m@rc0 p0!0 endg@me 2.0

Joining the Macao Arts Festival for the fifth time, the Dirks Theatre Arts Association is presenting m@rc0 p0!0 endg@me 2.0, a production that combines virtual reality (VR) and theatrical performance. This programme, adapted from Italo Calvino’s novel Invisible Cities, is a joint production by the Dirks Theatre Arts Association and the Hong Kong-based Paprika Studio, a theatre company dedicated to developing visual aesthetics that features the integration of media into theatre.

Throughout the programme, the audience will wear VR goggles to enter the world created by Italo Calvino while being guided by the actors and VR technology; several cities across time and space that stand between reality and illusion are highlighted in the chess duel between Kublai Khan, Emperor Shizu of the Yuan Dynasty, and the traveller Marco Polo. Traversing between reality and surreality in this extraordinary world, the audience will reflect upon the impact of digital civilisation on human society.


Direction and Text: Adrian Yeung 
Cast: Ip Ka Man, Wu May Bo and Anson Chan 
VR Design and Production: Adrian Yeung and Arnold Chan 
Design: Lam Ka Pik, Kenneth Cheong, Chan Ming Kin and Nicco Sun 
Stage Technical Support: MIIS Production


Duration: Approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes, no interval
Performed in Cantonese, no surtitles 
Restricted to audiences aged between 13 and 65, not suitable for any of the following:
1.    Pregnant women, or individuals with cardiovascular disease or other serious health conditions;
2.    Individuals with epilepsy; 
3.    Individuals with pinkeye or any other contagious eye diseases;
4.    Other individuals who are unsuitable to experience VR.


Post-show talk after the performance at 20:00 on 5 May


Remarks:
1.    VR will alternate with live performances during the programme. To avoid disruptions, audience members are requested to remain quiet and switch off all sound-making and light-emitting devices;
2.    Some people may feel dizzy and nauseous when using VR goggles. Audience members are therefore requested to evaluate their own health and physical condition before buying tickets and entering the venue. Spectators are responsible for any conditions arising from their own dangerous behaviour;
3.    Contact lenses are recommended for spectators who wear glasses. For those who opt for glasses, please note that the size of the frames should be less than 142 mm in length and 50 mm in width, and the shape of certain frames may hinder the wearing of VR goggles.