Exploring the use of a digital twin in theatre stage design

The rapid development of technology has brought new methods and tools to physical space planning, offering opportunities to save time and materials. We present a case study where virtual reality (VR) was used for previsualization in the design of a theater production. A digital twin, i.e., a virtual environment matching the exact dimensions and visual appearance of the physical theatre stage was developed. During the design of a theater production, the potential of the approach was evaluated together with theater design and production experts with different backgrounds. We report that VR has can play a useful role in the context of theater production design. Through VR headsets, the space was better perceived than with other tools, with those less familiar with the space benefitting the most. However, VR could not completely replace the traditional methods of theater stage design and should be used in conjunction with existing approaches.