The Stranger 2.0

The Stranger 2.0 is a show designed for one or two audience members. The action centers around the audience member(s) and their encounters with a series of strangers whom they meet throughout the show. Audience members begin by choosing between two alternative experiences, Above and Below.

Above is described as a cross-city adventure that takes participants to a midtown area accessible from a principal TTC station. It brings participants to locations that they may have never explored before.

Below is described as a downtown adventure in underground areas of Toronto with performers emerging from the crowded streets. 

Both the Above and Below feature several encounters. Both experiences feature one encounter that includes a Virtual Reality film component.

Description of User Experience:

Participants are emailed details of time and location 24 hours in advance, along with a set of instructions that include key information about the experience. 

The Stranger 2.0 has plenty of visual/auditory stimuli and requires some situational awareness and willingness to participate in a variety of activities with strangers who emerge throughout the show. Participants are encouraged to talk about themselves, participate in some physical activity (like running and jumping), and be open to moderate touch from the performers.

The Stranger 2.0 features a virtual reality component. And it was also my first-ever experience of VR.

Identified “Best Practices” for Mixed Reality Production:

• Audience-specific dramaturgy can be used to create effective participatory experiences.
• The VR headset can double as a blindfold. Consider what the participant will see when they take off the headset as well as when they put the headset on.
• Actors should play to the 360 camera intimately.