As the XR spotlight beamed across Raindance Immersive 2025 this June, audiences and innovators converged around the year’s most boundary-pushing virtual storytelling experiences
Among them, Agile Lens’ A Christmas Carol VR stood proudly as a finalist in the Best Immersive Theatre category, marking a milestone in the evolution of live virtual performance.
While the coveted title ultimately went to the stunning Scarecrow: Rekindle, created and co-directed by Sngmoo Lee, Agile Lens’s entry captivated attendees and critics alike with its fusion of Dickensian nostalgia, cutting-edge performance capture, and next-gen theatrical form.
Winners were announced in live VRChat ceremonies, where nominees, jurors and audiences from around the world gathered in avatar and sprite form to celebrate immersive storytelling inside the medium itself.
A Finalist Worth Celebrating
A Christmas Carol VR was one of only a handful of global productions selected for this year’s Best Immersive Theatre shortlist – no small feat given the strength and diversity of 2025’s programme. Agile Lens, already known for blending architectural design with virtual storytelling, brought to life a reimagined Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol where live actors, MetaHuman avatars, and real-time audience interaction coalesced within a finely tuned Unreal Engine 5 performance environment.
Their proprietary avatar control system, paired with Meta Movement body tracking and Quest Pro facial and eye capture, enabled dynamic, multi-character storytelling—with actors Ari Tarr and Debbie Deer seamlessly stepping into Dickens, Scrooge, and the Spirits across each session. The intimacy of 20-person performances allowed the magic of live theatre to resonate deeply, even inside a virtual headset.
Congratulations to the Winner – Scarecrow: Rekindle
The top honour of Best Immersive Theatre was awarded to Scarecrow: Rekindle. Directed with haunting beauty and delicate design, its win is a testament to the creative heights immersive theatre continues to reach.
We extend our warmest congratulations to the team behind Scarecrow: Rekindle – a deserving win in a field defined by daring innovation and heartfelt experimentation.
The Value of Visionaries
As official media sponsor of A Christmas Carol VR, Instinctively Real Media salutes Agile Lens for bringing timeless storytelling into virtual space with vision and soul.
“Their blend of human performance and real-time digital puppetry shows how far we’ve come – and how far we’re still going,” said Siobhán Greene, Founder of Instinctively Real Media. “Agile Lens represents a model of artistry that transcends mediums and time zones alike.”
This production lends credence to the idea that VR theatre isn’t just spectacle – it’s a legitimate, interactive storytelling medium capable of resonating deeply with global audiences and decision-makers in the XR world.
Why This Matters
This VR production exemplifies theatre’s evolution – melding emotional storytelling, actor-driven artistry, and interactive digital presence. Agile Lens proves that virtual theatre can be theatrical, human, and deeply immersive, affirming VR’s potential beyond gaming and into cultural significance.
Instinctively Real Media sponsors A Christmas Carol VR 2024: Agile Lens pioneers the future of live immersive theatre
Instinctively Real Media is a proud media sponsor of A Christmas Carol VR
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