Dive In: Crafting Immersive Storytelling Experiences

Debbie Bandara is the Artistic Director and founder of Award-Winning Forest Tribe Theatre, a carbon-neutral, immersive dance theatre company. She is a director & choreographer making work audiences with additional needs as well as mainstream neurotypical audiences. Recent works include making an immersive show called “New World” delivered in specials schools using 5G and haptics as part of Creative XR (Digital Catapult). With a background in Artificial Intelligence (BSc hons), she has created A.I eye-tracking data sets to determine unique storytelling outputs. Giving her audiences agency over the narrative of the theatrical piece. She also works in collaboration with organisations including Manchester International Festival, Royal Exchange Theatre and Folkteatern Gávle, Sweden. She has a keen interest in A.I. embodied storytelling and integrating new immersive technologies within the creative industry including Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and haptic technology. She is a lecturer at SODA (School of Digital Arts) based in Manchester. She has over 20 years’ experience of UK & International Touring. She is the former Associate Director & choreographer for The Oily Cart. She is England’s Champion of IIAN (International Inclusive Arts Network) She ran Makers for the Royal Exchange Theatre Young Company. Her background is in BSc (hons) in Artificial Intelligence with European Studies.