Projects
Be the Players Ready
Be the Players Ready
This project is part of ongoing work exploring accessible live performance within online video games. This original award-winning production of Hamlet inside the video game Grand Theft Auto was performed to an in-game avatar audience and simultaneously live-streamed to an audience on YouTube and Twitch.
In this next stage Pinny Gryllis wants to push the possibilities of audience experience and interactivity further - by creating a hybrid in-game and real-life performance that occurs simultaneously in both a physical theatre space and also within an online video game.
In the project the artist will be experimenting with creating a performance that occurs simultaneously both in a physical theatre space and also within an online video game, simultaneously engaging both real-world and virtual audiences through interactive technology and enhanced accessibility.
They want to experiment with situating gaming consoles within immersive technology such as LED screens, projection mapping and spatialised audio to merge the digital and the corporeal and create an environment in which both performers and audience can interact with each other in both the real world and in the virtual game space simultaneously. They are envisaging a fusion of the atmosphere and energy of an e-sports arena with the aesthetics and sensibilities of a Marina Abramovic Endurance Art event.
Imagine a team of 'players' on Playstations, with the live feed of their gameplay on giant LED screens behind them, as if they are taking part in a live marathon gaming twitch stream, but rather than performing a bank heist or taking down a crack commando unit, they are trying to get through a full production of a Shakespeare play. To do this "mission" the actors will need other players and they would like to experiment with how we invite anyone, either in the virtual world of the game or physical attendees in the theatre, to participate.
As a deaf creative, Pinny Gryllis also aims to extend and enhance accessibility for deaf and disabled audiences enabling anyone with a PlayStation and live captioning technology to engage in the performance themselves. They will also work with a BSL interpreter who will use 'visual vernacular' sign language in conversation with both the Shakespeare and the in-game emotes.
Experiment
£20,000
Aims of the Project
The main aim of this project is to learn more about the possibilities of ‘interactivity’ and ‘liveness’ through experimenting with the integration of traditional real world theatrical craft, online game spaces and immersive technologies.
The concepts of ‘liveness,’ ‘interactivity,’ and ‘accessibility’ are at the heart of the practice. These concepts form the connecting thread between each of the cultural spheres the artist has worked in: Documentary, Theatre, and Online Gaming.
In each of these fields, planning and preparation are crucial, but the very nature of ‘liveness’ and the opportunities given to other players for interactivity means there is always a potential for chaos, bringing excitement and drama. This forces the team to remain agile, responding in the moment. Through this project, the artist is excited to explore ideas of liveness further and adapt and expand the understanding of storytelling and audience interaction through the lens of immersive technologies.
As a deaf creative, I also want to learn to use immersive technologies to put accessibility at the heart of live performance, and prove that making provisions for Deaf/disabled performers/audiences does not have to be merely an afterthought, but can be an integral part of the theatrical experience.
Meet the artists
Pinny Grylls
Lead artist
she/her
Pinny Grylls co-directed Grand Theft Hamlet with partner Sam Crane and is the recipient of the 2024 BFI Chanel Filmmaker Award. The feature documentary won SXSW’s Best Feature Doc Jury Award, two BIFA Awards, and a BAFTA longlist nomination. Distributed by MUBI, it chronicles their Stage Innovation Award winning production of “Hamlet” performance within Grand Theft Auto.
Her short documentary, “Peter and Ben,” premiered at IDFA and won Best Doc at Aspen and LSFF. She’s also created documentaries for Channel 4, The Guardian, BBC/National Theatre, and Royal Opera House. Pinny is a proud member of the deaf community and lives in Hackney.
Sam Crane
Sam is an award-winning filmmaker, video artist and actor.
His debut film Grand Theft Hamlet won the Jury Award for Best Documentary Feature at SXSW, The Frontier Competition Grand Prize at DMZ Docs (South Korea), Best Documentary at Sitges, two British Independent Film Awards and was longlisted for a BAFTA. It was released theatrically in the UK and USA and is currently streaming on Mubi.
His short machinima film We Are Such Stuff As Dreams Are Made On won Critics Choice at The Milan Machinima Festival, Best Video Art at Athens Digital Arts Festival, was shortlisted for the Lumen Prize and longlisted for The Aesthetica Art Prize.
His production of Hamlet in GTA won The Stage Award for Innovation.
As a theatre actor he is known for starring in various West End and Broadway productions including Harry Potter and The Cursed Child, Farinell and The King and 1984.
He is also a prolific screen actor with recent credits including The Deal (Les Films Pelleas/Bande Apart), Napoleon (Apple), The Crown (Netflix), Transatlantic (Netflix), Van Der Valk (PBS), The Trial of Christine Keeler (BBC), COBRA (Sky), Poldark (BBC), Endeavour (ITV) and Call The Midwife (BBC).
He is a PhD candidate at The University of York’s School of Arts and Creative Technologies doing autoethnographic research into performance practice in real and digital spaces.
