Coeurage Partners with Marble AR for “The NOMAD Project”
Acclaimed LA Playwrights and Screenwriters Bring Site-Specific Stories to the Ear. Partnering with Marble AR for Real World Integration
Coeurage has announced the launch of its new initiative of our immersive, location-specific storytelling experiences, The NOMAD Project. The first endeavor under the new artistic leadership of Joseph V. Calarco and Amanda McRaven, it debuts with nine individual audio stories by 10 Los Angeles playwrights and screenwriters. We have partnered with SXSW 2020 Hackathon Winner Marble AR for real-world, augmented reality integration at all of the locations used. The application allows digital "time capsules" to be anchored to physical spaces and accessed via the Marble AR smartphone app.
Inspired by the idea of geocaching — the international hobby of crowd-sourced treasure-seeking at specific GPS coordinates — we assembled an impressive array of 10 Los Angeles-based playwrights and screenwriters to each write an eight-to-twelve-minute radio play set at a specific, accessible spot on the map, using that existing location as a pre-built set design. Whether a person is in Hollywood, Malibu, or Sun Valley, there will be at least 10 minutes of storytelling nearby that can be enjoyed in person, safely and on one’s own time, or about 100 minutes total — the average length of a Coeurage stage production. And if any patron prefers to stay at home, all of the spots are available on our interactive map.
The founders of Marble AR, whose work focuses on merging the digital world with social storytelling experiences, were excited by the idea of collaborating on The NOMAD Project. The company offered Coeurage's audiences greater accessibility for how the content can be consumed, allowing it to be accessed outdoors or through a tailored interactive map on Coeurage's website. Audiences looking for the in-person experience can access The NOMAD Project’s “Marbles” using Marble AR’s app, where they will appear when users are physically near each story’s setting.
The writers are (in alphabetical order) Boni B. Alvarez, Kate Bailey, Mark Brown, Meghan Brown, June Carryl, Aaron Fullerton, Tom Jacobson, Ann Kimbrough, Roger Q. Mason, Shahrook Oomer, and Yael Zinkow. The cast features (in alphabetical order) Chris Aguila, Ellie Aviles, Richard Azurdia, Chelsea Boyd, Joseph V. Calarco, June Carryl, Provvidenza Catalano, Anthony Cloyd, Rogelio Douglas Jr., Zehra Fazal, Katelyn Gault, Adrian Gonzalez, Ashley Kane Hanna, Mark Jacobson, Margaret Katch, Nardeep Khurmi, Jay Lee, Jully Lee, Junot Lee, Kerr Lordygan, Jane Lui, Nicole Monet, Katie Pelensky, Christopher Salazar, Sammi Smith, William Christopher Stephens, Randy Thompson, and Betsy Zajko.
The NOMAD Project is produced by Cristina Gerla, Katie Pelensky, Katelyn Gault, Joseph V. Calarco and Mark Jacobson, with sound design and augmented reality coordination by Calarco.
