The popular VR comedy show Failed to Render is heading to Las Vegas, Nevada later this summer.
Professional comedian Kyle Render, first started hosting his Failed to Render comedy show on the socialVR platform AltspaceVR after meeting VR user Nappy (Jason Reichle) at a virtual house party that Reichle was hosting. During a conversation between the two, Render explained to Reichle that he was a stand-up comedian and that’s when it hit them. Render and Reichle both saw an opportunity to host comedy shows in VR, something no one was doing at the time. Reichle suggested they turn his home in AltspaceVR into a stand-up comedy club and the rest is virtual history.
That was March of 2020. Since then, Render has hosted well over 200+ Failed to Render shows, each of which filled to the brim with curious users eager for some virtual laughs. If you’ve never been to a Failed to Render comedy show, you’re missing out on a really fun time.
Building off that success, Render has announced plans for a hybrid comedy show which will take place digitally in AltspaceVR as well as in-person at the StarBase live venue in Las Vegas.
The show will be hosted by Render with the headlining comedian being Stephen Briggs (Laff Tracks, Coming to the Stage, Jokesters TV). Also slated to appear on the show is a solid lineup of opening stand-up comedians, including Billy Anderson, Al Gonzales, Gretchyn Boshart, and Kevin Munroe.
Without spoiling too much about the show, performing both on-stage and in VR will require Render and the comedians to wear VR headsets as they perform. Simultaneously, people sitting in the audience of both worlds will be able to see the other worlds through monitors placed strategically throughout both venues.
What is really unique about Failed to Render is that it’s the very first comedy show to start in VR and expand into the real world. For Render, however, this is more than being the first-ever hybrid VR/real-world comedy show; it’s a huge opportunity to promote VR as well as his passion for comedy.
During an interview with VRScout, Render, who wears multiple hats as the CEO/Host/Club Manager of Failed to Render, said, “The main point of this event is to show the world what we’re actually doing. We are looking for sponsorships and we are looking for investors. But people who have not experienced VR don’t fully grasp the situation,” adding, “So I have to put it in their face in a real-life situation, so they can fully understand that we are tapping an untapped market for stand-up comedy.”
When it comes to venues, Render already has a unique space in VR. Failed to Render’s AltspaceVR venue is the same one built by Finn Staber and the team over at Chicken Waffle, who Render met while Staber and Arron Lemke were working on their first version of the virtual platform Wave. As for the real world space, Render chose to work with the folks from Fresh Wata, the owners of StarBase, after being introduced to them through the owner of Dreamland.
During our exchange, Render did want to mention two other people who have helped him get his show to this groundbreaking point. Big Al Gonzales played a big role in helping Render by popping into VR while on tour and sitting in green rooms in physical comedy clubs to do quick sets for the Failed to Render audiences. And of course, there was Reichle, who pushed the comedy club idea from the beginning. His experience hosting events in AltspaceVR and some talent with Unity were really valuable to Render, “Without him, we wouldn’t be where we are today.”
The Failed to Render show has come a long way since its first shows in AltspaceVR. During that first show, Render tells me that he specifically told Reichle that they needed to unmute the audience so comedians could hear people laughing. According to Render, Reichle was caught off guard with this idea because this wasn’t standard practice at poetry open mics in AltspaceVR. Most VR shows had the audience muted. That idea wouldn’t work with comedy shows since comedians need those laughs to help gauge the crowd. Thankfully, that trend has started to change as more performers turned to VR as a way to connect with fans.
Of course, it’s not a comedy show without the jokes. If you are a comedian interested in performing on future Failed to Render shows, Render says don’t hesitate to reach out!
“We are the premier spot for stand-up comedy in VR, we have over 100+ professional comics from across the world that we brought into VR. Some comics buy a headset just to perform on our stage. All you need to do is send us a video of you performing stand-up comedy pre-pandemic, and have an oculus; to be considered to do the shows!”
The Failed to Render hybrid show takes place on Friday, June 25th at 7pm PST. You can RSVP in AltspaceVR here, or if you happen to be in Vegas, you can pick up tickets here. Tickets are $35 and include free drink tickets!
Moving forward, Render plans on hosting ticketed Failed to Render shows in VR every Saturday and a show in Vegas once a month at Starbase!
Feature Image Credit: Failed to Render
The post This Comedy Show Takes Place In Person And In VR At The Same Time appeared first on VRScout.
