Ugly Lies the Bone Mixes Virtual Reality with a Live Stage Play

Oct 1, 2016 04:00 PM

Person using virtual reality headset at a workstation, with others observing.

We've already seen how VR can have some therapeutic benefits, but not the dramatized version. A play called Ugly Lies the Bone emotionally examines how war veterans can heal (or at least treat) their PTSD using virtual reality.

Here's the official description of the stage play:

In a searing new drama, Jess is a young soldier who returns to her hometown with more than the emotional scars of war. Pursuing healing, Jess turns to a new virtual reality therapy to escape her physical and emotional pain and put the pieces of her life back together. Ugly Lies the Bone shines a light on the visible and invisible wounds of returning injured veterans.
— Alliance Theatre

The playwright, Lindsey Ferrentino, actually used real-life veteran experiences with SnowWorld, a virtual reality pain-relief application designed to help burn patients stay "cool" during physical therapy and wound cleaning, as inspiration for Ugly Lies the Bone.

While likely not the first stage play featuring virtual reality in its content, it's probably the first to actually start to utilize the technology. Although the show originated in New York last year, a production in Atlanta partnered with HTC where people can demo the Vive after seeing the show. They even use DeepStream VR in the demo, which makes a program called COOL! that is actually used in the treatment of PTSD with war veterans as described in the play.

DeepStream VR

While HTC presumably can't accommodate the entire audience, it's still a very interesting way to add depth and understanding to a dramatic play. Also, it's not a bad way for the residents of Atlanta to try out a Vive.

Ugly Lies the Bone can be seen at the Atlanta's Alliance Theatre at the Woodruff Arts Center from September 16 to October 9, 2016. Tickets range from $20 to $42, depending on the date and time. Make sure to stick around for the "AfterWords" event to see the Vive in action.

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Cover Image by Roundabout Theater

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