This dissertation is the first to explore how a writer can draft a play for Virtual Reality from the artistic practice perspective. Virtual Reality, or VR, is a computer-generated three-dimensional landscape in which the audience may interact using commands and physical movement (Ryan 2015: 15). This artistic research employs playwriting for 360° video to expand the study of theater and suggest how to combine virtual and live elements on the page. My main aim is to aid playwrights and screenwriters to draft works for Virtual Reality or other Extended Reality (XR) settings. The historical evolution of playwriting and screenwriting denotes an opportunity to extend the writing craft to cover the narrative possibilities of Virtual Reality and other Extended Reality expressions, such as 360° video. By building upon established conventions and proposing a methodology for creating VR plays, I hope to facilitate the understanding of VR among playwrights and screenwriters and ease the preservation of VR narrative works. This dissertation defines VR play as a text that fulfills the literary screenplay's function (Szczepanik 2013: 86) in the production process of a narrative set in Virtual Reality or other Extended Reality settings. Thus, the VR play communicates the essence of a story, identifies its intended medium, and marks the completion of its conception. Furthermore, the VR play is the seminal source for production documents such as the director’s play, lighting floorplans, technical breakdown of interactions, mood boards, storyboards, narrative path design, axis mapping of actions, and others needed to complete the production. The methodology of this dissertation consisted of a literature review, autoethnography, and artistic research. The practice included drafting Extended Reality (XR) plays with scenes set in 360° video and limited interactivity. By exploring how to bring Virtual Reality elements onto the page through artistic research, this dissertation aims to inspire more writers to evolve their storytelling artistry by delving into Virtual Reality playwriting.
Ana Victoria Falcon Araujo (Thu,) studied this question.