VR Theatre Experimentation
Roman & ELIZA is the upcoming production by Ulrike Quade Company (premiering March 2026), exploring the fragile boundaries between technology, memory, and grief. Inspired by the true story of Roman, a young man who died suddenly — and whose best friend and programmer created a chatbot from his text messages to continue speaking with him — the piece delves into the phenomenon of ‘griefbots’ and avatars.
In collaboration with the European Horizon project PREMiERE and the IDlab (AHK), the company started experimenting with the AI-Toolbox and 3DvT, intertwining live data, XR technology and digital puppetry. On stage, physical performance and virtual doubles merge into a hybrid scenography. It invites us to reflect on how technology reshapes mourning and the way we hold on to those we’ve lost — resonating with the company’s earlier public evenings on digital grief.
The first scenes have been presented September 18th @Coliseu in Porto and @Society5.0 IDlab and UCQ will present an small scale version to showcase the potential of innovative technologies to enact new forms of virtuality within a theatre context.
Project Leader: Erik Lint
Artistic Researcher & Director: Ulrike Quade
Performer & Avatar Roman: Vanja Rukavina
Voice & Avatar ELIZA: Hadewych Minis
Voice Charly: Parmis Amini
Researcher & Dramaturg: Maaike Bleeker
Dramaturgical Assistant: Sorcha Ní Bhraonáin
Assistant Director and MOCAP ELIZA: Anne van Dorp
Content Creator and Lighting Designer: Mark Thewessen
Content Creator and Technical Team Leader: Kees Duyves
Content Creator and Technician: Hicham Bendriss
Content Creator (Unreal Engine): Marijn Eken
Producer (IDlab): Willem Weemhoff
Producer (UQCompany): Hedi Legerstee
Sound Creator: Farzané Nouri
Designer of AI Voices: David Gauthier
With thanks to Laura Karreman, Evelyn Wan and the students from Utrecht University,
Master’s in Media Art and Performance Studies.
More information about the SOCIETY 5.0 Festival 2025 on 15 & 16 October, please click here.
