Robert Doyle was taken aback when she was subjected to a tirade from the football manager.
Although he was only in the audience, the delivery of the play - via a virtual reality (VR) headset - caused the rant to appear startlingly genuine.
You were in the locker room at halftime and receiving his assessment of your first-half performance. It startled me; there was a lot of expletives and gesticulations. Nonetheless, it was effective. It was a bit disconcerting, but in a positive manner.
The play, entitled Smile, revolved around the life of renowned Dundee United manager Jim McLean.
When Ms Doyle attended the Dundee Repertory earlier this year, she expected to see a regular presentation of a drama involving a candidly expressing manager.
Before the curtain opened, she agreed to an invitation to a corner of the lobby where virtual reality headsets were available to interested theater-goers.
A firm known as Box Office VR, established by Kelman and Gemma Grieg-Kicks, was the source of the intense preview sequence.
The husband and wife team, with backgrounds in film-making and theatre touring, are hopeful that virtual reality can open up theatres to a wider range of viewers.
Those who wish to utilize this service must purchase their own headset; however, Box Office VR has been engineered to function with cost-effective technologies such as Google Cardboard VR Glasses.
The customer needs to insert their phone into the VR device to view a show.
Once the phone is positioned, the users put the box, a set of cardboard goggles basically, on their head and plug in their own headphones.
The app streams a pre-recorded show to the phone, and the VR headset then enlarges it, allowing the user to have an experience of being on the stage and in the audience with a 180 degree view.
This is intended for people who might not consider going to the theatre or who cannot access a venue due to physical limitations.
Thus far, the viewership is limited; approximately one hundred individuals have acquired a show via Box Office VR.
Ms Grieg-Kicks confesses that Box Office VR is a labor of love for her and her spouse.
She still maintains that this has great possibilities. "It can accommodate performances that could not feasibly come to town due to space or expense limitations."
Box Office VR has recorded multiple projects, including one for London's Sadler's Wells dance theatre that has its own Digital Stage tag for its digital collection.
The York Theatre Royal, among other renowned organizations, has conducted trials of presenting shows using virtual reality headsets.
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Using Virtual Reality may be an engaging concept, however, its impact on the billions of dollars invested in VR by tech giants like Meta (Facebook's owner) and Apple, which released its VR system in June, isn't expected to be much.
Regional theatre, which may have tight budgets, welcomes any exposure or extra revenue.
The technology presents an invigorating opportunity to introduce schoolchildren to theatre.
At Monifieth High School in Dundee, Lisa Kilbride's aim to promote a passion for theatre is being aided by Box Office VR. She teaches drama there.
The school has a wide rural audience, meaning some students may need to use the bus to commute to school for up to an hour. Therefore, adding an outing at night to view a play makes it difficult for children who have to travel back home from far distances.
Ms Kilbride’s drama teaching doesn’t just focus on teaching conventional acting techniques. Her students are studying for SQA exams, and in the process are also learning how to become theatre directors, work with lighting and sound effects, and more.
The students in her SQA class, aged 12 and 13, were thrilled with the VR headset. Not a single one declined the opportunity to don the basic goggles.
She is confident that they are a valuable resource in her teaching arsenal and employs them to entice hesitant theatre-goers to be exposed to something completely different.
It was effortless to stop and reverse the events, and all the children discussed the illumination, the audio, and the scenery.
Ms Kilbride derives tremendous pleasure from introducing youngsters to the theatre. "For me, if one child comes away from the experience expressing an interest in theatre, then I'm overjoyed".
Onstage action is visible to the viewer; however, they can also explore the theatre by donning VR goggles.
Ms Kilbride wanted her students to become acquainted with the entire universe of the stage, a place which they had never been to before.
When she posed the query as to why her students were craning their necks and turning them in all directions, they responded that they were checking out the theatre. It was the first time they'd ever laid eyes on the inside of the Dundee Rep.
Liam Sinclair, the business manager at the Dundee Rep, is well aware of the influence that an early encounter with theatre can have. His own career path was ignited by a "fantastic drama teacher at school" who captured his curiosity with how theatre functions.
Mr Sinclair details how Smile attracted a previously unfamiliar crowd, who had a great admiration for both the game of football and the Dundee United team, to his establishment.
Box Office VR made a big impact on the surviving family members of the late supervisor.
We used Box Office VR to make a film adaptation of the show, and we made sample sessions with VR goggles. When Jim's family attended the press night of the production, they immersed themselves and put on the goggles. When they experienced the VR, they were moved to tears, as though Jim was actually in the room.
He realised that, in this instance, technology had provoked stronger feelings than a theatrical performance. "VR is an extraordinarily personal endeavour compared to theatre, which is about collective appreciation." she says.
Ms Doyle affirms her experience from her memorable night out. "I will always remember Jim McLean swearing at me!" she declares.
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