Comedy shows and virtual reality, a promising duo? – rts.ch

The 33rd edition of the Montreux Comedy Festival is held until December 3. It offers numerous stand-ups by Swiss and French-speaking artists. If virtual reality has not yet made its way into comedy shows, it could soon appear there.

Virtual reality, already used in dance or music shows, could make its appearance in comedy shows. One more step in the world of laughter that will allow you to attend a stand-up, without moving.

Equipped with virtual reality glasses, the public will be able, from their home, to stroll through a prefabricated digital decor; on the moon or in a submarine, or even on a yacht in Cannes, all while laughing at the jokes of his or her favorite comedian. A way of making an audience passive, active and therefore in a certain way also a bit of an actor.

Technologies still too expensive

Grégoire Furrer, founder of Montreux Comedy and Lillarious (Lillois humor festival), shares on RTS all the possibilities offered by this type of technology: attending stand-up comedians who are physically at the other end of the world, develop the show in the visual universe of its choice; whether it’s a classic theater scene, the planet Mars, or why not… the Moon!

At the Montreux Comedy Festival, whose 33rd edition is held until December 3, no show of this type will however be offered. The reason? The cost:

Humor does not have the means today to put money into this type of technology. It is likely that in two, three years, the techniques will be much cheaper and at that time you will be able to have a hologram that will come to play in your home. You can spend an evening with Gad Elmaleh who plays for you, in your living room.

Grégoire Furrer founder of the Montreux Comedy Festival

An experience that will never have the power of live

Despite all these advantages, the comedy festival founder admits that the experience will never be as powerful as ‘live’ but that it is an interesting and fun alternative for spectators who may or may not move.

A prediction that sounds like music for the future given that, for the time being, a pair of virtual reality glasses costs more than 3000 francs. While waiting for the virtual comedians to arrive, we can still – phew – fall back on comedians in the flesh!

Subject radio: Virgine Langerock

Adaptation web: Layla Shlonsky

_{Montreux Comedy Festival, until December 3.}