Rebecca-Anne Withey: Why I’m loving technology and how you can join Red Earth Theatre’s new Virtual Tour

As we continue to manage life during lockdown, I feel extremely grateful for being able to use technology.

Despite being a previously self-confessed technophobe, I have a new appreciation for my phone/ipad/laptop which all enable me to keep in touch with others and see parts the world despite being stuck at home.

A FaceTime or Skype call with family is a great way for me to feel connected and supported. WhatsApp groups are also a fun way of staying in contact with friends, sending messages, videos or funny gifs to stay in good spirits.

And given that April is a huge birthday month for my family (mine is coming up, argh!!) I’ve even used Zoom for the first time. It was hilarious, confusing and brilliant all at the same time as you see so many faces on screen from different homes, often with several people signing at the same time.

I also really enjoyed the BSL storytelling chain videos which are flying around social media, instigated by Sophie Stone and featuring so many well known BSL actors. You can find the first part to the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3HoypsExz8

More than anything, I feel grateful for having technology to stay inspired. With an internet connection, there’s so much you can do. Feeling bored? Look up a new hobby, or research an interesting topic. Feeling down? I can play some music videos or even watch funny videos. Whatever your passion is, there’s endless sources of information online and countless ways to reach out and chat to others.

I was really excited when Red Earth Theatre, a company I’ve often worked with, approached me about being part of their new virtual tour. The tour, which features live streamed and pre recorded videos, enables viewers to take part in family friendly theatre-based activities every week. So from the comfort of your home you can learn about a range of things including storytelling, light and sound design, creating characters and puppet making.

The virtual tour is part of a new project called “Calm and Creative in a time of crisis.” Part of being creative and calm is about the ability to stay grounded during challenging times so I have been asked to deliver online Mindfulness sessions in BSL.

I shall be delivering weekly sessions for a period of six weeks. The videos will have captions and will also have voice over so family members or friends who are non-signers can also take part. These sessions will be out for viewing every Wednesday at 11am and you can access these via the Red Earth website or YouTube channel. It’s definitely worth taking a look at the Calm and Creative page on their website for a full programme listing.

I’m also delighted to share that renowned deaf actor Jean St Clair will be delivering BSL stories for deaf and hearing families and sign song maestro Caroline Parker will also deliver a sign song session. I’ve personally got these in my diary to watch but if you happen to miss a session – don’t worry – you can always catch up and watch the videos via the YouTube channel.

Filming my own videos and adding captions is a great challenge for me but it’s a skill that I’m enjoying developing. Technology is slowly becoming my friend, not my foe!

I hope to see you onboard Red Earth’s virtual tour van!

For full details of the Calm and Creative Virtual Tour by Red Earth Theatre go to http://redearththeatre.com/shows/calm-and-creative-in-a-time-of-crisis/ and subscribe to https://www.youtube.com/user/RedEarthTheatre/featured