WATCHOUT set for OZ 2.5

How do you ensure a classic like the Wizard of Oz appeals to a young, tech-savvy audience in the 21 st century? The South Coast Repertory in California found the answer with OZ 2.5, a modern-day adaption which sees Dorothy playing a game called OZ on her iPad. When the tornado hits, Dorothy is sucked up into the video game and a whole new world. ”My job was to create that world,” says LA-based projection designer Kaitlyn Pietras.

In OZ 2.5, Pietras used WATCHOUT as the media server for all the video content in the production with Spikemark automation software integrated to map the video to the set as it moved. ”WATCHOUT is a critical part of my workflow when I am designing,” Pietras explains. ”I program the content to make changes as quickly as possible. During tech rehearsals for OZ 2.5 I had to make a lot of adjustments on the fly which is one of the strengths of WATCHOUT.”