Immediacy and intensity is harder in VR and basic storytelling/ building emotional connections is difficult. Talk given at The Watershed, Bristol by Sacha Wares, a theatre artist with an interest in VR. Presented 2 projects - The Museum of Austerity, an MR (Hololens) experience about changes in the benefits system; and Adult Children, a VR piece about the effects of social distancing during the Covid pandemic. Key learnings from the Museum of Austerity included: closeness to characters increased emotional engagement (reading what they received - eg a letter cutting their benefits); realism of volumetric capture - eye contact and needing to hear each testimony to the end (respect); physical proximity and audience awareness of own self; behaved as if the storytellers were there - authencity. And key learnings from Adult Children included: continuing theatrical expereinces during a pandemic; reassurance from homes of others/ neighbours; rhythm/ dialogue directing the audiences gaze (3 audio langauges - Voice Over, Narration, Thought) and relationships between multiple characters; set the viewing position (ie a seat within a theatre) otherwise too many distractions; gradually show the story (in this case the environment opens up over time).