Uncanny Alley: A New Day stands as one of the three contenders for the Outstanding Emerging Media Program award at the Primetime Emmys.
This virtual reality theater experience takes place within VRChat, a social platform for virtual reality.
It finds itself in competition with Blumhouse Enhanced Cinema and The World of Fallout.
The live performance is situated in Uncanny Alley, a unique digital universe crafted by South African artist and worldbuilder Rick Treweek, who is known in virtual reality as MetaRick.
Participants take on the role of escaped detainees attempting to evade Adaptive Learning Industries, a company poised to erase the memories of its citizens.
Alongside two professional actors portraying 15 characters simultaneously, audience members must navigate their escape from captivity, dodge capture, and ultimately decide if they should leave Uncanny Alley or stand their ground in defense of their homes.
Every performance is a unique experience.
A project of passion initiated during Covid-19
Treweek developed Uncanny Alley in 2020 amid the stringent initial Covid-19 lockdowns in South Africa. With in-person gatherings prohibited, he created a virtual space where individuals could once again stand side by side – a cyberpunk-inspired alley of the internet.
The universe’s inaugural narrative experience, The Search for Gh0st, was featured at Venice VR Expanded in 2021 and earned the Spirit of Raindance Award in 2022.
In 2024, discussions began between Treweek and Ferryman Collective, a non-profit VR theater organization based in Los Angeles, about producing a live theatrical event within this universe.
Instead of utilizing the pre-existing world, Virtual Worlds Company created a brand-new setting for the performance: over 30 environments designed to operate on standalone Meta Quest headsets.
Partnership with Ferryman Collective
The immersive theater experience was crafted by Ferryman’s founders, Stephen Butchko and Deirdre V. Lyons, who took on roles in writing and directing. The technical director, Christopher Lane Davis, known for his work under Screaming Color, provided original visual effects and music, while also overseeing the live performance.
“Ferryman enhanced the Alley in a way that I couldn’t have achieved alone: live performance,” expresses Treweek.
“The most remarkable aspect for me has been witnessing actors inhabit characters that I had conceived and lived with for years, giving them life in real time. They enter that world night after night, making it come alive. What I contributed was the universe itself,” Treweek added.
“This nomination is a joint recognition, and it wouldn’t exist without both parts working together.”
Uncanny Alley: A New Day‘s additional successes
Uncanny Alley: A New Day made its competitive debut at Venice Immersive 2024, clinching the Fanheart3 XR Fan Experience Award. It has since been showcased at SXSW, Raindance Immersive, NewImages Festival, Augmented World Expo, and SIGGRAPH, also winning the XR Immersive Award at the Kaohsiung Film Festival in Taiwan, as well as Gold at the XRMust Awards, among various other honors.
The acknowledgment for Uncanny Alley, along with the previous recognition for The Lost Botanist, has empowered Treweek to embrace his uniqueness.
“My primary challenge has always been the belief that my work is too unconventional and won’t resonate with others, leading me to assume it’s meant solely for my enjoyment,” Treweek comments. “However, I eventually realized that it’s these odd, experimental projects that bring me the greatest achievements.”
Treweek, a native of Kokstad who has now settled in Kommetjie, plans to be present at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles when the winner is revealed on Saturday, September 5, 2026.
For South Africans looking to follow in his footsteps, he points to Electric South’s labs for guidance.
“They have done more for immersive content on the continent than anyone else,” he states.
