Lepoil adds that Tamanoir had noticed the constraints and limits of VR in a theatre setting, particularly in the way that participants could connect with each other. "So the idea was to remove this technology but find a way to keep the same quality of immersion and interactivity. That's why we started to use sound—as Remi said, the imagination is the best graphical rendering engine available."

Tamanoir was founded in 2017 by Lepoil, who has a background in interactive design and theatre, and Large, who had a previous career as a dancer followed by work in cinema. FestMag caught up with the friendly Lepoil and Large when they were in Hong Kong last September preparing for their 2023 Jockey Club InnoArts Series performances titled First Steps that are a spiritual successor to The Castaways, but with some notable differences. In the Hong Kong shows, created with the assistance of local artists including dramaturgist Enoch Cheng, audience members can register to be a participant when they purchase a ticket. They will be guided on stage by audio cues over headsets and will be joined by professional dancers while they perform in front of other audience members.

"The concept of the Hong Kong shows is about 'first steps'," Lepoil says. "We spent three years in a kind of secure environment putting up defences not only against COVID-19, but also against each other. We have lost touch with what it's like to take risks and to be open to each other. And so we want to offer the audience, the members of the public, an opportunity to take their first steps on stage as a way to feel once again what it's like to take risks."

Large adds: "We want everyone to feel safe on stage. We want everyone to feel welcome. And so we start with really easy and simple instructions. And after that, when everyone feels more confident, we introduce more of the instructions that are more open to interpretation and people can express themselves more at the end of the experience. But it's gradually evolving during the show."