Rise of the Rainbow
In a unique and moving way, Rise of the Rainbow brings powerful stories of love, courage, and struggle to life from both the Dutch and international LGBTQIA+ community. This immersive journey takes you through the past, present, and future — vividly portraying the highs and lows of Queer history. The story of Rise of the Rainbow is told through an innovative blend of physical and virtual worlds; life-sized decor, augmented reality content, spatial audio soundscapes, smell zones and live theatre.
Throughout the experience, you step onto the stage yourself, moving through a colorful, abstract city made up of giant inflatable objects in rainbow hues. Wearing an AR headset, you are guided through personal stories and pivotal events such as the first Pride protests of the 1960s, the suffering and loss during the AIDS crisis, and the powerful voices of today’s activists fighting for the rights of trans and intersex people around the world.
In small groups, you are accompanied by performers from the LGBTQIA+ community. Through art forms such as dance, poetry, and music, the experience explores social themes like freedom, desire, activism, and friendship. It culminates in a collective finale, where past and present come together and you are invited to reflect on your own place and role in this ongoing story.
Not less than 72 visitors can participate in the same time for which the design team created a unique platform in which all scenes can be controlled synchronously. Visitors can see the each other and both the physical space and virtual layers, so Rise of the Rainbow wasn’t created as an individual but collective XR experience. This system, the technology ánd scenography, is now also available for new immersive experiences.
Rise of the Rainbow was premiered at International Theatre Amsterdam during Pride Amsterdam, July-August 2025. It is the ambition to make a tour through Theatres and locations/festivals for immersive experiences in 2026 and 2027 even as to create a European version in collaboration with European LGBTQIA heritage and location partners. Also the re-use of the technical system and set-up for new stories and scenographies is part of our ambition.
Agenda
29 juli – 3 augustus 2025 at ITA Amsterdam
10 – 12 oktober 2025 at Chassé Theater Breda
Immersieve Theater Experience
2025-2026
Een initiatief van
DROPSTUFF MEDIA, Theater van de Heelheid en Nederlands Instituut voor Beeld & Geluid
In samenwerking met
ImproVive, Hogeschool Utrecht, IHLIA LGBTI Heritage, Internationaal Theater Amsterdam en Chassé Theater Breda
Mede mogelijk gemaakt door
Cultuurloket DigitALL, Amsterdam 750, Het Cultuurfonds, Gemeente Amsterdam, Club Church
In samenwerking met makers, kunstenaars en activisten
Rik van de Westelaken, Elmer / Merel Pauw, Eva Kröse, Charlotte van den Reek, Joost van Bellen en Sander Stenger, Dottie Punt, Paul Haenen en Daan Smeelen
Muziek: Marc Alberto
Video: Ard van der Veldt
Fotografie: Maarten van Haaff
