Exchange Talk: Art and Virtual Reality - Maggie Bain

Discover the challenges and opportunities new extended reality (XR) and motion capture technologies present for actors, traditional acting techniques, and the future of storytelling.

In this talk Maggie Bain explores how motion capture and extended reality technologies are fundamentally transforming performance craft and the actor-audience dynamic. Drawing on two decades of collaborative storytelling and their experience performing in AAA video games, immersive XR experiences, and live performance capture, Maggie examines how these technologies challenge traditional actor training whilst demanding new skills in nonverbal storytelling, environmental imagination, and physical precision. Maggie will explore the unique demands of performing in “the volume”—empty motion capture studios where actors must bring invisible worlds to life through pure physicality. They’ll demonstrate how traditional acting techniques translate into this digital space, and why “theatre in the round, filmed for screen” requires actors to rethink every aspect of their craft. The talk will also address the evolving relationship between performer and audience: from the RSC’s DREAM project reaching 65,000 people across 96 countries, to video game performances where millions of players actively shape the narrative through their choices.

How do we create emotional connection when the audience controls the protagonist?

What does co-presence mean when performance is mediated through avatars?

These technologies aren’t replacing traditional performance—they’re expanding what performance can be.

Maggie Bain is an actor, movement specialist, and performance consultant with two decades of experience in collaborative and physical storytelling. Over the last 5 years their work has taken them into the world of motion and performance capture for video games, film, and immersive XR. Credits include Dune: Awakening, and the RSC’s DREAM project. As founder of Glittermine, Maggie consults with drama schools including LAMDA and Guildhall School on integrating virtual production into actor training. They served as a Funding Assessor for UKRI’s £75.6m CoSTAR programme and are co-director of Shapeshifter, an interactive XR experience supported by the Arts Council and BFI.

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