similar to a non-virtual production, it is possible to talk with other audience members or to make public comments. This is in keeping with the goal to allow audience interaction with the players similar to that of Shakespeare's time.
Audio dialog is augmented by subtitling, which has been available in French, German, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese. The audience is asked to observe other guidelines related to the virtual environment, as described in the SL Shakespeare Company Audience Guide.
The first act of Twelfth Night was performed starting November 12, 2009. No full-length Shakespearean play has been produced due to funding.
lip sync
. In the Second Life virtual world, one has the ability to either watch events from a static position, or to move the view to a place that is away from one’s avatar. Thus, while in Second Life, the viewer can zoom, or choose any angle from which to watch the animations. This requires the representations of the stage actors to be viewable even at a close distance.
Second Life
Second Life is an online virtual world developed by Linden Lab. It was launched on June 23, 2003. A number of free client programs, or Viewers, enable Second Life users, called Residents, to interact with each other through avatars...
virtual world. Professional and amateur talent is used for productions in a replica of the Globe Theater. The actors are special purpose avatars
Avatar (computing)
In computing, an avatar is the graphical representation of the user or the user's alter ego or character. It may take either a three-dimensional form, as in games or virtual worlds, or a two-dimensional form as an icon in Internet forums and other online communities. It can also refer to a text...
, controlled by prerecorded and real time live input.
The initial program audiences are residents of Second Life, however performances are available outside Second Life. The first abbreviated performance was of a scene from Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
in February 2008 under the guidance of Ina Centaur, the company’s Visual Director. The company is funded by donations.
The SL Globe Theater
The Globe Theater in Second Life is life-size from the viewpoint of a Second Life user. The reconstruction includes the theater from the outer walls, to the inside seating galleries, to the stage. It is the most historically accurate 3D rendition of the theater on the Internet.All of the building components which are visible to the audience resemble the modern-day replica in London. To view a live production, a Second Life avatar stands on the floor or sits in a gallery seat. Similar to a non-virtual production, it is possible to talk with other audience members or to make public comments. This is in keeping with the goal to allow audience interaction with the players similar to that of Shakespeare's time.
Audio dialog is augmented by subtitling, which has been available in French, German, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese. The audience is asked to observe other guidelines related to the virtual environment, as described in the SL Shakespeare Company Audience Guide.
Production history
The first production was Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 1, running 20 minutes. On September 12, 2008, the company opened their first modern play, One’s a Pawn of Time by Mike Dedrian.The first act of Twelfth Night was performed starting November 12, 2009. No full-length Shakespearean play has been produced due to funding.
Animation
Avatars in Second Life move from place-to-place in real time under human control, however body poses and facial expressions are limited to pre-defined animations and scripts. SL Shakespeare productions augments this, including two ways: by creating new animations, and with post-productionPost-production
Post-production is part of filmmaking and the video production process. It occurs in the making of motion pictures, television programs, radio programs, advertising, audio recordings, photography, and digital art...
lip sync
Lip sync
Lip sync, lip-sync, lip-synch is a technical term for matching lip movements with sung or spoken vocals...
. In the Second Life virtual world, one has the ability to either watch events from a static position, or to move the view to a place that is away from one’s avatar. Thus, while in Second Life, the viewer can zoom, or choose any angle from which to watch the animations. This requires the representations of the stage actors to be viewable even at a close distance.
Actors' bodies and costumes
The avatar character bodies for Hamlet were created to suit each character, while a wardrobe resembling historically correct clothing was purpose-built, or assembled from Second Life vendors. In Twelfth Night the emphasis on period clothing was relaxed.Budget
Much of the design and production work is volunteer. Other expenses for 2009 are L$1,510,000 (approximately USD 5830), which is largely to pay Second Life for land sufficient to support large audiences.See also
- Second Life Culture
- Shakespeare's GlobeShakespeare's GlobeShakespeare's Globe is a reconstruction of the Globe Theatre, an Elizabethan playhouse in the London Borough of Southwark, located on the south bank of the River Thames, but destroyed by fire in 1613, rebuilt 1614 then demolished in 1644. The modern reconstruction is an academic best guess, based...
(A modern reconstruction of the historical Globe upon which the Second Life Globe is based.) - Simulated realitySimulated realitySimulated reality is the proposition that reality could be simulated—perhaps by computer simulation—to a degree indistinguishable from "true" reality. It could contain conscious minds which may or may not be fully aware that they are living inside a simulation....
- Virtual worldVirtual worldA virtual world is an online community that takes the form of a computer-based simulated environment through which users can interact with one another and use and create objects. The term has become largely synonymous with interactive 3D virtual environments, where the users take the form of...