The Future is Now

After our two performances today, Frog Belly performers Tyler, Christina, and Miles met up with Patty Petrey Dees, Distance Learning Program Director for the Center for Puppetry Arts. She conducted a web-based interview with our intrepid cast. I lurked in the corner with my camera.

My friends did a stellar job chatting about our little arts organization. I found myself getting more than a little nostalgic listening to them talk about the history of Rogue Artists Ensemble, from our brush with greatness with Mr. Punch to the puppets of Gogol Project to the lovely moments in our current show, D is for Dog. Listeners were able to ask us questions from their home computers (sometimes from computers as far away as Canada!). My favorite moment was when a participant asked our cast a question that her daughter had for the group. Oh, and Rat answered a few questions as well. Here you see Iyabo showing off a display of what participants in the webinar were able to view live:

Our conversation is now archived on the website so that you, too, can view it from the comfort of your own home! You have to create an account and download a java app, but I recommend that you do it. It's pretty wild to see how it all works. And according to one review of the webinar, Tyler, Christina, and Miles did a stellar job:

"Every person interviewed seemed to be not only extremely knowledgeable, but also very personable. The interviewer asked excellent questions relevant to what the participants were asking via the chat window. Each interviewee added unique insight and perspective to topics ranging from puppetry and theatre to arts and education."

Click here to check it out!

Our webinar session was followed by a grand tour of the Distance Learning facilities, which I have to say were very impressive indeed! Imagine being able to conduct a puppetry workshop or perform a show in your own office and broadcast your content to a far off school complete with interaction and 2-way video and audio. This is exactly what you can do at the Center for Puppetry Art's award-winning Distance Learning facility.

We were given a demo of the system and even though we were only communicating with the folks in the next room, it was super exciting to see how the program works and to imagine what the experience would be like for a school in another part of the country. This is an amazing way to bring the arts to those who live hundreds of miles away from quality programming, who may not be able to have these experiences any other way. As someone who has spent a good deal of time in a truck or a van taking Frog Belly to distant locales, my mind boggled a bit at the ingenuity of these remote presentations. Here you can see two monitors; one displaying a puppet demonstration from the next room, the other showing the feed being broadcast from our room - if you look closely, you can see me dorkily snapping the picture.

We Rogues have a productive obsession with technology. It was inspiring to see all the high-tech wizardry at the Center being put to use in the service of such a noble cause. Later on in our stay we will get an extended tour of the education program at the Center. I can't wait!

Thank you to Patty, Iyabo, Eve, and Park for the great tour. And thank you and for making us feel so welcome and at ease in your home base.