To make or not to make a real Theatre ?

It’s a real question – one that I’ve asked myself a million times already (ok, I know, in France, especially in the south, it seems we always exaggerate).

It’s still a major question.

Most of the money to be made is in the Altair Twin virtual show/product production company.
I know that – everyone knows that.

Real theatre involves: a lot of staff, buildings to be built and maintained, impressive technical equipment that needs to be renewed often.
So: a money pit.

I know that too – and everybody knows that too.

That’s why the question arises.

So it is a question of constructing the hypothesis: Altair without a real theatre.

So that gives a concentration on Altair Twin: there will be motion capture rooms, 360-degree capture rooms, there will be all the engineers and art directors that are planned – there will be (less) staff.

And there will be the artists for whom we will have contracts.
Do you still agree?

As it’s not a question of digitising all their shows, we could even have troupes reduced to just the artists and technicians concerned.

Ten minutes of circus y, seven minutes of dance z, and we’ll be quiet.

From an economic point of view, it seems much cheaper and therefore much more profitable.

I can even, without immediately attracting the wrath of those who invest, immediately model the various virtual forms that I thought of for Altair Twin so as to integrate it into the heart of the various major online games.

Those are the advantages – and I’m not going to deny them.

Let’s look at the drawbacks:

N°1- the shows: there can only be shows that have already been created – that people from Altair Twin will have seen and for which they will have identified the precise timing of what will be taken ‘virtually’: for this point, it is out of the question to ask the companies to plan their excerpts – I don’t trust them, especially at the beginning: I know that they don’t know at all what kind of excerpts I want.

Basically that means we’ll only get old shows that have already toured a lot. And that we’ll pay people to go and see it all over the world.

And you know what? I don’t believe in it anymore. But let’s admit it.

No. 2 – the production of new shows: I have set this as a medium-term objective for Altair – to be a force of proposal that sells and not always a force of demand that buys (I’m talking about the shows).
There, all the savings of the “reduced troupe” have vanished: live show productions require the presence of everyone, at least for the set-up and design times (otherwise we lose time…).
And then… where do we put them?
Here we are, having to build a design room – a studio –
All right.
With the minimum equipment required for the live show. And the returning live theater technical staff.
Or we don’t.
But if we don’t, we don’t produce.

No. 3 – the sale of our “virtual products”. It’s not a poker shot, because it’s not a bluff. But it does have a little to do with the “big score”.

Virtual production companies, there are already lots and lots of them.
The only difference between the Altair project and them is the content.

So to present itself as a real theatre that takes over the virtual theatre as well – yes. People are surprised and interested – because the project is still completely new and huge.
But to present itself as a virtual theatre that sells you three 3-minute excerpts, then I don’t believe it. I don’t think we’ll be able to push the doors open with a small product like that. It’s meskin.
Do it if you know all the big game company executives and they like you. Otherwise, we’re just sitting on our hands.

No. 4 – the relationship with the players: there won’t be any – we’ll just be DLCs providers.
Possibly Virtual Reality content providers – but here again, on the communication side, we’ll have to hold on.
We won’t buzz.
And there for the blow, no e.sport to be set up in particular: for e.sport, you need rooms with real spectators….
And if we want to set up e.sport – then build a huge hall to use it once a year? – let’s say three times – I don’t see the logic.

So, in fact, the presence of the theatre is a bit of a necessity.
To have a continuous flow of shows and to give confidence to those who will accept the DLC deal – because they will know that we will have material that is always new and always different.

To have a real place that players will be able to identify.
To have a real place where extreme virtual experiences can be lived in their full scope.
To have an argument with the companies: they will come to see your show – in virtual they will only get a preview.
To have a real place where show designers and game designers will be at the same time.
To have production spaces – in short, to “weigh in the game” and spread all the eagle’s wings (Altair is “a flying eagle” in Arabic – and not a plucked chicken with one leg).

I’m not Shakespeare – my questions are less existential.
But fundamentally, here’s the difference: if you’re reading me now, it’s because this project has caught your attention.

If I had just wanted to set up a virtual content production company, would you have taken the time to read an unfunded pre-project? I bet you wouldn’t.

Anyone can set up a “virtuality” production company. It opens 300 a day – it closes 400.
And no one cares.

On the other hand, no one has set up a theatre that will be on both levels.
Everybody’s amazed.
And everyone will see what it will look like: a theatre is a big event in a place. That alone attracts a lot of attention.
If you explain that this theatre will have its virtual double face, you’ll overwhelm the attention of the locals.
If you add that this theatre will produce excerpts in some video games, you get the attention of the players.
etc.
Finally, the money put into the real theatre is a guarantee that the total investment will be put into operation efficiently and quickly – thus a guarantee that the returns on investment will come.

I’m telling you – for Altair Twin alone, I can hardly believe in it – it wouldn’t be oars you’d have to take out to get the cuckoo clock off the ground… – that said, flying a cuckoo clock with oars is a piece of crap. –

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Featured Image : Aequora by the Belgian architect Vincent Callebaut. Its construction is planned in the coastal waters of Rio de Janeiro.

An entrance like this for an ultra-modern theatre, yes I like it.
Especially if the design of the theatre looks something like what I presented yesterday from the work on e.sport performance halls – Avoid Obvious Architects