'Gumball Dreams' A new kind of live theater, taking place in the Metaverse, sweeps at Festivals World-Wide

    LOS ANGELES, CA, December 01, 2022 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Having won the XR Experience Competition Audience Award at SXSW, the live, immersive theatrical experience, Gumball Dreams then went around the world, sweeping up the VR Competition Golden Fireball Award at the Kaohsiung Film Festival XR Dreamland and stopping in London to grab Best Immersive Performance at Raindance Immersive. Gumball Dreams proves live theater in virtual reality is a crowd pleaser that is here to stay. With a track record of festival favorites, the award-winning VR production company Ferryman Collective are introducing audiences to a new form of storytelling that will bring live theater back to the mainstream. Among a handful of creators in this new genre of work, excitement continues to grow as audiences connect from all over the world in a 3D digital environment from home that is so unlike other experiences, that they are blown away.

"It creates bridges and bonds between audience members and the story that allow each participant to explore deep inside themselves effortlessly in an environment which provokes natural interaction. In these complicated times we live in, this project is sure to bring a bright light to your day." Adds the jurors from the Kaohsiung Festival.

Gumball Dreams is a live, hour-long immersive experience that takes three audience members on a fantastical journey in a VR headset. A powerful and intimate experience that allows us to discover a mythic world beyond the reaches of our reality.

THE FUTURE OF STORYTELLING
There is a growing theater movement in VR, because of its native similarities, theater artists are exploring this new platform and are excited about the affordances of this incredible medium. With an internet connection and a VR headset, audiences are being introduced to the magic of VR theater, where live artists in the same digital space can be present for the creation of a single authentic moment that is the exclusive domain of a live stage show. Bringing a show to a global audience has become as easy as navigating a new game.

GUMBALL DREAMS NARRATIVE SUMMARY
You have been called by an alien creature named Onyx to a mythical planet on which they are living out their final days. You, and two others, are asked to help them transition from this reality to the next. Each interaction with this majestic creature is illuminating and fascinating as you are asked to delve into your past and share stories with your fellow travelers in moments out of time.

But before Onyx can lay infinite wisdom at your feet, the weight of your spirit must be assessed. If found ready, you shall embark upon the journey of a lifetime, skipping among the stars, floating above the spheres, and remembering who you truly are.

HOW IT WORKS
Gumball Dreams is performed live with one actor playing multiple roles. Audiences attend from anywhere in the world, as long as they have access to a VR headset. Through the magic of VR technology, participants feel fully immersed in our 3D world.

"There are things that can be done in VR that can only be seen in the movies, however, with VR, we allow the audience to be immersed inside these 3D worlds, in a way that 2D mediums cannot achieve." says assistant director Stephen Butchko "There is a sense of awe about the scope and scale of things that can be accomplished in VR."

PROJECT HISTORY
"This show was inspired by Club Gumball and Gumball Lounge, the existing worlds of Christopher Lane Davis, aka Screaming Color," explains co-creator Deirdre V. Lyons, "With such beauty and grandeur, I felt this was the perfect environment to bring a new kind of story alive, almost as if it had been waiting for Onyx to step into the world and take a breath."

Coming off the multi award-winning success of the festival darling The Severance Theory: Welcome to Respite, Ferryman Collective continues to trail-blaze in this new storytelling medium. Ferryman Collective is also known for PARA and Krampusnacht, a finalist for the PGA Innovation Award.

"VR allows us to combine the centuries old traditions of theater and performance with exciting and boundary breaking technology to bring people into an entirely new world." adds producer Whitton Frank.

THE TEAM
Gumball Dreams is produced by Ferryman Collective and Screaming Color and is co-created by Deirdre V. Lyons and Christopher Lane Davis.
Artistic Director, World & Animation Design by Christopher Lane Davis, a.k.a Screaming Color.
Andy Aloisio - VR Consultant and Prefabs.
Brian Tull – Shallmari Avatar Designer and Creator. Braden Roy - Cardif Designer and Creator
Screaming Color - Original Music and Sound Design.
Story by Deirdre V. Lyons and Christopher Lane Davis, aka Screaming Color. Inspired by the VRChat Worlds Club Gumball and Gumball Lounge, created by @screamingcolor
The production Team Includes Deirdre V. Lyons, Braden Roy, Whitton Frank, Stephen Butchko, Brian Tull and Christopher Lane Davis, a.k.a Screaming Color.
Cast members include Brendan Andolsek Bradley (Onboard XR: Below Deck and Cruise, The Severance Theory: Welcome to Respite, Resident Evil Village, The Haves and the Have Nots), Stephen Butchko (PARA, Krampusnacht, Welcome to Respite), Whitton Frank (The Under Presents, Tempest, PARA, The Severance Theory: Welcome to Respite), Kelly B Jones (The Severance Theory: Welcome to Respite, Strikeback, The Letting Go, The Marine 2), Dasha Kittredge (The Under Presents, Tempest, Onboard XR), Deirdre V. Lyons (The Under Presents, Tempest, The Severance Theory: Welcome to Respite), Jonathan David Martin (The Severance Theory: Welcome to Respite, Finding Pandora X, Loveseat, War Horse), Ona Zimhart (Cages, Alien Convergence) as well as Melinda Dekay (The Willows, Ashes, Torment) making her VR debut.

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