Immersive Theatre Company Opens Multi-City AR Experience This Winter

The production turns 6,000-sq-ft storefronts into “living graphic novels” where guests wearing 45-gram AR visors see 4-D characters, interactive props and branching storylines that adapt to audience choices. Unlike virtual-reality attractions that isolate participants, Verse’s mixed-reality stack overlays motion-tracked holograms onto the physical room, eliminating motion sickness while preserving communal theatre dynamics.

Market timing is favourable. The global immersive entertainment sector is projected to reach USD 413 billion by 2030, with immersive theatre advancing at a 24.2 % compound annual rate—faster than VR cinemas or escape rooms, according to a November 2025 industry analysis.

Mixed-reality installations are expected to outpace VR-only attractions as the dominant technology layer before decade-end, propelled by lighter headsets, 5G edge rendering and rising post-pandemic demand for communal yet contact-light experiences.

Each Verse venue operates on a turnkey “box” model: a centrally produced software package pre-loaded with venue-specific lighting cues, spatial-mesh maps and local actor voice tracks. The modular system lets two cities share a continuous storyline while tailoring cultural references—Cincinnati’s chapter features an underground Prohibition tunnel, Owasso’s weaves in Cherokee oral history. Both sites open Dec. 5 and run through March 2026, with tickets capped at 24 participants per 75-minute slot to maintain narrative intimacy.

The rollout also addresses sustainability pressures facing touring companies. A recent study by Softmachine calculates that decentralized immersive launches cut CO₂ emissions by up to 70 % compared with traditional single-site premières that fly cast, crew and press to one location.

Verse leases vacant retail space near high-footfall dining districts, reducing new construction and activating under-used real estate during the retail sector’s seasonal lull.

Tickets go on sale Nov. 25 at $39–$59 depending on peak time. Group bundles and corporate buy-outs are available, a segment that now accounts for 31 % of Verse’s revenue and is growing twice as fast as single admissions. The company expects the winter run to serve 18,000 guests across both cities and to license the dual-market format to four additional U.S. metros in late 2026.

Launched in 2021, Verse Immersive designs location-based augmented-reality narratives that merge theatre, gaming and visual art. The company operates permanent and seasonal venues in Ohio, Oklahoma and Arizona, and licenses its holographic-theatre platform to museums, science centres and real-estate developers. Verse is privately held and headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio.