Polarized Theater Effects

In movie theaters, 3d movies are achieved by projecting two different images, with differently polarized light, while the audience wears polarizing lenses so that each eye sees only one image.

I propose bringing this technology to live theater.

The simplest application would be to give audience members glasses with vertically polarized lenses. The whole stage would be dimly lit with horizontally polarized light, while spotlights on the actors (and active scene components) would use vertically polarized light. The actors and stagehands could see each other, and the entire stage, relatively clearly, but to the audience, everything not lit with vertically polarized light would appear dead black. Scenery could be moved about quickly and safely, with little risk of accidents due to working in the dark.

A second possibility would be to combine live actors with 3D projections. For this application, the audience would wear conventional 3D polarized lenses, with the two lenses having polarizations 90 degrees from each other. The 3D projections might be filmed (or computer generated) beforehand, or they might be created in real time, with digital puppetry.