ACT ONE nonprofit beneficiary

Bernadette Carroll

Executive Director Act One

WE have all faced times of uncertainty, but never collectively as a whole. The year 2020 has not been easy for anyone…on the planet. Except for maybe the dogs, who think it is wonderful that we are home. All. The. Time. But aside from our pets, everyone in every industry has suffered some way from the impact of COVID-19, either by the disease, the economy or both.

Speaking as someone involved in the arts industry for the past 20 years, sometimes we feel like hamsters on a wheel. We are constantly planning for next season’s performances, programs and galas. Time goes at warp speed and just when you have completed your season, you start all over again with the next. At the beginning of COVID-19, it felt as though time had stopped. No one knew what to do or what to expect. Most of us thought it was a fluke, and our theaters and venues

OUR FUTURE BEGINS TODAY

would go back to normal soon. So we waited, and waited, and then got creative. This pause in our never-ending cycle of arts seasons gave us the much-needed time to reflect and reinvent ourselves. We could finally take a deep dive and look at our organizations inside and out: What is necessary to survive, and what is possible?

Act One is no different. Up until March 2020, we relied solely on our arts partners to provide the venues and performances that artistically feed the minds of the Title One children we serve. This period of reflection made us see that it is time to get into the game and create our own unique field trip experiences. Act One is now exploring the growing technology of virtual reality. Imagine an immersive arts experience where children can simply put on a headset and be transformed to a symphony stage to hear a piece by Mozart, visit the Great Pyramid of Giza to learn about the ancient Egyptians, or walk right into and be surrounded by Monet’s Water Lilies. Technology is now letting each child sit in the front row. Though we all yearn to be back in the galleries, museums, theaters and arts centers — those sacred spaces that can transform audiences, we now can incorporate technology to alter reality in the most creative ways. That is what we do in the arts. We create.

Field trips, in the traditional sense, will always be a core Act One program. Our partnerships with our local arts venues are vital and treasured. We believe that all children should experience the magic, awe and sometimes goosebumps from seeing a live performance or entering a symphony hall or museum. But we at Act One are also ready for “Act Two,” which is the exploration of virtual reality. This is the future of field trips, and Act One is driving the bus.