My Name is Peter Stillman

Immerse yourself in the fractured and mysterious world of Daniel Quinn, the reclusive crime writer who unwittingly becomes the protagonist in a real-life thriller of his own. My Name is Peter Stillman is a brand new virtual reality experience, developed to a sit alongsie the stage production of City of Glass, allowing users to enter the world of Daniel Quinn before they enter the theatre.

Daniel Quinn in VR

The Oculus Rift experience combines hand-drawn animation and cutting edge VR technology to distort the line between reality and fiction, as the strange and haunting story of Daniel Quinn unfolds.

Created by 59 Productions, My Name is Peter Stillman is inspired by Paul Auster’s celebrated first novel, The New York Trilogy, considered to be one of of the great masterpieces of contemporary American fiction, and opened at HOME, Manchester from 17 Feb to March 18th and will run at the Lyric Hammersmith, London 21 April – 20 May, alongside the stage production of City of Glass.

The producers of the experience, 59 Productions, are the award-winning company of artists behind the video design of the Opening Ceremony of the 2012 London Olympic Games, the Tony Award-winning An American in Paris, globe-trotting hit, War Horse, and the design of record-breaking David Bowie exhibition.

Lysander Ashton, Creative Director at 59 Productions and director of My Name is Peter Stillman said:

“In many respects creating virtual reality experiences has more in common with theatre-making than with film production, so we are using our experience of integrating technology into theatre to explore the creative possibilities of VR. My Name is Peter Stillman follows on from the success of fabulous wonder.land a VR music video 59 Productions designed for the National Theatre which has gone on to be selected by leading festivals including Cannes and Sundance.”

This is what audiences in Manchester thought of the VR:

And here’s a trailer for the stage production:

International appearances

During 2017, My Name is Peter Stillman has entertained and intrigued audiences in New York and Geneva – and was in competition at the 74th Venice Film Festival.

Want to read more?

Lysander Ashton, Director of 59 Productions, talks set design, live video and projection mapping in our resource Technology as a storytelling tool

About this artist

59 Productions combine technology and art to tell amazing stories.

The company creates stage productions, museum installations, live music shows, large scale events and films, generating creative and technical ideas to help realise ambitious artistic projects.

59’s creative team covers a range of disciplines, including animation, filmmaking, writing, set, sound and lighting design. These diverse skills are combined with technical expertise and bespoke design to create exciting and innovative work for audiences of all kinds.