Overview

Theatre ARchive is a collaboration project with the world-renowned La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club in New York City to enhance visitors’ immersive experiences in La MaMa Archive with augmented reality (AR). Established in 1961, La MaMa maintains an environment of uncensored creative freedom for artists. Since the early 1970s, La MaMa Archive has expanded its digital collection of photographs, papers, production footage, show files, and more. In addition to the existing one, our goal is to create a window to the archive and to expand access to its rich artistic heritage through Web AR interactions. The product we create could be used for potential fundraising later to build more similar experiences.

Our team includes Jingyuan Fang as our UI/UX designer, myself (Shan Jiang) as the producer, Yutian (Ray) Xie as the 3D Artist & Graphic Designer, Zongze (Damian) Xie as the narrative & UX Designer, and Bokang Wang as the solo programmer. Our clients are Ralph Vituccio and Mia Yoo, the Artistic Director at La MaMa. We had additional help from Billy Clark (Artistic Director of Culture Hub), Jaehee Cho (CMU ETC alum from 2016, Creative Director of Orta Interactive), Sophie Glidden-Lyon (Manager of Digital and Special Projects, La MaMa), and Ozzie Rodriguez (Director of Archive, La MaMa).

Throughout the semester, we customized different interactions for five selected archive items and categorized them into three types. The first category is to make guests become performers with Na Haaz Zan masks and Loco7 pink puppet. The second is to augment info for the La MaMa Collage on the second floor of the archive. The third is to bring artifacts alive with the La Marie Vison poster and the Carmilla bench.

What went well

Planning and organization

The project began with the identification of a clear scope and set of goals. Early on, the team conducted research on the La MaMa Archive and its history, as well as on AR technology and best practices for its use in cultural heritage contexts. Based on this research, the team developed a plan for the project, including the items to work on, a timeline, list of deliverables, and travel plans to visit La MaMa Archive.

Content Accuracy

One of the key aspects of the project was closely working with the staff of the La MaMa Archive to ensure the accuracy and authenticity of the content included in the AR application. The team spent a significant amount of time reviewing and verifying the information provided by the archive and worked closely with the staff to ensure that the AR experiences accurately reflected the history and culture of the La MaMa.

Launch

The project was successfully completed and launched on schedule. The AR application received a positive response from guests during ETC Festival. The application provided a new and engaging way for guests to explore the La MaMa Archive, and the team received feedback from guests who appreciated the opportunity to learn more about the history and culture of the La MaMa Theatre.

What could have been better

Technical challenges with Web AR

The development phase was particularly challenging, as the team had to overcome technical issues related to the integration of AR technology with the web platform. The team worked closely with 8th Wall and Geenee AR to resolve these issues and ensure that the application was stable and user-friendly.

Client Check-ins

The team could have improved was in the frequency and timing of check-ins with the clients. In hindsight, it would have been beneficial to schedule more frequent and earlier check-ins with the staff of the La MaMa Archive, especially Ozzie, to ensure that the project was on track and meeting their expectations. This could have helped to address any issues or concerns earlier in the process and speed up the iteration of textual content instead of doing it during the last 3 weeks.

COVID-19

Another challenge faced during the execution phase was a shortage of team members at one point in the project. Due to COVID-19, two team members were sick for 2-3 weeks and were unable to dedicate as much time to the project as originally planned. This led to a temporary slowdown in progress, but the team was able to adapt by redistributing tasks and working more efficiently to meet the deadlines.

Conclusion

Overall, the project was a success and the team was able to achieve its goals. However, there were several lessons learned that could be applied to future projects.

One key lesson was the importance of closely working with clients to ensure content accuracy and authenticity. By spending a significant amount of time reviewing and verifying the information provided by the La MaMa Archive, the team was able to create an AR application that accurately reflected the history and culture of the organization.

Another lesson was the importance of scheduling more frequent and earlier check-ins with clients to ensure that the project is on track and meeting their expectations. This can help to address any issues or concerns earlier in the process and ensure that the final product accurately reflects the needs and goals of the clients.

Finally, it is important to be flexible and adaptable when unforeseen circumstances arise, such as a shortage of team members. The team was able to overcome this challenge by redistributing tasks and working more efficiently.