Expanding Characters and Performance
Since 2017, The Virtual Acting Studio has been exploring how rapid technological change expands the field of character and performance.
The studio researches, creates and questions this field, where human, virtual, AI-driven and humanized robotic systems redefine how characters emerge, how presence is experienced, and how emotional response is produced — moving between speculative fiction and lived reality.
Not a replacement for human actors, but an expansion of the evolving craft of acting.
R & D
Creation
Education
A pioneering practice
The Virtual Acting Studio was founded by filmmaker, performer, and researcher Cassandra de Klerck.
Emerging from a filmmaking practice rooted in storytelling, character creation, and performance, the studio was established as a space for exploration, experimentation, and the development of new creative possibilities. At its core lies a fascination with creating believable characters that move people.
The Virtual Acting Studio emerged from curiosity and imagination—and from an encounter with AI during the development of a speculative VR film in 2017. This moment raised a central question: what does this technology mean for the craft of acting and the creation of character?
Rather than keeping distance from these emerging systems, Cassandra began working closely with them—exploring both their creative potential and their ethical tension as they unfolded in practice. This approach continues to shape the work, moving between what is familiar and what is still uncertain, and between fiction and lived reality.