Exploring mixed-reality immersive performance making by combining theatre devising and human-computer interaction methods.

Lakeside Arts and Makers of Imaginary Worlds proposed the creation of a Digital Playground, a mixed-reality immersive performance for children and families. This practice as a research project focuses on developing a hybrid methodology to create such an event, combining established theatre-making methods with human-computer interaction tools to improve the implementation of immersive technologies in artistically meaningful mixed reality events. A key consideration will be to analyze how an interdisciplinary mixed reality performance-making methodology can fit in the current theatre-making and technologists' ecosystems regarding established practices and ideologies, and how we can overcome relevant unproductive tensions and prejudices. The research outcome will help groups of theatre makers and technology experts explore the narrative potential of immersive technologies in mixed-reality performances.

Theatre devising is an established framework for collaborative performance creation, diverting from placing the playtext at the top of the performance-making hierarchy and providing the opportunity to incorporate novel elements in performance. Although established theatre-making methods such as Viewpoints can assist performance-makers in leveraging theatrical craftsmanship in performing, narrative devising, and liveness, they require additional mechanisms to explore the untried narrative potential of digital technologies.

Human-computer interaction can provide such processes, including User Experience Design, Wizard of Oz methodology and Interactive Narrative Design. However, combining frameworks of theatre making and HCI design will require a deep understanding of the particulars of both fields, exploring points of convergence and identifying areas of tension and ideological deviation. The research insights will emphasize the relevance of theatre-making and human-computer interaction methods, bridge methodological gaps, and support the future creation of engaging and meaningful mixed-reality artistic events.

We will collaborate with over 40 partners drawn from across FMCG and Food; Creative Industries; Health and Wellbeing; Smart Mobility; Finance; Enabling technologies; and Policy, Law and Society. These will benefit from engagement with our CDT through the following established mechanisms:

- Training multi-disciplinary leaders. Our partners will benefit from being able to recruit highly skilled individuals who are able to work across technologies, methods and sectors and in multi-disciplinary teams. We will deliver at least 65 skilled PhD graduates into the Digital Economy.

- Internships. Each Horizon student undertakes at least one industry internship or exchange at an external partner. These internships have a benefit to the student in developing their appreciation of the relevance of their PhD to the external societal and industrial context, and have a benefit to the external partner through engagement with our students and their multidisciplinary skill sets combined with an ability to help innovate new ideas and approaches with minimal long-term risk. Internships are a compulsory part of our programme, taking place in the summer of the first year. We will deliver at least 65 internships with partners.

- Industry-led challenge projects. Each student participates in an industry-led group project in their second year. Our partners benefit from being able to commission focused research projects to help them answer a challenge that they could not normally fund from their core resources. We will deliver at least 15 such projects (3 a year) throughout the lifetime of the CDT.

- Industry-relevant PhD projects. Each student delivers a PhD thesis project in collaboration with at least one external partner who benefits from being able to engage in longer-term and deeper research that they would not normally be able to undertake, especially for those who do not have their own dedicated R&D labs. We will deliver at least 65 such PhDs over the lifetime of this CDT renewal.

- Public engagement. All students receive training in public engagement and learn to communicate their findings through press releases, media coverage.

This proposal introduces two new impact channels in order to further the impact of our students' work and help widen our network of partners.

- The Horizon Impact Fund. Final year students can apply for support to undertake short impact projects. This benefits industry partners, public and third sector partners, academic partners and the wider public benefit from targeted activities that deepen the impact of individual students' PhD work. This will support activities such as developing plans for spin-outs and commercialization; establishing an IP position; preparing and documenting open-source software or datasets; and developing tourable public experiences.

- ORBIT as an impact partner for RRI. Students will embed findings and methods for Responsible Research Innovation into the national training programme that is delivered by ORBIT, the Observatory for Responsible Research and Innovation in ICT (www.orbit-rri.org). Through our direct partnership with ORBIT all Horizon CDT students will be encouraged to write up their experience of RRI as contributions to ORBIT so as to ensure that their PhD research will not only gain visibility but also inform future RRI training and education. PhD projects that are predominantly in the area of RRI are expected to contribute to new training modules, online tools or other ORBIT services.