Journey to the Center of the Earth: Jules Verne's Adventure as Mixed-Reality Theater in Augsburg

With Mixed Reality down into Jules Verne's fantastic underworld

The Augsburg State Theater invites you to an extraordinary theater evening in the Cooler Building of the Gasworks on Tuesday, December 22, 2026. Journey to the Center of the Earth combines Jules Verne's visionary adventure novel with acting, music, and modern mixed-reality technology into an immersive literary experience.

A classic between stage art and digital illusion

Jules Verne's novel, published in 1864, is one of the defining works of early science fiction. The Augsburg production by Lukas Joshua Baueregger preserves the historical narrative world and simultaneously opens it up to contemporary stage language. Acting, spatial illusions, and digital imagery intertwine while the audience is directly involved in the expedition with AR glasses.

An adventurous journey through the interior of the Earth

At the center are the unconventional scientist Otto Lidenbrock, his nephew Axel, and the Icelandic mountain guide Hans Bjelke. The journey through the Snæfellsjökull volcano continues deeper into an unknown world. The narrative tension arises from the contrast between scientific curiosity, physical danger, and the poetic power of a landscape that only fully unfolds through mixed-reality images.

Language, voice, and live music

The production combines the literary source and physical performance with handmade music. Gerald Fiedler embodies Professor Lidenbrock, Florian Mania plays Axel, Wiard Witholt takes on the role of Hans Bjelke and accompanies the events as a baritone at the piano. The unamplified music creates a sensual contrast to the digital technology and gives the reading atmosphere of the evening an immediate, intimate quality.

An evening of theater for literature and technology enthusiasts

The mixed-reality play demonstrates how a canonical adventure novel opens new perceptual spaces in the digital age. Historical dialogues, scientific imagination, and modern media technology meet without losing sight of the literary quality of the source material. An introduction at the beginning explains how to use the AR glasses and introduces the special aesthetics of the evening.

Conclusion: Literature becomes a walkable experience

Visitors can expect not an ordinary theater evening, but a meeting with Jules Verne, his artistry with language, and his unbroken fascination with the unknown. Those who experience the journey to the Earth's center live discover a classic as a sensual, visual, and musical stage event. Tickets for the performance on December 22, 2026, are available at the Augsburg State Theater.

Official channels of Jules Verne:

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Sources:

• Augsburg State Theater – Journey to the Center of the Earth
• Augsburg State Theater – Schedule
• Die Deutsche Bühne – Review of the Production
• Süddeutsche Zeitung – Review of the Augsburg Production