Open Call for the Theatre Production of MOTION/CAPTURE by Mala Voadora

Deadline to apply: Sunday 12 July 2026

In the framework of European Theatre Convention’s (ETC) Digital Theatre Programme, Centro Cultural de Belém, Tbilisi International Festival of Theatre, and the Academy for Theatre and Digitality Dortmund are collaborating to support the Portuguese theatre company Mala Voadora in their upcoming production, MOTION/CAPTURE.

MOTION/CAPTURE is a theatre performance that combines art and science, both in its theme and in its technical resources: The protagonist is an actor in decline who agrees to work as a model in a motion capture studio, lending his body movements simultaneously to two characters from the novel Frankenstein: the doctor himself and the “monster” he creates. The narrative draws a parallel between the power of scientific creation and the power of artistic creation, and removes the most obvious moral limits from monstrosity.

Mala Voadora is a Portuguese theatre company that has grown beyond producing plays to support a wide range of artistic activities, including collaborations with other artists, training programs, events, publications, and community engagement. Its projects span multiple art forms, such as cinema, concert, a rally or a comic strip, documentary, or a dance. Founded and directed by Jorge Andrade—actor, director, playwright, and programmer—and José Capela—architect, set designer, professor at the School of Architecture, Art, and Design at the University of Minho, and researcher at Lab2PT—the company has an extensive history of international touring.

What We Are Looking For

For the upcoming production of MOTION/CAPTURE, we are looking for a 3D Generalist to collaborate closely with Jorge Andrade and his team to work on the creation and integration of avatars, environments, and motion capture data, including body and facial motion capture. 

The project can be developed in a game engine such as Unreal Engine or Unity, or in a 3D production tool such as Blender, Cinema4D, or a comparable software environment. 

The 3D Generalist will be responsible for:

• Creating and integrating four 3D environments using tools such as Blender, Cinema4D, Unreal Engine, Unity, or comparable software.
• Creating five avatars, one of which must be based on a real person using MetaHuman, Blender, Character Creator, Cinema4D, or a similar tool.
• Connecting facial and body motion capture data to the avatars. This may include retargeting, cleaning animation files, adapting animation data, or developing another suitable workflow.
• Producing multiple rendered videos as final outputs.
• Participating in a work sprint at the Academy for Theatre and Digitality in Dortmund, Germany, from Monday 14 September to Friday 18 September 2026 to collaborate in person with Jorge Andrade, an actress of the production and the team of the Academy.

The Academy has already been working on a motion capture pipeline for this production and can provide technical support for the recording of body and facial motion capture.

The workflow the Academy can support involves:

• OptiTrack for body motion capture
• Live Link Face App or camera-based facial capture in MetaHuman

At the same time, the Academy is open to alternative workflows. Applicants are encouraged to describe how they would approach body and facial motion capture recording, cleanup, retargeting, avatar integration, and rendering within their preferred software environment.

Selection Criteria

In addition to technical expertise, we are looking for someone who is curious and open-minded, and who enjoys experimenting and closely working with the artistic team of MOTION/CAPTURE.

Furthermore, the funding structure of this project allows us to invite Creative Technologists who are based in Europe, and who have a work permit for the European Union to apply.

Timeline & Estimated Workload

• appr. 3 weeks August/September 2026 | remotely work on first sketches of avatars and environment prototypes 
• 14-18 September 2026 | onsite work sprint at the Academy for Theatre and Digitality in Dortmund, Germany, for motion capture recordings and collaboration on the project with Jorge Andrade, actress of the show and Academy team; first sketches should be ready by then to be discussed together
• appr. 5-6 weeks October until December 2026 | remotely work on avatars, environments and integration of motion capture data in close alignment with Jorge Andrade

• appr. 1-2 weeks in 2027 | time reserved for final touches and to finish everything before the premiere in 2027

   

Remuneration & Travel Grant

The selected 3D Generalist will receive a remuneration of up to €14.000 (depending on experience) for their work. The specific working period and salary will be defined with the 3D Generalist and Mala Voadora, depending on the 3D Generalist’s schedule and the production needs. 

In addition, ETC covers travel, accommodation, and subsistence costs for the 3D Generalist for the work sprint at the Academy for Theatre and Digitality in Dortmund from 14 – 18 September 2026.

How to Apply

If you would like to be part of the production MOTION/CAPTURE as a 3D Generalist, please send your CV and a short cover letter by email to Carla Meller, carla.meller@theater.digital by Sunday 12 July 2026.

We will invite the finalists to meet with the project team online on Thursday 14 July between 2pm-7pm CET. 

We look forward to hearing from you!

The Academy for Theatre and Digitality, together with Mala Voadora, Centro Cultural de Belém, Tbilisi International Festival of Theatre, and the European Theatre Convention.