ACT Research Seminar: Human-Computer InterACTION: Drama and Performance Approaches to Virtual Reality and HCI

Event details

In the last five years, Virtual Reality (VR, and by extension eXtended Reality and Augmented Reality) has become a valuable tool for HCI research and creative exploration. In HCI, this wide-scale adoption is evidenced by the number of recent publications that use VR to conduct studies in a variety of application areas from education to healthcare. In entertainment, several top film festivals have opened categories to recognize ‘VR Theatre’ works. However, most of the developments in VR focus on the capabilities of the technology, which can neglect the needs of the human performers and audience members. In this talk, Zach will explore ways to leverage VR technology to support the creative process while at the same time using performance techniques to explore the capabilities of immersive and interactive technologies. He will explain the connections between Drama and VR through two main research projects, The Virtual rehearsal Suite (VRS) and VR Thresholding Protocol. The VRS provides users with the experience of a large-scale rehearsal or performance environment while occupying limited physical space and minimal real-world obstructions. The Thresholding Protocol applies Drama techniques to support IRL-VR-IRL state change.  He will also provide examples of the potential of Drama techniques in broader HCI contexts reflecting on interdisciplinary research collaborations in games, privacy and security, and human robot interaction and human drone interaction.

About the speaker

Dr. Zachary McKendrick (he/him/his)

Zachary McKendrick is a director, actor, researcher, and retired professional wrestler exploring the intersection of Drama, Technology, and HCI. He is one of four 2024 Provost’s Interdisciplinary Scholars at the University of Waterloo where he is continuing his explorations with Professors Daniel Vogel (Exii Lab, Computer Science), Craig S. Kaplan (Computer Graphics Lab, Computer Science), and Andrew Houston (Theatre and Performance, Communication Arts). Zach’s work is supported by a Ph.D. in Computational Media Design (UCalgary, ’24), an MFA in Directing (UCalgary, ’19), and a Specialist BA in Art and Culture (U of T Scarborough, ’16). In 2022 Zach was a Mitacs Globalink Research Award recipient, spending six months working with Professor Jessica Cauchard and the Magic Lab at Ben Gurion University of the Negev.  This experience led to research collaborations at the University of Primorska (Slovenia) and the OFFIS Institute (Germany). Artistically, Zach has worked across Canada in theatre, film, and television, including with The Shaw Theatre Festival (Ontario), Tarragon Theatre (Ontario), and Calgary Opera Company (Alberta).