Averno: How a TikTok Became a Transmedia Universe

In the fall of 2019, theatre artist and writer Morgan Smith created Averno - an immersive, interactive universe of interlocking musicals, comics, novels, and virtual reality centered around a single town. When COVID-19 hit, the team expanded to include 60 other artists from 14 countries. They shared one goal: create a form of theatre-oriented media that is not only producible in the COVID era, but that thrives in it. Averno has exploded into an online phenomenon: over 200k followers, tens of thousands of participants in online events, millions of streams, and a thriving virtual community committed to reckless creation. In this presentation, meet the creators and hear how the changing entertainment landscape begs, more than ever, for transmedia design: art that is all about connectivity.