York Theatre Royal uses £5k grant on VR to improve accessibility

York Theatre Royal is to invest a grant from the Theatres Trust into virtual reality performances, with the aim of increasing accessibility for those unable to visit in person.

The £4,753 grant from the Theatres Trust will be used to buy cameras, headsets and equipment for the project. 

A statement from York Theatre Royal said: "Wearing headsets, these theatregoers will view immersive recordings, which make the experience as close as possible to watching a live show in the theatre with an audience."

This grant is part of the previously announced £49,476 awarded to 10 not-for-profit UK theatres, including York Theatre Royal, to help make repairs and improvements, enhance accessibility and improve sustainability measures and facilities.

Chief executive Tom Bird said: "The idea is to replicate the live theatre experience as much as possible." 

Bird added: "This is a cutting-edge digital project aimed at those facing barriers to attending the theatre in person, making shows more widely accessible." 

The venue aims to take theatre out to community members who cannot attend performances in person. Over the next two months, the York Theatre Royal will use a VR recording of its community production of The Coppergate Woman and take it to Yorkshire-based charities the Hut and Kyra Women’s Project, as well as using it as part of a drop-in at York Theatre Royal for the International Day of Older Persons. 

"We see the combination of this technology with our ability to tell important and engaging stories as a pathway for those who feel there are barriers to them attending the theatre," Bird said.

"It can engage a far broader young audience, remove social-economic barriers and provide a safe way for neurodiverse individuals to experience theatre."

The theatre has also been working with University of York-based XR Stories to develop the concept further.