STEVE: Normally we just focus on making radio, but doing a show in front of a big audience means we also want to make the show visually captivating. So my favorite parts of the show were watching the multimedia segments come alive on the big screen (thanks Mark!) - the great piece on Milwaukee’s beer history (blending commercial jingles with archival photos); the moving story of water walkers set to arresting images; and the story of our boat tour, as told both through audio and photos.
ANNE: I loved the boat trip down the Milwaukee River with Captain Jerry Guyer and local historian John Gurda! Watching seagulls wheel, waiting for bridges to raise and lower, enjoying spring sunshine and the sound of water all around us. And then recreating it all on stage in a live audio postcard.
HALEEMA: Live shows are exciting because of how they can engage one’s senses. While a good radio story uses sound to help people “see” a particular place or scene - a live show allows us to literally use visual components to create an immersive experience. The theme of water was present in every corner of the room - from the stage where the audience watched audiovisual stories and conversations about water, to water-themed art sprinkled throughout the seating area, to the walls of the room, which had blue lights projected onto them. It all felt very fitting for a night that reminded us that we are all of water.
SHANNON: When you ask a visual artist to be part of a radio show, at first, it doesn’t make sense. But we wanted the live audience at Turner Hall to feel water sounds and sights around them. Milwaukee mixed-media artist set the mood with a 9 ½ foot water faucet, a colorful shrine to water, and a shiny silver mobile of the great lakes, hung from the balcony.
MARK: Live shows are especially gratifying for me because I really get to stretch my visual muscles to help tell the stories we're telling with audio. Illustrating our boat trip with historian John Gurda was a blast, and it was an honor to match visuals to the story of water walkers tracing the Great Lakes, but my personal favorite was packing a video history of Milwaukee's long romance with beer with as many old-school beer ads as I could muster.