City as Stage
Wednesday, February 24, 2016 - 5:00am

Monica Virtue and Poster of Midsummer Nights Dream at Stratford Festival
The research focus of Monica Virtue, a Digital Futures MDes (2016) Candidate, centers on the feasibility of developing a major digital multi-media exhibition for a prominent Canadian cultural attraction. Her study involves two industry and cultural partners – the Stratford Festival, an internationally-known repertory theatre company located in Stratford, Ontario, and Moment Factory, a creator of multi-media environments based in Montreal, Quebec. For this study, Virtue is investigating the potential for a Shakespeare-themed multi-media experience for the Stratford Festival, using a previous Moment Factory exhibition as a case study. The exhibition is Foresta Lumina, a night-time illuminated walk created in 2014 for Le Parc de la Gorge de Coaticook provincial park in Quebec. The Foresta Lumina installation combines storytelling about the area’s myths and legends with advanced digital technology such as projection mapping. Applying general knowledge gleaned from Foresta Lumina and other Moment Factory creations, as well as employing strategic business planning and foresighting techniques, Virtue's research focuses on areas of specific importance to the Stratford Festival: high-level storytelling possibilities that offer audience engagement; current resources and infrastructure, and potential partnerships with other organizations in the Stratford region. Working separately with representatives from both organizations, Monica Virtue is compiling her research into an interactive report that can be shared with the Stratford Festival, Moment Factory, and other stakeholders.
More about Monica: http://monicavirtue.com/
More about the Digital Futures Program: http://www.ocadu.ca/academics/graduate-studies/digital-futures.htm

The research focus of Monica Virtue, a Digital Futures MDes (2016) Candidate, centers on the feasibility of developing a major digital multi-media exhibition for a prominent Canadian cultural attraction. Her study involves two industry and cultural partners – the Stratford Festival, an internationally-known repertory theatre company located in Stratford, Ontario, and Moment Factory, a creator of multi-media environments based in Montreal, Quebec. For this study, Virtue is investigating the potential for a Shakespeare-themed multi-media experience for the Stratford Festival, using a previous Moment Factory exhibition as a case study. The exhibition is Foresta Lumina, a night-time illuminated walk created in 2014 for Le Parc de la Gorge de Coaticook provincial park in Quebec. The Foresta Lumina installation combines storytelling about the area’s myths and legends with advanced digital technology such as projection mapping. Applying general knowledge gleaned from Foresta Lumina and other Moment Factory creations, as well as employing strategic business planning and foresighting techniques, Virtue's research focuses on areas of specific importance to the Stratford Festival: high-level storytelling possibilities that offer audience engagement; current resources and infrastructure, and potential partnerships with other organizations in the Stratford region. Working separately with representatives from both organizations, Monica Virtue is compiling her research into an interactive report that can be shared with the Stratford Festival, Moment Factory, and other stakeholders.
More about Monica: http://monicavirtue.com/
More about the Digital Futures Program: http://www.ocadu.ca/academics/graduate-studies/digital-futures.htm