CTRL + ALT + PLAY 2024

>BUY YOUR GENERAL TICKET < >BUY A PAID PERFORMANCE TICKET <

>Download high-res Timetable <

Good to know:

- You ALWAYS need a General Ticket to get access to the event.

- A general ticket gives you access to the ongoing program which includes Installations, talks and behind the scenes insights.

- TICKETS FOR THE LAST CHAPTERS AND PULSE ARE ON PRESALE

- PAID PERFORMANCE TICKETS FROM 13:00 - 16:00 ARE ON PRESALE

- PAID PERFORMANCE TICKETS FROM 16:00 - 20:00 ARE ON DOORSALE

After a groundbreaking edition last year, Innovation:Lab's prototype event, CTRL+ALT+PLAY, is returning! This year, on November 30th, De Paardenkathedraal, De Berenkuil, and De Snijzaal in Utrecht-Oost (Hoefijzerstraat) will once again be the platforms for technology, performing arts, and science. As Theaterkrant wrote last year: “CTRL+ALT+PLAY leaves you hungry and curious for even more space, even more depth.” Yes! We heard you!

This year’s CTRL+ALT+PLAY is ready to launch with a dynamic, diverse lineup of artists and genres, blending technology, performing arts, and science. As a prototype event, CTRL+ALT+PLAY will push the boundaries of creativity even more, giving visitors hands-on opportunities to engage with technology and art. Expect continuous programming, behind-the-scenes insights, and interactive moments where you become part of the technology.

The following artists and programs have been confirmed:

Pulse - AI & BALLET >GET TICKETS <

ALL ON PRESALE

In Pulse, Innovation:Lab and Dutch National Opera & Ballet, explores the intersection of human emotion and artificial intelligence (AI). This performance features a live Ballet-dancer wearing a motion capture suit, whose movements are translated into data. The AI interprets this data in real-time, generating dynamic visuals that mirror and enhance the performer’s emotional state. This collaborative interaction between humans, AI, and the audience pushes the boundaries of co-creation, exploring the ways technology can serve human expression.

About the Technology

Pulse relies on motion capture technology to capture the dancer’s movements, converting physical expression into digital data. This data is processed by AI, which translates it into an evolving visual landscape, where visuals respond in real-time to the dancer’s movements. The audience is also invited to participate, making the experience interactive and blurring the lines between spectator and performer. The use of AI challenges the traditional limits of performance art by integrating machine intelligence with human creativity, reflecting on how technology can enhance, or even transform, artistic expression.

URLAND - The Last Chapters: Lecture performance >GET TICKETS <

ALL ON PRESALE

In this lecture performance, Thomas Dudkiewicz and Tomas Loos, masters of storytelling, will take you on a journey to explore the infinite worlds created in their performance The Last Chapters.

The Last Chapters is an immersive headphone experience where the audience is placed in the center of the action. You are in the mind of Thomas, a comatose actor, as he is struggling to regain control of his subconscious. A storyteller drags you into a personal odyssey along the edges of the imagination and the Self. 
A battle between chaos and order > subconscious and narrative > life and death.

About the Technology

Using binaural audio, they create one of the most immersive experiences currently possible in theater. 
This lecture performance is a show and tell, where they show you scenes and explain the process behind and during the performance.

MARBLE LOOKS BACK >GET TICKETS <

First two performances on presale. The rest at the door on Nov. 30th.

Marble Looks Back is an interactive XR installation that blurs the lines between the physical and virtual worlds. At the center of this experience is Marble, a holographic game character, puppeteered by a live actor in virtual reality (VR). Participants are invited into a thought-provoking dialogue with Marble, exploring existential themes of human interaction through digital mediums. As both the character and the participant contemplate the allure of each other's worlds, this immersive performance questions our relationship with cyberspace and reality.

About the Technology

The installation employs XR (Extended Reality) technology to bring Marble to life. Using rear projection and live streaming techniques, Marble is projected as a hologram, interacting with participants in real-time through a puppeteer in VR. The integration of these technologies allows for a fluid, lifelike interaction between Marble and the audience, pushing the boundaries of digital storytelling. By combining elements like VR and interactive holography, Marble Looks Back serves as a showcase of how XR tools can enhance narrative depth in theatrical performances.

SANKOFA >GET TICKETS <

First two performances on presale. The rest at the door on Nov. 30th.

Step into the world of SANKOFA, an immersive virtual reality theater piece that transports participants through time and space. In this journey, you will accompany the Vreden siblings—Wanda, Gerald, and Steven—as they uncover the mysteries of their ancestral heritage. Set within the ancient African civilization of Bagadune, SANKOFA challenges participants to collaborate in unraveling secrets and understanding the past. With its message of empowerment and cultural reconnection, the performance invites audiences to explore their inner strength while forging a hopeful path toward the future.

