Most people may associate virtual worlds like Second Life with gamers ... or even with naughty online activities. After all, Second Life allows you to create an avatar and live in a digital world. You can be whomever you want to be and do whatever you want to do. The possibilities are endless. Even if the general public hasn't given much thought to Second Life, most would probably not guess that a virtual world could be more than a host to general nerdery, much less a hotbed of creativity and forward-thinking art.

"I saw huge potential for what was possible with virtual environments as a tool for creative exploration, but got very disheartened by the online theater community, which seemed to just be doing the same old thing in the virtual world as the real one - building a box, plopping some seats down, and calling it theater. Here you had an immersive tool and people were still being presentational," said artist, author and storyteller Judy Cullen.

So Cullen took steps to shake things up.

Sunday, Dec. 1, Cullen will join forces with Kevin Lee, a voice actor from Minnesota, and Shandon Loring, a Nevada storyteller. Together, the three will deliver a rendition of a Christmas classic in a way never before seen or experienced. Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol. Three performers in vastly different zip codes. One show. One digital platform.

The performers will read an adaptation of the story simultaneously in the hallowed spaces of Pythias Hall at 926½ Broadway and in the virtual world of Second Life, where an international audience will have the chance to check out the show as well. The audience in Tacoma will see the performers and the virtual audience on a large screen, as well as have a chance to explore a virtual world called The Dickens Project alongside the audience. Storytelling techniques of old will merge with storytelling techniques of the future.

"I see this as a new way to engage literature," Cullen said. "It will not replace theater or movies. It is not the same as listening to an audio book. It will not replace reading a book. In fact, what I know after more than five years of putting two to five hours a week into live readings is that it inspires people to seek out literature - to engage new authors and new forms. There is something compelling about having a story read to you, live. In a virtual environment, it is communal and personal all at once. When done well, it feels like someone is telling a story just for you. Audio books don't do that. Movies don't do that."

Still, the performers know that not everyone may find this form of storytelling immediately accessible. Cullen knows that a virtual world doesn't speak to everyone and also said that this form of storytelling is very visual, new and difficult to describe. To dispel doubt and invite everyone in to see the awesomeness for themselves, the performers are presenting the show completely free to the public.

While the performance is free, donations are accepted, with all proceeds benefitting My Sister's Pantry, which gives food and clothing to homeless families in Tacoma.

If you find that you enjoy the show, Cullen and her colleagues have been honing these same skills for five years as part of the Seanchai Library in Second Life.

THE DICKENS PROJECT, 1 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 1, Knights of Pythias Hall, 926 ½ Broadway, Tacoma, free will donations, dickenstacoma.blogspot.com

PLUS: Holiday Events Calendar