To illustrate the long-term experience with virtual spaces, I mention the theater production Kroes, in which children can go on an adventurous boat trip as a sailor. With the stories of Jules Verne as an inspiration source, they make a journey on a ship without a captain.

Kroes is a mixture of theater and an interactive video game. The children steer the ship themselves, determine the route, pick up objects along the way and operate all kinds of on-board instruments. This creates a collective virtual reality experience that is guided by the choices of the young sailors.
The virtual environment was created in the game engine Unity 3D (the first ever theater production to use it) and arose from a search to bring an audience as deeply into immersion as possible.

Kroes played at several theater venues and festivals such as Bronks Festival (Brussels), Tweetakt (Utrecht) and Jonge Snaken (Bruges) ao.

Concept & scenography: Kristof Timmerman / video & virtual environment: Stef Deneer / final director: Jef Van Gestel / actor: Valerie Vertenten / actor: video Michel Van Looveren / sound design: Wannes Deneer / with support of Laika, the Flemish government & City of Antwerp.