Troy Rainbow's groundbreaking VR theatre experience delivers an unforgettable journey into psychosis.
Australia’s first-ever virtual reality immersive theatre experience, The Door In Question, is set to mess with Melbourne minds again this May, offering punters a wild descent into altered perception that will leave you questioning what’s real.
Playing as part of Sleepless Footscray Festival, this boundary-pushing experience kicks off in a disused shopping centre before leading participants through multiple sites across Footscray, delivering an interactive psychological experience of psychosis through cutting-edge cross reality (XR) technologies.
The Door In Question
- 8 to 18 May 2025
- Various locations throughout Footscray
- Part of Sleepless Festival
Stay up to date with what’s happening in and around the region here.
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This isn’t your standard theatre fare. Audiences will experience different visions of the same trippy narrative through VR, interactive AI and other immersive tech mixed with live performance elements.
Being at the forefront of immersive theatre and XR entertainment, this mind-bending show aims to destigmatise the often taboo subject of living with mental illness.
The brain behind this bold experiment is producer Troy Rainbow, who created the show based on his real-life experiences living with mental illness. “The Door In Question comes from a deeply personal place,” says Rainbow.
“My mother had a diagnosis of schizophrenia, so the show aims to demonstrate how love can be expressed in a very fragmented state. The narratives are a combination of childhood experience and written notes, including remarkable birthday presents and cards I received from my mother. The VR content is an illustration of a childhood story she wrote for me.”
Developed in collaboration with UNSW, RMIT, Australian Council of the Arts, Creative Victoria and Councils City of Melbourne and City of Stonnington, the work tackles severe mental health issues by depicting them truthfully from both internal and external perspectives. Though developed with clinical psychologists, this is no clinical experience – it’s deeply rooted in truth and raw emotion.
By leveraging XR technologies, the production shows that delusion and truth can exist side by side for those living with mental illness – a reality that’s often misunderstood by the general public.
The Door In Question is just one highlight of the Sleepless Festival, set to take over Melbourne’s inner west this May.
Founded by local creatives Troy Rainbow, JJ Wilson and Alex Mansell, this two-week independent music and arts festival kicks off from 2 May 2025, featuring a diverse lineup of immersive experiences, theatre, comedy, film screenings and captivating art installations which showcase Footscray’s creative community.
For more information and tickets to The Door In Question, head here.
