Testing new technology is one thing, but getting artistic professionals—especially non-technical ones—to adopt it for their everyday routines is another. This is where The Finnish National Opera and Ballet has succeeded. 

“This is a creative tool. And I love it,” says Javier Torres, Artistic Director at the Finnish National Ballet.

Virtual Stage opens up a world of limitless creative possibilities, allowing creative teams to experiment without physical constraints. As choreographer and director Reija Wäre puts it, “If I were to describe Virtual Stage to someone who has never heard of it, I would call it a living dollhouse you can play with.” 

Removing Bottlenecks with Virtual Stage

Virtual Stage marks a turning point in how stage productions are conceived and executed. Traditional production methods such as relying on scale models have remained unchanged for centuries in art forms like opera and ballet. Hannu Järvensivu, Head of the Virtual Stage Project at the Finnish National Opera and Ballet, explains, “We pursued this project for two main reasons: to remove production design bottlenecks and to improve the quality of our stage productions.” 

Leveraging 3D visualization tools, Virtual Stage creates a fully functional digital twin of the main stage and auditorium, complete with integrated management systems for lifting bars, lighting equipment, and other key functionalities. This shift to a virtual environment offers countless benefits. 

“The first major success of Virtual Stage came when we co-produced a performance with Malmö Opera,” adds Hannu Järvensivu. “Despite differences in stage size and shape, the tool enabled seamless adaptation without requiring physical modifications. We’ve effectively replaced the 800-year-old tradition of using dollhouse models, allowing us to verify entire productions before physical construction begins.”

Providing Unlimited Creative Freedom

“Artistically, there are moments when you need to take risks and experiment, even if you’re not sure it will work. It can be easy to get overexcited with the set, but in ballet, there has to be space for dancing”, Reija Wäre explains. She currently works for La Vie En Rose, a ballet about the life of Édith Piaf, that has its world premiere in the Finnish National Opera and Ballet this spring.

“With Virtual Stage, you can actually test out new ideas, cue all the elements, listen to the music, and see if a set becomes too busy. I’m glad I was able to use Virtual Stage to get rid of artistic mishaps before people tried it. ”

Timo Tuovila, Technical and Production Director at the Finnish National Opera and Ballet, elaborates further. He shares that Virtual Stage allows creative teams to engage in the design process earlier: “We can avoid costly mistakes by testing ideas virtually rather than spending 7,000–10,000 hours building sets that might not work. We estimate this could save up to half a million euros per production.”

Adding his perspective, Thomas de Mallet Burgess, Artistic Director at the Finnish National Opera, shares, “Younite Virtual Stage offers far greater flexibility than traditional methods. One feature I’m especially excited about is the ability to view the stage from any audience perspective. Now, we can gain a comprehensive understanding of the production’s impact.”

Reduced Carbon Footprint

Virtual Stage not only opens up creative possibilities—it delivers numerous benefits throughout the entire production process. For example, while working on the world premiere of La Vie en Rose, the team discovered through Virtual Stage that some planned elements wouldn’t work as envisioned. “Thanks to the tool,” Javier Torres shares, “we quickly adjusted the design, saving hours of technical labor. In another case, changing the angle of set pieces for better visual impact took mere seconds virtually, whereas it would have taken hours on stage.”

Reflecting on her own experience on La Vie En Rose, Reija Wäre explains, “I find Virtual Stage very practical and concrete. It’s easy to understand, ‘this is a piece of set’ and ‘this is how it moves.’ Different words mean different things, so you might not explain it in the best way.”

By streamlining design and enhancing communication, Virtual Stage significantly improves remote collaboration. This is essential for bringing together teams that are spread across the globe. Thomas De Mallet Burgess highlights these added sustainability benefits: “For example, in a recent production with a team from New Zealand, Australia, and the UK, we worked together virtually, saving on travel costs and reducing our carbon footprint. Early indicators suggest significant savings on resources, time, and expenses.” 

In 2024, the Finnish National Opera and Ballet won the Sustainability Award at Opera Awards. The Virtual Stage tool played a big role in this.

Concluding on Virtual Stage’s transformative potential, Javier Torres remarks, “I am confident that Younite Virtual Stage will become essential for opera and ballet houses worldwide. It promotes creativity, saves resources, and facilitates global collaboration, ensuring high-quality productions with fewer risks and greater efficiency.”

Transform Your Production with Younite Virtual Stage

“Ultimately, Younite Virtual Stage is a tool for eliminating bad decisions, improving production quality, and supporting sustainable practices. Our collaboration with Younite has been very exciting. Their expertise in virtualization, artificial intelligence, and cloud technologies complements our theatrical knowledge, bringing theatrical expression to a new level.” - Hannu Järvensivu, Head of the Virtual Stage Project at Finnish National Opera and Ballet

Younite Virtual Stage was created to bring live performance production planning to the next level. It allows users to collaborate from anywhere, at any time using mobile, desktop or XR. Developed for Unreal Engine and now in USD format, this platform enables high-quality visualization. By streamlining collaboration and minimizing reliance on traditional scale models, users can bring their ideas to life long before production even begins.

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Interested in telling your story with Virtual Stage? 

Younite will participate in the Nvidia GTC conference in San Jose from March 17-21 , as well as the Opera Europa Conference in Barcelona from March 15-18. Come and meet us for more information, or let’s start a conversation today.

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