Artists and researchers alike are engaging with the possibilities and limitations of Extended Reality (XR) in the theatre. This exploration takes place on stages and in laboratories, on screens and in conversations—it involves both rehearsing and coding. It is as much an artistic-practical endeavor as it is a conceptual-theoretical one, requiring a strong interplay and interconnection between these two dimensions.

At the heart of the symposium is an interdisciplinary exchange between professionals from theatre, technology, art, and academia. In three expert panels, they will share their knowledge, experiences, and questions. The discussions will range from the aesthetic potential of extended realities to the practical challenges and solutions involved in integrating XR technologies into theatre production, ultimately outlining future perspectives for a “Theatre of Extended Realities.”

Program for the Day: Entry begins at 11:30 AM!

12:00–1:30 PM Panel 1: Artistic Perspectives – “XR Technologies Between Possibility and Isolation” Moderator: Sarah Buser | Panelists: Nils Corte (Extended Reality Theater Nuremberg), Nora Krahl (MIRlab), Charlotte Triebus, Anna-Teresa Schmidt (Staatstheater Karlsruhe)

In this panel, artists from various disciplines will discuss the aesthetic potentials and challenges of extended realities. What new forms of expression arise through XR? How does the artistic process evolve? And how can these changes be conceptually reflected and articulated? The focus will be on the merging of traditional artistic practices with digital technologies and the development of hybrid aesthetics between physical and virtual presence.

2:00–3:30 PM Panel 2: Techno-Practical Perspectives – “XR in Theatre: From Vision to Implementation” Moderator: Klaas Werner | Panelists: Nils Gallist (University of Applied Sciences Hagenberg), Jens Heitjohann (Theater im Depot), Rabea Kiel (Virtual Blackbox), Benjamin Seuffert (State Theatre Augsburg)

This techno-practical panel will shed light on the practical challenges and solution strategies involved in integrating XR technologies into theatre operations. Institutions, artists, and developers will share their project experiences and discuss technical innovations and their implementation in the live context of theatre.

4:00–5:30 PM Panel 3: Final Discussion – “Digital Technologies: Expansion, End, or New Beginning?” Moderator: Dr. Jonathan Harth | Panelists: Marcus Lobbes (Academy for Theatre and Digitality), Tina Lorenz (ZKM | Hertzlab), Dr. Michael Reitemeyer (Ministry of Culture and Science), Kay Voges (designated director, Schauspiel Köln)

To close the symposium, representatives from the fields of art, technology, theatre, and science will come together to discuss the future of a “Theatre of Extended Realities.” What lasting changes are XR technologies bringing to the theatre landscape? How can artistic vision, technological innovation, and theatrical tradition come together? What kind of support and funding structures are needed? How is XR changing the relationship between stage and audience? What stands to be gained—and what might be lost?

Free Entry Please register by August 28 at lina.prasch@theateranderruhr.de

The panelists and moderators:

Sarah Buser is a director, dramaturge, and programmer. In her work on participatory theatrical play installations, she combines narration, code, and fiction to make theoretical concepts and social phenomena interactively tangible. She has realized projects with institutions including Kunsthalle Basel, Theater Dortmund, Ars Electronica Linz, and Berliner Ensemble. She studied philosophy and German studies at the University of Basel and dramaturgy at Zurich University of the Arts. She was a fellow at the Academy for Theatre and Digitality, taught as a guest professor for VR and multimedia design at Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design in Halle, and currently teaches in the Master’s program for Play and Object at the Ernst Busch Academy of Dramatic Arts as well as in the Master’s program for Creative Technologies at the Film University Babelsberg.

Nils Corte is a German author, director, and creative technologist. He is currently the artistic director of the Extended Reality Theater at the Staatstheater Nürnberg, where he explores the potential of digital technologies in performative contexts. He has designed and developed numerous apps for theater. In 2022, he was nominated for the Faust Award for the production *Pan’s Lab* at the Staatstheater Nürnberg. His most recent works include *Ich hasse Menschen* (2025) and *Smart aber herzlich* (2025).

Nora Krahl is a director, cellist, and composer with a passion for contemporary music and experimental digital forms of music theater. Originally trained as a classical cellist, she later turned to musicology before dedicating herself to contemporary music, improvisation, and electronic composition, performing worldwide. Active in the performing arts since 2010, she has worked as a musician at Schauspiel Köln, Deutsches Schauspielhaus Hamburg, and Staatsoper Berlin. She has collaborated with Opera Lab Berlin and SHE SHE POP and has been realizing her own directing projects since 2016.

Charlotte Triebus works as a performance artist and choreographer. Together with her ensemble and development team, she researches the intersection of dance, art, and technology. Her artistic works and performances have been shown in numerous museums and festivals, as well as in international exhibitions. Charlotte Triebus combines artistic practice with theoretical research, specifically exploring the acting body, agency, and queer identity relations. Her work with text and poetry is part of a body of interwoven artistic pieces. In 2018, she founded the New Human Body Society. She lives in Cologne.