About the Technology

SANKOFA is an immersive experience that blends VR technology with narrative storytelling rooted in Afro-futurism. Drawing inspiration from First Noble's literary work 'HIS STORY OF THE WORLD, L'HISTOIRE DU MONDE', the performance uses high-resolution VR to craft a vibrant and interactive world where participants can engage deeply with the story and each other. The immersive virtual environment allows audiences to explore cultural narratives and ancestral history, combining visual artistry and interactiveness to create an engaging experience.

VISITING CASEY >GET TICKETS <

First three performances on presale. The rest at the door on Nov. 30th.

In this immersive, interactive VR experience, we guide you through different kind of layers of reality using a range of technologies. You'll meet Casey, who spends days in the mental hospital— but which slowly fades before your eyes. Step by step, you are drawn into their life, thoughts, and world. What is Casey doing there? Who is Casey? But the biggest question: Who are you? This experience explores the complexity of identity and self-discovery, encouraging you to reflect on the layers within yourself and others.

About the Technology

Visiting Casey combines VR, A.I., and object mapping to create a fully immersive experience. With virtual reality, you'll step directly into Casey’s world, while A.I. enables dynamic, real-time interactions. Object mapping brings the physical space to life, transforming the environment into an interactive part of the narrative.

Trigger Warning: Visiting Casey explores sensitive themes related to mental health and features depictions of life in a mental hospital.

THE IMAGINARY FRIEND >GET TICKETS <

First four performances on presale. The rest at the door on Nov. 30th.

The Imaginary Friend invites you to take part in the vivid imagination of Daniel, a grieving eight-year-old struggling with the line between reality and fantasy.

Become Daniel’s imaginary friend and let him share his world with you. Discover his joys and anxieties, even help him fight his demons head-on. However, as you spend time together, Daniel’s surroundings don’t quite understand. Why is he talking to himself? Is he crazy? When his father intends to fix him, Daniel needs to figure out his feelings before disconnecting from reality completely…

About the Technology

With its unique point of view in storytelling and the latest technical developments in VR, The Imaginary Friend presents an intimate experience unmatched in the VR landscape. Daniel sees, talks and interacts with you, allowing you to form a deeply personal bond with the boy. Through interactive gameplay, you don’t only push the story forward but also actively participate in Daniel’s life.

CTRL +ALT+PEAK - Exclusive access to artists >Get Tickets<

New this year is our expert program: CTRL ALT PEAK, where you’ll have exclusive timeslots to engage in in-depth discussions with performing artists, creators, and technologists. This unique opportunity is available to a select group of professionals and enthusiasts from the performing arts community.

Good to know:

- A general ticket gives you access to the ongoing program which includes Installations, talks and behind the scenes insights.

- TICKETS FOR THE LAST CHAPTERS AND PULSE ARE ON PRESALE

- PAID PERFORMANCE TICKETS FROM 13:00 - 16:00 ARE ON PRESALE

- PAID PERFORMANCE TICKETS FROM 16:00 - 20:00 ARE ON DOORSALE

Stay updated by downloading the TMSQR app and following Innovation:Lab on Instagram.

Download the TMSQR App and add CTRL+ALT+PLAY to your favorites ANDROID APPLE

ONGOING PROGRAM >Get Tickets<

This ticket grants you access to the ongoing program, highlighted in pink on the event timetable. Which includes:

Exodus - Schets 1 Hotel Modern theatre company are internationally renowned for stage productions in which they bring thousands of miniature puppets to life. Now, for the first time, they have created a VR experience that places the audience right inside their scale-model world. War is a major theme in the stories Hotel Modern explore; for Exodus they drew inspiration from the recollections of refugees. Openstage A.I. - Exe.Tension Exe.Tension is a performance prototype by dancer, performance maker, and futurist Antti Uimonen, inviting audiences into a world where human and machine meet. Through expressive movement and multilayered projections, this piece explores the complex tension between human and digital forms, drawing audiences into a dance of the human and synthetic. From the tangible presence of the physical body to holographic forms and synthetic projections, the Exe.Tension delves into questions of how bodies transform, adapt, and evolve as they encounter and integrate with digital technology.Expanding on these ideas, Antti’s work with Artificial Intelligence invites audiences to reflect on the edges of our humanity, especially as we adopt technology in our pursuit of connection and augmentation. What does it mean to embody humanity in an age shaped by artificial intelligence? Openstage A.I. - ATTIC (G)HOST ATTIC (G)Host is a long endurance performance installation by Hendrik Walther and Tom van de Wetering. In this work in progress multiple AIs are hosting/reenacting/generating a 70s style talkshow in the attic of Paardenkathedraal, while talking about their dreams, memories, hallucinations and maybe even you. Join the (G)Hosts in the attic, roaming in nostalgia, haunting, lost in generating content in reaction to each other the whole day of CTRL ALT PLAY. Openstage A.I. - COMPANY What happens when your voice no longer belongs to you? Where do you end, and the other begins? And who holds the authorship over your thoughts?

