In the Summer of 2000, we won a grant from the Obermann Center at the University of Iowa to explore building a virtual theatre. My colleagues and I (Steven Beck, Project Manager for the Image Analysis Facility, and Barbara Zilles, Computer Consultant with the Advanced Research Computing Services ARCS) met that objective using a variety of software.

Our objective in the Virtual Theatre Project was to build an interactive computer model of the David Thayer Theatre, a flexible performance space on the University of Iowa campus. Like many theatre works, the product of our collaboration was a work in progress. But after thirty days, we built a site where one could do a virtual walkthrough using customized avatars, have an online production meeting or walk-through in the space, and download technical data about the theatre space.