Signals

US – An Ark, a mixed-reality theatre experience at The Shed in New York, is exploring how digital technology can transform live performance while preserving the intimacy of human connection.

Audiences sit in a circle wearing enhanced glasses as actor Ian McKellen and co-stars Golda Rosheuvel, Arinzé Kene and Rosie Sheehy appear as life-like video figures, filmed using 52 cameras and projected into the physical space.

Written by Simon Stephens and produced by Todd Eckert’s Tin Drum, the 47-minute play addresses viewers in the second person, maintaining constant eye contact with each audience member. Eckert stresses the distinction from virtual reality, calling VR ‘elective isolation’ and arguing that mixed reality allows audiences to remain aware of each other and the room. ‘Your experience is one of being connected, that’s the whole point,’ he said.

Director Sarah Frankcom approached the project like a conventional play, rehearsing and filming the actors in a single continuous take. The result, she said, is ‘a new form of theatre’ that lets viewers feel seen.

In Future Forecast 2026: Culture & Media we identified the rise of a new era of modular content: media designed to adapt in real time to context, mood and attention span. Rather than fixed formats, this emerging model responds dynamically to how, where and why audiences engage, signalling a shift towards more fluid, responsive forms of entertainment and storytelling.