Festifools!

Today is Festifools! April Fools Day will be celebrated with giant puppets from 4 to 5 PM on Main Street in downtown Ann Arbor!

Unfortunately I'll have to be a spectator. Somehow I hurt my back Friday night, and was in tremendous pain all day Saturday, which persists a little today although it's improving.

I have been looking forward all year to participating in Festifools again. I considered pumping a lot of ibuprofen and muddling through, but realized I would only bring the event down if I try that. I will be there cheering them on, but I have to put off puppeteering until next year. I'm both disappointed, and sorry to let the event down.

Voice Post

Festifools Report

I operated a puppet in Festifools with hardly any back pain at all! What fun it was. Photos behind the cut!

I got to operate one of the puppets I helped to build a few weeks ago, assisting the artist, Melissa. It was part of a set of sun and moon, who battled each other until you had to ask the question "who is orbiting who?"

I'm deeply grateful this year to have worked with Melissa's team, because they gave it 100% into playing the characters and being energetic. Some kids were selling lemonade on the side of the street, and they gave me some, which was fantastic because I work up a raging thirst doing this.

I like operating an arm, because there's so much opportunity for expression and interaction, and the rest of the time I can swing it in time to the drum beat. You can twirl it clockwise and counterclockwise, or jab it up into the air like a lance without over-exerting yourself. It helps to pay attention to the whole puppet and coordinate movement.

But also pay attention to the crowd and see which children are reaching out to touch the hand of the puppet. At the same time, take care not to bring the character in close to children randomly. Unless they have made it clear that they want that to happen, they are just as likely to feel intimidated.

I went to the "Festifeast", an outdoor food festival to follow up the event; but I got wrong directions so often that I wandered all over downtown Ann Arbor on foot trying to figure out where Kerrytown was. Starting at Main and Williams, I walked to Liberty at State, then to Huron at Division, then to Ann at First Street, and finally got correct directions.

My back is the only part that isn't sore right now. But it's a good kind of sore. Next year, when I'm not Penguicon conchair, I am determined to make a puppet! Preferably themed around Linux or the internet. You guys are all invited to help operate it!

Thanks very much to Shoshana Hurand and Mark Tucker for organizing this event once again.
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