Anna-Teresa Schmidt studied theater, film, and media studies, German literature, and history in Vienna and Cologne. After internships in Cologne, Berlin, and Vienna, she worked for one year at Schauspielhaus Bochum at the intersection of public relations and dramaturgy. Starting in the 2017/18 season, she worked for seven years as a dramaturge for drama at the Oldenburg State Theater. As of the 2024/25 season, she has joined the Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe, where she works as a dramaturge in the new Digital Theater division alongside Artistic Director Kevin Barz, focusing on developing original pieces. The central themes are digital revolution and preserving the encounter between performers and audiences.

Klaas Werner works at the intersection of theater and media art. He is particularly interested in exploring the communicative and narrative potential of contemporary media. As a founding member of *Anna Kpok*, he has been developing theater games, on- and offline performances, installations, and interactive texts with the collective since 2009—works that can be described as *playful encounters*. *Anna Kpok* has collaborated with institutions such as Schaubude Berlin, Ruhrtriennale, Games Festival Munich, Theater Dortmund, Fidena, and Ringlokschuppen.Ruhr. Since 2015, Klaas Werner has also worked in various roles for *medienwerk.nrw*, designing and organizing funding programs, conferences, workshops, online series, and discourse events on contemporary topics in media art and digital culture.

Benjamin Seuffert studied Interactive Media at Augsburg University of Applied Sciences—a program combining design and computer science to cover all aspects of digital media design. He wrote his bachelor's thesis on "Virtual Reality for Theater" at the Staatstheater Augsburg and has been part of its digital division since the 2020/21 season. Since 2023, he has co-led the Digital Theater team with Lukas Joshua Baueregger. He also works independently as a video technician, software developer, animator, and lecturer.

Rabea Kiel (b. 1978 in Kiel) is a director and performance artist. As a lecturer, she supports artistic processes in theater and educational institutions. She collaborates artistically with Matthias Meppelink and the performance group *Monster Truck*. Her works have been shown at Schauspielhaus Bochum, Münchner Kammerspiele, Residenztheater, Theater Rampe, Ballhaus Ost, and HAU Hebbel am Ufer. Kiel works in the artistic duo *Kiel & Meppelink*, focusing on VR live technology. Since 2023, the duo has been developing the software *VIRTUAL BLACKBOX*, enabling mixed reality scenarios on stage and in live settings.

Nils Gallist is a 3D tech artist from Austria specializing in Web3, virtual production, and animation. As a member of the cyborg collective *minus.Eins*, he is active in the field of digital theater. In addition to his work as a tech artist, Nils Gallist teaches at the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria – Campus Hagenberg and is pursuing a PhD in partnership with the University of Regensburg in the area of mixed reality and spatial computing. His work often focuses on unconventional uses of emerging technologies, and he has a highly positive outlook on generative artificial intelligence.

Dr. phil. Jonathan Harth studied sociology, philosophy, and psychology at the Free University of Berlin and the University of Vienna. Since 2009, he has worked as a research associate at the Chair of Sociology at the University of Witten/Herdecke. His research interests include the sociology of digitalization (particularly extended reality and sociality under the conditions of machine intelligence), digital art production, and the sociology of religion (Western Buddhism). In addition to his academic work, he is involved in the project *Theater of Extended Realities* (NRW funding program Neue Wege), where he focuses on the design and application of digital technologies in virtual and augmented theater productions. More information: [jonathanharth.de](jonathanharth.de)

Tina Lorenz grew up in the Chaos Computer Club and studied theater studies and American literature in Vienna and Munich. She lectured on theater history at the Academy of Performing Arts Bavaria, later worked as a dramaturge at the Landestheater Oberpfalz, and eventually as a digital communications officer at the Staatstheater Nürnberg. From 2020 to 2023, she founded and led the Digital Theater department at the Staatstheater Augsburg. Tina Lorenz is a founding member of the hackspaces *metalab* Vienna and *Binary Kitchen* Regensburg. Since January 2024, she has headed the ZKM Hertzlab, the department for artistic research & development at ZKM | Karlsruhe.

Kay Voges was born in Düsseldorf in 1972 and has worked as a director for theater and opera since 1998, with productions at Schauspiel Dortmund, Oper Dortmund, Staatsoper Hannover, Schauspiel Frankfurt, Staatsschauspiel Dresden, and the state theaters in Darmstadt, Kassel, Magdeburg, Moers, Münster, Bonn, and Schauspiel Stuttgart. From 2010 to 2020, he was the artistic director of Schauspiel Dortmund, and in 2020 he became director of the Vienna Volkstheater. Voges has received multiple awards for his directing. His recent productions, such as *Die Parallelwelt* at Berliner Ensemble (2018) and *Don’t be evil* at Volksbühne Berlin (2019), exemplify his engagement with digital modernity. He founded the Academy for Theatre and Digitality in Dortmund, which opened in autumn 2019. Starting in the 2025/26 season, he will be the artistic director of Schauspiel Köln.

Marcus Lobbes is the director of the Academy for Theatre and Digitality, which was established in 2019 as the sixth division of Theater Dortmund. As director, he is in demand locally, nationally, and internationally for lectures and discourse formats. He is committed to building and supporting networks in the performing arts and to sharing artistic research on new technologies with theaters, educational institutions, policymakers, and the public. Since 1995, he has worked as a director, stage designer, and author in both musical and spoken theater. Since 2014, he has also been a regular guest lecturer at prestigious universities and academies in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. read less