turning the unknown into possibility
Mission and Background
Mission
Our mission is to diversify the theatrical industry through our production which consists of a cast and crew predominantly from the BIPOC community. We also aim to expand the lens of storytelling in theatre with this piece by presenting the history and wonder of an African Queen (Nefertiti) in a landscape that tends to favor the heroes versus the heroins. In addition to elevating storytelling with the themes we have mentioned we want to do so by incorporating new tools such as augmented reality to engage audiences for sustained periods.
Background
The Nefertiti Experience was born out of the desire to produce groundbreaking theatre in a safe and feasible way during the onset of the pandemic. After receiving funding from the Toronto Arts Council and The Canada Arts Council in 2021, Writer, Director and Creator Debbie Deer worked diligently with a small crew for 3 months to make the virtual film Nefertiti (The Beautiful One Has Come) possible. Along with her Production Manager Paige Bultje and Virtual Reality Director Jason Spanu the dynamic trio tranformed a fur coat hanger in downtown Toronto into a green screen studio in 3 months.
Our total budget for this production which consisted of a cast of 11 people and a crew of 15 folks was a total of $50,000CAD. For the next iteration of this pilot, with additional funds and resources, we are targeting a much more extensive budget to bring the production value to global, industry standard.
Toronto Fringe Festival
After 3 years of working diligently to produce Nefertiti (The Beautiful One Has Come) on a world stage, our production, The Nefertiti Experience was thrilled to be accepted into the Toronto International Fringe Festival. Although we were grateful for the opportunity to be a part of such a prestigious and community oriented festival, we withdrew from the lottery to pursue returns that would support the scope of this production. With a focus on increasing our funding and sponsorship, we look forward to participating in the Toronto Fringe Festival in the near future.
Currently, we are garnering funding to facilitate a wide scale production in 2024. With the emergence of XR technology and popularity of global, immersive venues such as The Secret Location and interest from venues like The Harbourfront Theatre, we are excited about the possibilities for running our production this year.
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performance and xr conference
The Performance and XR Conference Feature and Partnership
The PXR and Debbie Deer Productions (DDP) team are passionate about creating meaningful access to IBPOC content creators. In November 2021, PXR Conference was the first to feature Nefertiti (The Beautiful One Has Come). Creators Debbie Deer, Jason Spanu and Paige Bultje spoke about the process of mixed reality hybrid theatre production.
For the past two years, PXR Conference and DDP partnered with Creative Lab North, Flipside XR and York University, expanding their fellowship incubator to include an increased cash award, a paid mentorship and a three-month incubator program from January - March 2023. Creator Debbie Deer is also a guest instructor at York University co-creating a beta test for the worlds first Hybrid XR Theatre program.
