A theatrical production premiering in Boston on Thursday will take video games to a whole new level.
PermaDeath is a live show that combines real performers with computer-generated avatars. The show's producers are calling it a "video game opera," something that has never been done before.
"What immediately came to mind was The Who's "Tommy," the rock opera, Andrew Lloyd Weber and "Jesus Christ Superstar," and that totally turned opera and rock music on its ear," said Paul Cotnoir, an associate dean at Becker College in Worcester which contributed its technical expertise about video game design to the production.
Brookline resident Cerise Lim Jacobs wrote the book and the lyrics for PermaDeath. The idea for this concept came to her as she watched her son playing video games. "I want to engage younger people, and I thought why don't I do it on their territory?"
Marrying video game components to a live performance has a been a huge challenge. As the stage performers sing, other actors lip-synch the same dialogue and songs. Their facial expressions are turned into computer-generated animation which will be projected on a 20-by-40 screen.
Pulling off all this technical wizardry has fallen to Curvin Huber, a professor of interactive media at Becker. "If we get out of synch, it can be a real nightmare so that has been the biggest challenge.”
PermaDeath has also been a learning experience for the cast. Nathan Rodriguez is usually singing on stage, not providing facial cues for a computer. "There will definitely be tons of stimulation of stage, with what's going on in the world of virtual reality, and how the two collide. It's all experimental, and there are so many things that can go wrong, but that's what makes it fun and exciting."
The audience will have the option of loading a free app that’s filled with augmented reality about the show that was developed by Becker College students.
PermaDeath will have its world premiere at the Cutler Majestic Theater Thursday night.