Over a hundred years ago Edward Gordon Craig predicted the future invention of a theatrical medium that would create more believable stage characters, which he termed the Ubermarionette. Since then animated 3D characters have been designed in digital media, but have yet to be fully realized in live theatrical performances.

My Mimesis & Mocap MFA thesis is a cross-disciplinary performance study in creating expressive and improvisational interaction between human performers and 3D characters, using motion capture technology, on a live theatrical or movie set. The two performances in the study, The Avatar Dance and The Magic Mirror Game, envision future methods of re-creating classic dance and pantomime gestures with a digital double, or avatar.

The Avatar Dance was performed as part of the UCSC DANM-Theatre Arts co-production of Stop the Press!, where it featured several gestural classics done for the first time between a performer and his 3D avatar in front of a live audience. The MFA thesis performance of The Magic Mirror Game in the UCSC DANM thesis exhibition further explores a virtual rendition of the classic Marx Brothers Mirror Gag, which is also played by the same actor and his digital double in a backstage dressing room between performances of Stop the Press!

This MFA performance study shows the vision or proof-of-concept for further PhD research in improvisational synthespians beginning fall 2010 in UCSCs Computational Cinematics group which is part of the Expressive Intelligence Studio. The authors intent is to form a new medium of theatrical entertainment: The Theatre of the Avatar. Concept, design, animation, and performance by Chris(Topher) Maraffi. Background music excerpts by Chris Molla, Harry Connick Jr, and Radiohead. More info: chrismaraffi.com