Interactive theater in Hamm: Experience money, morality and virtual reality!

Interactive theater in Hamm: Experience money, morality and virtual reality!

A new interactive interactive theater project entitled "Monetopolis Hamm" will take place from May 16 to June 6, 2025 in the Kurhaus Bad Hamm. This project, which is implemented by Greibraft.theater in cooperation with the cultural office of the city of Hamm, receives funding from the Gütersloh Culture Secretariat and the Ministry of Culture of North Rhine-Westphalia. "Monetopolis" addresses the complex moral implications of money and uses innovative technologies such as augmented reality and gaming elements to involve the audience in the plot. Spectators: Inside, VR glasses carry to enjoy the fully immersive experience of about 90 minutes.

The project is primarily aimed at young people and young adults from the age of 14. The ticket prices are attractive, with only 5 euros for students: inside who can purchase their tickets in the cultural office or online at Kultur.hamm.de . On site, a deposit is required for the use of VR glasses.

appointments and venues

The exact performance dates are as follows:

• 16. May at 7 p.m.
• 17. May at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.
• 18. May at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.
• 5. June at 7 p.m.
• 6. June at 7 p.m.
• School presentations on June 5 and 6 at 10 a.m.

"Monetopolis Hamm" fits into a larger context of projects that use augmented reality and virtual reality in the cultural sector. An example of this is the completed project "Im/Material Theater Spaces", which was headed by Franziska Ritter and Pablo Dornhege and funded by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and Media. This project dealt with innovative theater techniques and developed virtual laboratories that should support students from the Berlin University of Applied Sciences. The use of VR to simulate the stage design, lighting technology and acoustic measurement opened new learning opportunities in theater practice.

technological innovations in the theater

The theater ensemble Nico and the navigators also break new ground with augmented reality. In her play "You have to render your life!" Trotting performers: Interaction with digital twins via AR glasses, whereby the avatars are based on previously recorded movement data. This type of artistic use represents a premiere in the performing arts and shows the potential of AR for the theatrical representation. The development of open source software like the AR_LOOPMAHINE helps to further facilitate the use of AR glasses.

The interlinking of traditional theater forms with the latest technologies is becoming increasingly important. "Monetopolis Hamm" is not only a step in this direction, but also an invitation to the younger generation to actively deal with the topics of money and morality, while at the same time experiencing the possibilities of virtual and augmented reality in the cultural area.