US playwright Lindsey Ferrentino is bringing her play to the National Theatre’s Lyttelton Lounge for it’s European premiere, and alongside it will come a unique virtual reality (VR) experience called COOL!.
The play, Ugly Lies The Bone examines the use of virtual reality in treating PTSD. The story concerns a soldier returning from service abroad who uses the virtual environment to build her own world to escape her pain, and subsequently restore her relationships and her life.
COOL! Will be available for an hour after Ugly Lies The Bone performances. The installation is a partnership between the National Theatre Immersive Storytelling Studio, Firsthand and HTC Vive. Firsthand have been working on VR pain research for quite some time with leading scientists to create a VR therapy similar to the one used by the main character in Ugly Lies The Bone.
Researchers have found that VR can be helpful in providing pain relief and that immersion is the key. The deeper the immersion, the more the user seems to be able to reduce their pain.
Peter Frølund, Vice President of VR (Europe) at HTC said; “Jess’s story in Ugly Lies the Bone is really powerful and it is a brilliant way of showcasing some of the amazing things that people are using Vive for right now. It is important that people realise that VR can be and is already used for so many purposes other than gaming. Whether that is in medicine, treatment of PTSD or education, we want people to broaden their horizons and make the most of VR to improve and enrich lives.”
Ugly Lies The Bone will be running at the National Theatre until 6th June.
VRFocus will continue to bring you information on VR installations and projects as the come in.
