SPACE EXPLORERS: THE INFINITE is Coming To The Midland Center

Midland Center for the Arts will present the exclusive Midwest Engagement of Space Explorers: THE INFINITE, an immersive theatrical experience in partnership with NASA, for four weeks only January 25-February 23, 2025. Since its world premiere in Montreal, the experience has dazzled audiences in Houston, Charlotte, Denver and West Palm Beach, attracting nearly 500,000 visitors to date. Critics and audiences alike are unanimous: it is something you will never forget! 
 
The INFINITE offers a transformative adventure for visitors roaming freely inside a full-scale 3D replica of the International Space Station (ISS), for 45 minutes exploring the astronauts' living quarters and admiring the breathtaking sights of Earth that only a few have ever seen before – all without ever leaving the ground. Visitors can embark on this journey in immersive outer space on their own or be paired up with family or friends to share the same journey.
 
“It’s mind blowing, without ever leaving the floor. You entirely feel part of something bigger than yourself. We are thrilled to be hosting the exclusive Midwest engagement,” says Jon Loos, Midland Center for the Arts CEO.
 
As visitors wander through the virtual ISS wearing helmets, they have the opportunity to witness some 60 different encounters, including floating in the cosmos with the astronauts outside the space station looking down on the vastness of Earth. Other experiences include watching the astronauts’ daily activities like getting haircuts, playing ball, drinking their liquid rations, possibly even witnessing a food fight in space. Visitors can choose their own path—whether it’s stepping into the astronauts’ world through interactive moments or simply soaking in the views and witnessing life in space as it unfolds around them. Since there are a multitude of engaging experiences, visitors can come multiple times and have entirely unique experiences each time they visit.
 
“This is a must-see exhibition, one that offers the experiencer true agency in making his way through it. At a time when ‘immersive’ has become an overused buzzword, it’s nice to find an attraction that actually fits the definition.” John Thomason, Boca Magazine
 
Set inside the Midland Center’s Hall of Ideas, the experience is an extension of the Emmy-award winning series Space Explorers, The ISS Experience, the largest ever production filmed in space. Shot over a period of three years, using 360-degree cameras on the ISS to document the life and work of the astronauts living in orbit, the project also included recording the world’s first spacewalk with VR cameras. The recording process was complex because the astronauts had to balance their work all the while acting as their own film crew and the subject of the documentary, with the team supporting them from Earth. Additionally, filming the first ever VR spacewalk required building a camera capable of operating in the vacuum of space on a spacecraft flying at 17,500 miles per hour.
 
“All astronauts who have gone to space have expressed how profoundly transformative the experience was. We believe that cinematic VR is the perfect medium to transport millions of people to outer space and allow them to experience what crews encounter during their missions. This approach was completely unprecedented.” Félix Lajeunesse, Co-Founder of Félix and Paul Studios and Chief Creative Officer of Space Explorers: THE INFINITE.

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