Company is a live audio play for one person that draws from the audience’s own memories and voices. It explores the boundaries between self and other, human and machine, inviting participants into an intimate echo chamber where these lines blur and shift. A ghostly encounter that raises questions on identity, agency, and AI ethics.

This performance prototype emerges from Rebekka’s experiences as an artist experimenting with the AI toolkit and the challenges she faced within this experience. Is the artist working for the tool, or is the tool serving the artist? Who nourishes whom in this relationship? And how do we face the dilemmas that arise between ethical concerns and technical possibilities?

In-Depth Talk 1: Pioneering Processes Co-creating with technology requires a lot of new perspectives. On the focus and duration of the rehearsal period, on the way that an audience is invited, on the role of try-outs, play-tests and prototypes and on much more. Because technology is a needy collaborator, but also a great source of inspiration for not only what we make, but also how we make. How can we invite knowledge from other disciplines and expertises to show us these perspectives on collaboration? And what are the consequences of these new ways of making on the field of the performing arts? During this talk we dive into these questions. In-Depth Talk 2: Becoming Animated Animation comes from the Latin word for breath and soul (Anima). Working with objects, puppets and robots requires an understanding of what it means to come to life on stage. The boundary between what is living and what is liveless can become fluid. Breathing life into a robot on stage can therefore not only question how we think about this boundary, but also be an invitation to reflect on more-than-human ways of being. When do we regard an object or puppet to be animated, and how do material, scale and human form play a role? How does manipulating a liveless object inform how we can program robots? We discuss these questions and more with dr. prof. M.A. Bleeker who researches robots and devices from a dramaturgical perspective, and with theatrecompany Hotel Modern. They are experts on bringing non-human actors to life in their works, such as puppets, shadows and even shrimp. Dramaturgy for Devices Robots are increasingly part of our daily lives. They help provide medical care, care for our homes and gardens, and support education and the workplace. They are increasingly able to perform simple tasks and convey messages, but they also lack many skills needed for interaction and communication. Dramaturgy for Devices develops these skills in collaboration with theater and dance makers. Dramaturgy for Devices shows how the performing arts can contribute to innovative design tools and methods, and show the value of the skills and knowledge of theater practice for technological innovation. During CTRL+ALT+PLAY, PhD-researchers from Utrecht University, TU Delft, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and University of Twente will experiment with designing with and for encounters using the Rober robot. They will try their ideas about this ‘in the wild’, so be prepared to run into robots in the corridors.

The Photator

Join two friends or fellow participants to create a shared virtual story using The Photator. In this experience, you’ll photograph real objects and immediately use these images to build a virtual environment together. Imagine navigating a VR forest where the trees are created from photos of your own face. Work as a team to bring familiar objects into a new setting and shape a unique VR world with The Photator.

Marble Performance

See the performer from Marble Looks Back up close.

Tech Explained

Explore the tech behind Innovation:Lab experiences.

Fish Dance

Fish Dance When They Are Not Sleeping is an opera created for and performed by deaf artists who share the stage with hearing musicians. Light, video, sound, and vibrations bridge the gap between these two worlds. Using advanced motion capture techniques, generative visuals, and machine learning, a new language emerges. It makes gestures audible and music visible! This creates a unique interplay between the two groups.

At CTRL+ALT+PLAY there is an installation based on the full performance, where the audience can perform sign language, which is then visualized on screens. This interactive experience allows participants to explore the connection between gesture, sound, and visual art themselves.

Catering door Venster

At Venster, they work as much as possible with sustainable and consciously chosen products. By carefully selecting products and suppliers, and understanding how they operate, Venster is always able to secure the most honest and authentic products.

The neighborhood restaurant has a clear philosophy: good drinks and delicious food. The team is constantly searching for perfect combinations, taking everything into account—the guests who come in, personal preferences, the season, local availability, the latest song on the radio, and the neighborhood’s latest news.

With this in mind, Venster strives to review and adapt the menu daily, making sure it brings happiness not only to the guests but also to everyone at Venster, both in the kitchen and in the service. Don’t expect any fuss—just familiar dishes, where, if interested, you can learn exactly which farmer or supplier each ingredient comes from.