The ear as a window – how 3D audio expands the stage

What happens when the audience immerses themselves in the action via headphones? What level of experience does acoustic proximity open up?
Director and author Christiane Mudra stages investigative theater evenings on highly topical social issues, including those outside of traditional theater spaces. In her productions "Selfie & Ich" about mental illness in a meritocratic society and "The Holy Bitch Project" about domestic sexual and digital violence against women, she uses 3D audio to bring the audience closer to the protagonists' experiences.
The immersive sound was developed by Martin Rieger (VRtonung). In close collaboration with Christiane Mudra, an acoustic dramaturgy was created based on the text version and original sound recordings, condensing authentic testimonials, spoken dialogues, and psychoacoustic elements into an emotionally immersive listening space.
A central element of both productions: the audience wears headphones throughout the entire performance. This creates an intimate proximity to the protagonists. Voices move around the head, sounds flicker up close, acoustic perspectives shift. In addition to the stage action, another space emerges in the ear – personal, collective.
We will present sound examples, reflect on the challenges and opportunities of this form, and report on audience reactions. This lecture is aimed at anyone who understands sound not just as an effect, but as a narrative tool—and who wants to know how to create theater for the ears.

Christiane Mudra (director, author and founder of investigative theater)

Christiane Mudra is a director, author and founder of investigative theater. For more than 10 years, the core of her productions has been journalistic long-term research on political topics such as right-wing extremism, surveillance and misogyny. For many years she has been working with digital means and interactive formats, often outside of traditional stage spaces. Most recently shown in Munich and Berlin were "The Holy Bitch Project" about domestic, sexualized and digital violence against women; "Selfie & Ich", an evening about mental illness in a meritocratic society; and "Hotel Utopia", an interactive board game about the value of passports in the control tower of Tempelhof Airport. In 2024, BETA, her first music theater production about the threat to democracy posed by Big Tech, premiered in the carpentry workshop of the Deutsche Oper Berlin. She was artist in residence at the Biennale di Venezia and directed a production in Brazil. Her film The Holy Bitch Project screened at the 2023 NYC Independent Film Festival. For “No Complainant – Nazi Lawyers and Their Postwar Careers” (2019), she filmed interviews with 10 contemporary witnesses from Germany and Israel, including the prosecutors of the Eichmann and Auschwitz trials, in order to make them visible in Munich’s urban space using augmented reality and an app.

Martin Rieger (VR sound)

Martin Rieger is a 3D audio specialist and founder of VR toning, a studio for immersive soundscapes. His focus is on the development and implementation of live experiences with spatial audio – primarily for headphones, but not exclusively. Whether in the context of events, installations, or immersive formats: he makes 3D audio tangible where it gets right under your skin.

With his blend of technological expertise and creative implementation, he has already realized numerous immersive audio experiences – for brands such as Audi, BMW, and the German National Tourist Board. At conferences, on his blog, and on social media, he shares his knowledge and demonstrates how 3D audio can transform our perception – beyond the mainstream music and Dolby Atmos. His specially developed 3D Audio Matrix helps with strategic thinking and practical implementation of immersive applications to unleash their full potential.