Ferryman Collective Wins Auggie Award, Marking a Major Milestone for VR Theatre

LONG BEACH, CA, UNITED STATES, June 26, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- In a remarkable night for immersive performance, Ferryman Collective has been awarded Best Indie Creator at the 2025 Auggie Awards, part of this year’s Augmented World Expo (AWE)—the largest global gathering for XR and spatial computing.

This marks a watershed moment not only for the Los Angeles-based nonprofit but for the entire VR Theatre movement, which collectively took home 10% of this year’s Auggie Awards. Sharing the stage with heavyweights like Google, Niantic, and Snap, Ferryman’s recognition is a stunning testament to the power of live storytelling in virtual spaces.

The company’s award-winning catalog includes 'The Severance Theory: Welcome to Respite' a collaboration with Lyndsie Scoggin of Odyssey Adventure Co, 'Gumball Dreams' a collaboration with Screaming Color, 'Find WiiLii' a collaboration with GiiÖii Immersive Storytelling Studio, and their latest show 'Uncanny Alley: A New Day' a collaboration with Rick Treweek of Virtual Worlds Company, which was nominated for Best Art or Film. While that category ultimately went to 'Non-Player Character,' an interactive VR musical by Ferryman collaborator Brendan Bradley, the night was a win for everyone building the future of live XR storytelling.

“This is surreal,” Stephen Butchko, a Ferryman Collective co-founder, said in a statement. “To be honored alongside companies we’ve admired for years is something we never imagined when we began producing VR theater for people at home in their living rooms during the pandemic in 2020. This award belongs to every actor, technician, audience member, and partner who believed in this vision.”

The win was announced live on stage by visionary artist Sutu, and presented before an audience of top XR creators and innovators. The Auggie Awards are judged by an expert panel of industry pioneers including Tom Furness, Joanna Popper, Chris Lafayette, Tony Parisi, Nicole Lazzaro, Catherine D. Henry, Nonny de la Peña, Cathy Hackl, Avi Bar-Zeev, Amy LaMeyer, Charlie Fink, Antony Vitillo, Athena Demos, Ben Erwin, Tom Ffiske and many more.

“We’re honored to be recognized by a jury we deeply admire,” said Deirdre V. Lyons, another Ferryman Collective co-founder. “This award validates years of hard work, collaboration, and experimentation—and reminds us of the power of VR as a storytelling medium.”

The company also gave thanks to the cast and crew who bring VR Theatre to life. Including former Ferryman team members Braden Roy and Brian Tull, company associate Tanvi Agrawal and all the incredible performers, including:
Athena Galvin, Brendan Bradley, Brandon Bales, Christan Copeland, Dasha Kittredge, Eliot Addams, Jacob Miller, James Hyett, Jonathan David Martin, Kelly B Jones, Lee Erdman, Melinda DeKay, Miles Berman, Nicole Eun-Ju Bell, Ona Zimhart, and the Mandarin cast: Chung-Jen Chao, Chia-Wei Chen, Yi-Yun Hsueh, Yuri Lin.

Ferryman Collective is a nonprofit group of American theatre-makers comprised of founders Stephen Butchko, Christopher Lane Davis, Whitton Frank and Deirdre V. Lyons, dedicated to pioneering live theatrical performance in virtual reality. Their award-winning productions have premiered at Tribeca, Venice, SXSW, and more, garnering recognition and critical acclaim along the way. Through radical experimentation and global collaboration, Ferryman Collective is helping shape the future of performance, presence, and storytelling.

Voice talent includes: Bruce P. Barker, Ava Lucas, Aaron Shedlock, Jeff Heimbuch, Morghann Stevens, and poet Caitlin Krause.

Now in its 16th year, the Auggie Awards are the industry’s most prestigious XR honor, celebrating global innovation across storytelling, enterprise, healthcare, and beyond. This year marked a record number of submissions and finalists, reflecting XR’s growing reach and cultural impact.

“We believe the ‘killer app’ for all technology is connection,” said Brendan Bradley in his acceptance for Best Art or Film. That sentiment echoes throughout Ferryman’s work, and now, in this moment of recognition, resounds louder than ever.

To our audience, friends, family, and peers—this win is yours, too.

For more information about the 2025 Auggie Award winners:
https://www.awexr.com/usa-2025/auggie

Deirdre V Lyons
Ferryman Collective
[email protected]
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