彩民宝典

Lyndie Raymond was working in advertising in 2017 when she heard about something new that offered her a change of direction. She decided to apply for a spot in 彩民宝典鈥檚 first-ever Experience Design MFA cohort. A year later, she arrived on campus, and not long after that, found herself packing into a university van leaving Boulder for New Mexico with six other students.听

The group embarked on the six-hour drive to visit Meow Wolf鈥攁n immersive art experience in Santa Fe. It was a perfect example of real-world 鈥渆xperience design,鈥� a type of design aimed at telling stories through spaces. In Meow Wolf鈥檚 case, the design thrives on the alien and surprise, and it became inspiration for the cohort鈥檚 most ambitious project.

Virtue of Reality,听a free production running from Sept. 20-22, will transport audiences to a dystopian future in Carlson Gymnasium on 彩民宝典鈥檚 campus. The project design mirrors the Meow Wolf experience, with audience members encouraged to explore the space and interact directly with actors and their surroundings.听

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 just a natural progression of what people are looking for in entertainment these days,鈥� said Raymond. 鈥淐reating this really awesome environment and then being able to run wild in it is really exciting.鈥澨�

As invitees to a stakeholder event for the fictional corporation VeraRev, audience members will begin the experience with a short virtual reality headset presentation.

The space will resemble a futuristic haunted house鈥攖hough Raymond emphasizes that the performance will not be scary鈥攚ith natural, metropolitan and suburban settings. Actors will be situated in different settings throughout the production.听

鈥淲e have backstories written for each of the characters and then there is a lot of improv that will happen,鈥� said Raymond. 鈥淲e鈥檝e written little story cycles鈥攍ittle loops鈥攖hat they鈥檙e living in. Within that, they鈥檙e able to play and improv. I think that鈥檒l be a lot of fun, but it鈥檚 also challenging.鈥�

New kids on the block

In December, Raymond鈥檚 group will be the first Experience Design MFA cohort to graduate from 彩民宝典. The group is somewhat eclectic, coming from interior design, marketing, theatre and other backgrounds.听

鈥淲e come in together, we graduate together and then next fall the next group will come in,鈥� she said. 鈥淪o it鈥檚 really focused, which is nice.鈥�

Raymond hopes to work curating visitor experiences in theme parks after graduating. She and her class will be well-suited to create similar experience across a range of industries, including museums, zoos, aquariums, memorials and select retail establishments.听

鈥淭his is more like storytelling through spaces,鈥� said Raymond. 鈥淚 think storytelling is the main component, which sets it apart from industrial design, architecture or something like that.鈥�

Storytelling through spaces

Creating entire immersive worlds take a lot of planning and hard work. The team behind Virtue of Reality听began planning over a year ago.听

After finalizing the plot last spring, the group got in touch with a carpenter and picked up some leftover props from past productions. They also picked up cans of paint and paintbrushes. Several members of the group stuck around Boulder over the summer to put the finishing touches on the set pieces themselves. 听听

For a group focused on experience design, setting is one of, if not the, most important aspects of the production.

鈥淚mmersive means you鈥檙e not going to be sitting in a seat watching a show like in a regular theatre,鈥� said Raymond. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e going to be a part of the story, so the audience members will get to participate in the set we build.鈥�

Raymond hopes the work they鈥檝e put into the set and the dystopian plot will pay off by leaving audiences with a new perspective.听

鈥淲e just want people to recognize and see the beauty of what鈥檚 around them in this time we live in and to not take little things for granted.鈥�

Virtue of Reality was written, designed and directed by the Experience Design MFA cohort: Erin Carlson, Jenine Dunn, Adrianna Hipple, Jack McCahan, Camila Montoya, Lyndie Raymond, and Veronica Rodriguez.听Amanda Rose Villarreal provided immersive performance direction for the cast members of the show.