A play with no actors on stage? That's the bet behind the world's first play in mixed reality

"When a stranger smiles at you, you smile back. That is why, when Sir Ian McKellen ( The Lord of the Rings, X-Men, Amadeus) walked on the stage in front of me, looked me straight in the eye, and smiled at me, I smiled back. It was the polite thing to do. It was also completely unnecessary, because McKellen was not actually on the stage in front of me. He smiled at me through a pair of special glasses."

"The reason for this unusual social interaction is called An Ark, which bills itself as the first play to be created in mixed-reality. Using Magic Leap glasses, the play blends the physical world with the digital realm, creating an unusually intimate theater experience. Opening January 21 at The Shed-the arts center in Manhattan's Hudson Yards- An Ark tells a story of humanity through the perspective of four unnamed characters speaking to you from the afterlife."

"The characters-played by McKellen, Golda Rosheuvel of Bridgerton fame, Rosie Sheehy (a Welsh stage and screen actor, known for her work with the Royal Shakespeare Company,) and Arinzé Kene ( a British actor and playwright who originated the lead role of Bob Marley in the West End musical Get Up, Stand Up!) -appear to sit in a semi-circle that you, a member of the audience, are part of. From the second they appear on stage, their eyes peer straight into your soul as they talk directly to you for the length of the play, which lasts 47 minutes."

"The illusion, which some might find disconcerting, is that each member of the audience is the center of the attention. In a purely physical world, this conceit would be impossible to realize unless the play were performed privately, one audience member at a time. But with the help of technology, it was convincing enough to elicit an unconscious smile from me-until my brain caught up to the trickery and the magic spell broke."

An Ark uses Magic Leap glasses to merge physical space with digital projections, producing a mixed-reality theater experience. The production opens January 21 at The Shed in Hudson Yards and features four unnamed afterlife characters who appear to include each audience member in a semi-circle. Performances run 47 minutes and feature actors such as Sir Ian McKellen, Golda Rosheuvel, Rosie Sheehy, and Arinzé Kene. The augmented actors make direct eye contact, prompting social responses like an unconscious smile and creating the sensation that each audience member is being addressed individually until the technological illusion is recognized.

Read at Fast Company