Is it Digital Theatre, or what?!

Discover a new social storytelling app blending AR, game engines, and social media, where creators can shape complex narratives with participants and earn.

After my post the other week about The NoW trial performance and how that created everything about the app we are developing now, I wanted to talk more about the Digital Theatre App.

Or Social Entertainment App.

Or Social Storytelling App.

Or something new….

Honestly, we aren’t totally sure what category of app this will fall into. Or quite how to refer to it in a way that makes it explicitly clear what it is. Because it’s something totally new.

We do know it will be a ground-breaking format and outlet for creatives to tell stories in an immediate, engaging, easily consumed way. We are working hard to combine Artificial Reality, Game Engines and Social Media to achieve this.

And we know that the creators on the platform will earn from their stories.

And we know that the people seeing the stories unfold won’t be passive - they will be participants. They will be able to discuss the story live, engage with the characters, and in some cases even direct where the story goes.

And we know that we are building the app/platform with advanced accessibility standards too - because we truly want this to be available to anyone, anywhere.

We are also intentionally removing any of the addictive features of traditional social media - none of these biased algorithms hiding new voices and enhancing division, no auto-play and auto scroll of videos keeping you going and going and going and going and going and going and going and going…sorry…no targeted advertising picking on your weaknesses, no reactions creating a competitive environment, and no needy notifications dragging you back and back and back and back and back and back and back…I did it again.

But, what’s it going to be like, eh?!

Well…we don’t know yet! Ha!

We do…but…also we don’t.

There are some things we definitely know. And don’t worry, I will tell you them in a bit.

There are also some things we think we know and some things we don’t know.

We are developing the platform right now, currently working with a small group of Feathertree colleagues and experts to design a prototype, then we will open tha up to a group of Beta users worldwide to test it and provide feedback based on a series of creative challenges - which will help us to develop it into a fully functioning platform based on our future users’ needs.

And we will continue this user-led approach throughout our operations - even if this becomes a huge success. And we hope it does, because the world needs a creative outlet where we can all be free to create, tell and explore challenging subjects and fascinating ideas through fiction.

But, what’s it going to be like?

Like I said. Not totally sure. But here’s what we do know…

As a participant (someone watching a story), your experience will feel much like using a social media app. Discovering stories to follow will resemble a Netflix-style discovery screen, while following a story will feel a bit like joining a Facebook group. Mostly, you’ll open the app, scroll through posts, and comment on those that resonate with you. However, the key difference is that every post you see will be fictional—a small scene from a larger story.

Some stories might unfold over a day, some over a week, and others longer—we’re even planning a three-month-long performance. Some stories may feature a single character, while others will have many. You’ll always know which posts belong to which stories, much like recognising posts in a Facebook group. Each post will display a story icon as well as a character icon.

If you’re following multiple stories—which we certainly hope you will as the platform grows—you’ll have the option to see posts from different stories mixed together. They’ll remain chronological but will create a kind of cross-populated, blended fictional universe on your app. Alternatively, you can choose to view all posts from one story before moving on to the next.

For me, the most exciting part is that, as a participant, you’ll be able to comment on scenes from every story you follow. You’ll have the opportunity to discuss the scenes with other participants, engaging in conversations about both the production and the story itself. In some cases (where it’s planned into the narrative), you may even be able to influence the direction of the story. This will foster an amazing and immediate creative dialogue between performers and participants—something entirely new and incredibly exciting.

As a performer (and I use this term in the broadest sense, to include producers and creatives as well), you will be able to participate in stories created by others, just like a participant as described above. You will also have the opportunity to create your own stories. To do so, you will need a story to tell. Not everyone will have the ability to post freely—you will need a story with a rough production plan in place. However, we will support you in developing this.

Currently, we are working through some of the nuances involved in creating performances for this new format—for example, removing incidental music and studio lighting opens up space for new forms of subtext. In the future, we plan to release a prototype of the app to a group of Beta testers worldwide. They will participate in creative challenges designed to test the app and help all of us better understand this innovative format.

In addition to any real-world sets, locations, props, and costumes you choose to use in your storytelling, the app will be equipped with a suite of digital tools. These tools will allow for new approaches to production and make it possible to assemble stories at a lower cost.

The digital tools you will have at your disposal to tell stories in this new format are:

• 2d props - animated and static images to overlay on the camera feed, like a composite artist might do in post production - you will be able to design assets outside of the app, upload them and add them over the camera feed.

• 3d props - using artificial reality, we are able to upload 3d items (large and small) and place them in the real world through the camera feed, enabling you to build virtual sets or add virtual objects to real-world sets

• Virtual stages - connecting the app to game engine technology, you will be able to design and build 3d worlds outside of the app and connect these so that you can make live posts on the app from “within” these worlds - using artificial reality and background segmentation, multiple actors will be able to perform inside digital worlds.

• Digital costumes - using the face filter functionality we see in TikTok and Snap Chat, you will be able to build virtual costumes for actors - meaning that one person can play multiple roles and/or you can add advanced digital features and effects to the idea of costume.

All within the app. And all alongside traditional production approaches, blending the real world and digital.

And, as a performer, or production team, you will be able to generate revenue from this too. The payments model is something we are working out at the moment, and in time we will seek the input of creators to define how best to enable earning.

Which all means that long form complex narratives with layered characters can be experienced and participated in through sequences of short real-time scenes shared over weeks - making it easy once again to consume detailed stories in this information rich / time poor age.

But, this is much more than a ground-breaking digital social storytelling platform. It's also a carefully crafted movement towards a more empathetic, connected, and mentally healthy world.

Inspired by Jerome Bruner's cognitive psychology, where positive change lasts 22 times longer through story, our platform will amplify marginalised voices, and explore diverse experiences and vital issues such as mental health and discrimination.

From a struggling writer finding an audience to a young artist in a remote village sharing stories that resonate worldwide, we will bring people together, generate understanding, transform how stories are told and consumed, change the entertainment and social media landscape forever and, in turn, bring about positive change in the world.

If you want a sneak peak at the prototype app, watch this video. This is the development progress after 2 months - there is a lot more to do!