What we want to do

This is a very simple project. Renovation has invited Other Hand Productions to perform our production of Whatnot at the 2011 WorldCon in Reno this August.  We'd like to go.  

The only problem is that there's not enough money in the budget to make it affordable, which is where you come in.  

WorldCon is the home of the Hugo awards, which are voted on by fans of science-fiction. So it seems completely appropriate to turn to the fans to help fund this production. Since puppetry is often considered the theater of the possible, much as science-fiction is the literature of the possible, it should be a great pairing. 

Whatnot is a showcase of pieces featuring puppetry, masks, movement theatre, dance, and music. Individual images, phrases, or situations inspire the pieces; a xylophone missing its eighth note, masks created from tape recorders, a dog that becomes a flowering tree. The performance contains a collection of fascinating, funny, and sometimes poignant images that cannot be labeled or categorized but merely hinted at.

Also, we're all wearing white spandex bodysuits. If nothing else, this represents the opportunity to see the Vice President of SFWA in white spandex.

What we need

• To make this happen, we need to fly one of the performers out from New York.  Jodi Eichelberger has starred on Broadway in Avenue Q and on television in shows such as Lazytown. He wrote much of the original show and is a founding member of the company.
  
• We need a week of rehearsal to get the show in shape again and add some new material for WorldCon
• There are new puppets to build and old puppets to repair.
• We need to get three puppeteers and a van full of puppets and equipment to Worldcon.
  
• A hotel room.  While I'm planning on being at WorldCon regardless, I can't ask the other two performers to foot the bill for attending.

All told, we should just be able to do this for $4000. If we raise more, then we'll be able to do more with the puppetry.

How you can help

Besides the obvious donation, you can also help by spreading the word, offering us a rehearsal space, a van, or a hotel room.  If you live in the Portland area and want to learn about puppet construction, there's always the opportunity to refurbish puppets.