Adam Cleaver has been awarded the prestigious TIGA Prize for Entrepreneurship at the University of Portsmouth for his work with Limbik Theatre. As part of his BSc (Hons) Computer Games Technology course Adam worked with professional actors from Limbik Theatre on an innovative theatre piece that was showcased at the Digital Catapult Centre in London.
The play, Fatherland, incorporated virtual reality and motion capture technologies enabling the actors to interact in real time in both virtual and real worlds. Using the Unreal game engine Fatherland’s theme of disembodiment and dementia in the modern world was explored in an entirely new way, giving the audience a unique experience. Working as a key member of a specialist team developing this exciting performance allowed Adam to draw on the skills he had been developing on his game’s course.
Further funding has been secured to expand Fatherland into a larger experience that can be taken on the road. Adam is part of the team bringing this new version Fatherland to the stage.
Adam Cleaver said: “Winning the TIGA award is a great honour; I’d especially like to thank all of those involved in the development of Fatherland. Working on Fatherland for my Final Year Project was an incredible experience. The combination of virtual reality and theatrical performance is ground-breaking.”
Dr Mark Eyles, Animation, Games and Enterprise Section Lead at the University of Portsmouth said: “Adam really has accomplished something unique with his work on Fatherland. Adam’s work on this technological project at the cutting edge of theatre experience demonstrates the importance of the expert skills our students gain and also the relevance of game technologies to many other industries.”
Alex Counsell, Principle Technician and Motion Capture Studio Manager at the University of Portsmouth commented on the first performance of Fatherland: “The overall response from potential investors and commissioners has been incredibly positive. The range of emotions and reactions from audiences to participants throughout the day was amazing, from laughter to tears.”
Dr Richard Wilson OBE, TIGA CEO, said: “I would like to congratulate Adam for his achievement, commitment and creativity. Adam thoroughly deserves the TIGA Prize for Entrepreneurship. Well done Adam!”