Over Coffee® is on holiday hiatus. Please enjoy this reposting of one of our top episodes of 2023!

With virtual reality, Ferryman Collective offers a whole new approach to storytelling.

While they're technically a group of theatre professionals who create live-performance experiences in VR, the actual experience goes far beyond that description.

When you sign up for one of their experiences, you have been "cast", as part of the story.

And for audience members, the performance can go far beyond simply experiencing great storytelling in 360. Some viewers say these experiences have changed their lives!

Performers and producers Deirdre V. Lyons and Stephen Butchko are the co-founders of Los Angeles-based Ferryman Collective. They’re also a husband-and-wife creative team.

We had the pleasure of experiencing both their 2022 multiple award-winning live show, Gumball Dreams, and The Severance Theory: Welcome to Respite, earlier this year. Both incredible experiences, yet very different--however, the common denominator was audience interactivity.

Ferryman Collective's most recent show, "Find WiiLii", Episode 1, had its world premiere at SXSW 2023.

And with 2024 just a matter of weeks away, here's where to subscribe to their newsletter, to see what's next!

Deirdre and Steve shared the story of Ferryman Collective, some insights into the creative process in virtual reality, and some of the ways their audiences have re-evaluated their lives after experiencing their shows.