UpStage

UpStage is a web-based tool for cyberformance (live online performance). Since its launch in January 2004, six international online festivals of cyberformance have been held in UpStage and many other events, performances, workshops and so on have taken place. As of 2017, UpStage is being completely rebuilt in order to take advantage of and be compatible with current technologies.

It is a audio-visual 2D cyberformance (online performance) environment wherein performers are represented with avatars, speech is displayed in cartoon bubbles and spoken out loud using text-to-speech functionality, and other digital elements are combined in real time. Avatars can be still-frames, animations or live video streams.

Audiences view and participate in live performance events by clicking on a link to open a web page, without having to download and install any additional software. Performers have a variety of tools at their disposal on the stage, which allow the manipulation of avatars, backgrounds, audio and so on. Players can also draw directly onto the stage in real time.

The original vision for this tool came from Avatar Body Collision, from our experiments with existing free chat software and our growing desire to hack these applications to better meet our artistic needs.

For information about shows, workshops and online walk-throughs (online training sessions), visit the UpStage home page.