In this scene, the Madman (Tyrone Henderson) is on stage in New York, as the image of the Technophobe (Maya Azucena, left and right) is broadcast from Troy. A taped segment of the digital avatar Alma (Valeria Vasilevski) is projected on the middle screen.

Billed as the first Internet2 live distributed musical, The Technophobe & The Madman was performed at NYU in the Loewe Theatre and at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) on February 20, 2001. The work was commissioned by Harvestworks with funds from the New York State Council on the Arts.

The stages at RPI in Troy, New York and NYU in New York City were connected with six channels of full quality video and twelve channels of CD-quality audio. This allowed performers on both stages to be seen and heard by the audiences at both sites. Each stage had three large video projection screens serving as backdrops, and presenting the performers at the far site as they interacted with the performers on stage.

Tyrone Henderson, as the madman, was the central character and singer on the NYU stage, while Maya Azucena played the part of the technophobe at RPI. Exploring themes of desire, alienation and hope in an increasingly technologically complex culture, The Technophobe & The Madman has garnered national attention with significant coverage in publications such as The New York Times, The Village Voice, and Wired.

The musical was created by a large team, including composers Robert Rowe (NYU), Nick Didkovsky (NYU), and Neil Rolnick (RPI), video artist Don Ritter, writers Quimetta Perle and Tyrone Henderson, and director Valeria Vasilevski.

Internet2 not only provided the network environment for the actual performance, but also provided the connectivity that was used to develop and rehearse the large-scale multimedia piece. In addition, commodity Internet tools such as websites, e-mail, and the like were critically important, allowing close and frequent collaboration despite the 160-mile distance between Troy and New York City.

Philip Galanter is Associate Director of the Arts Technology Group at ITS Academic Computing Services