Kiira Benzing's FINDING PANDORA X To Have North American Debut At SXSW Film Festival

International award-winning director and virtual theatre pioneer Kiira Benzing will have the North American premiere of her award-winning immersive theatre experience Finding Pandora X at the renowned SXSW Film Festival.

The interactive VR theatre production is an Official Selection of the Virtual Cinema Spotlight and will receive 3 performances between March 16 - 20, 2021. In addition to the live performances, Benzing, joined by select cast and crew, will be featured on the SXSW Live Session "Performing for New XR Audiences".

Finding Pandora X was the first live virtual reality performance in history to win a Lion at the Venice International Film Festival last year and Benzing hopes to make history again at the prestigious cultural SXSW Film Festival this March. Winner of "Best VR Immersive User Experience" at Venice, Finding Pandora X fuses live theatre with virtual reality to create an interactive performance for audiences to not just watch, but to become a character in the story.

When audience members step inside the vast virtual world of Mt. Olympus, they are transformed into members of the Greek Chorus and must help the gods find hope before it is too late. The Greek Chorus along with the seemingly immortal gods are in danger of disappearing if they cannot recover the box of hope taken by Pandora in time. In this spellbinding, branching narrative adventure, audiences collaborate across imaginative worlds for an immersive performance unlike anything they have experienced before! Join the Broadway-studded cast of the Virtual Repertory Theatre, Director Kiira Benzing, Double Eye Studios and HP in Finding Pandora X.

"The myth of Pandora feels more timely today than ever before. The power of ancient stories follows us through time. But stories are powerless without an audience. We are excited to push the Virtual Reality experience further by bringing live Broadway caliber performances to the virtual world which can be experienced by a live, virtual audience. Although our cast appears as avatars, they embody characters and enchant us with a true sense of liveness. My work has always included a focus on the power of community and social connection. Live Theatre, using Social VR gives us the ability to gather in a world that is forever changed. May this production bring hope to this current generation," said Kiira Benzing, Director of Finding Pandora X

"We are proud to be working with Kiira Benzing and Double Eye Studios again this year. Their ground-breaking storytelling is uniquely positioned to connect global audiences by tapping into the power of HP's virtual reality technology we are able to create, connect and collaborate," said Joanna Popper, Global Head of Virtual Reality for Location Based Entertainment at HP

Finding Pandora X features a remote cast that includes Jonathan David Martin (Broadway's War Horse, NBC's "Believe") as Zeus, Pamela Winslow Kashani (Original Broadway cast of Into The Woods, "Star Trek: The Next Generation") as Hera, Deirdre Lyons (Tyra Banks "Model Land," The Under Presents: Tempest) as Coryphaeus, Jenn Harris (Off-Broadway's Silence! The Musical, Modern Orthodox - Lucille Lortel Award & Theatre World Award) as Hermes, Hilary R. Walker (Off-Broadway's When Yellow Were The Stars On Earth) as Iris and Grace McLean (Broadway's Natasha, Pierre...Great Comet of 1812) as the Oracle.

Finding Pandora X is written by Alyssa Landry and is produced by Double Eye Studios (Kiira Benzing, Lara Bucarey, Chris Dawes, Alyssa Landry) with Executive Producers: Joanna Popper (HP), and Apples & Oranges. The creative and technical team includes Mark Sternberg (Technical Producer / Lead Developer), Christopher Toppino (Technical Producer / Virtual Cinematographer), Alyssa Landry (Narrative Director / Writer), Manny Marquez (Associate Producer), MC Mangum (Stage Manager), Thierry Boulanger (Composer), Sadah Espii Proctor (Sound Design), Luis Lundgren (Virtual Art Department Supervisor), Beth Kates (Lighting Designer), Vaughan Schmidt (Developer), LS Garvey (Additional Text) and Rea Goldson, Polygonal Mind (Character Designers).