NASA has joined forces with the Jim Henson Company to bring its latest space exploration plans to life in a unique stage show called "Fraggle Rock: A Space-y Adventure". The show, which is currently playing at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, stars the beloved Muppets as they discover outer (outer) space for the first time.
The story follows Gobo, Red, and Uncle Traveling Matt as they explore the Moon through a "Fraggle hole" that leads them to NASA's Exploration Ground Systems team. The team explains how their work is enabling astronaut missions to the lunar surface, using a postcard with a picture of a "cookie" to help illustrate their points.
One of the most interesting aspects of the show is how it has brought together two seemingly unrelated worlds: Fraggles and outer space. According to John Tartaglia, the director, writer, and choreographer behind the show, this connection was always meant to be. "Our two worlds that on paper wouldnβt seem connected, made a lot of sense to connect," he said.
To bridge the gap between these two realities, the team came up with creative solutions. For example, when scaling up the Fraggles to costume size, another character had to become puppet-size to remain in scale. This allowed for full-body "walk-around" characters to dance and move without being limited by traditional puppetry.
Tartaglia's goal was to use Uncle Traveling Matt as a bridge between the audience and NASA's exploration goals. The show's central character is perfect for this purpose, as he is oblivious and thinks he knows everything, but really doesn't. This makes him a great character to teach the audience about awesome facts and figures about space.
Overall, "Fraggle Rock: A Space-y Adventure" is a fun and engaging way to introduce people of all ages to NASA's deep space exploration plans. By bringing together two seemingly unrelated worlds, the show showcases the importance of exploring new worlds, making discoveries, and working together to learn more about each other.
The story follows Gobo, Red, and Uncle Traveling Matt as they explore the Moon through a "Fraggle hole" that leads them to NASA's Exploration Ground Systems team. The team explains how their work is enabling astronaut missions to the lunar surface, using a postcard with a picture of a "cookie" to help illustrate their points.
One of the most interesting aspects of the show is how it has brought together two seemingly unrelated worlds: Fraggles and outer space. According to John Tartaglia, the director, writer, and choreographer behind the show, this connection was always meant to be. "Our two worlds that on paper wouldnβt seem connected, made a lot of sense to connect," he said.
To bridge the gap between these two realities, the team came up with creative solutions. For example, when scaling up the Fraggles to costume size, another character had to become puppet-size to remain in scale. This allowed for full-body "walk-around" characters to dance and move without being limited by traditional puppetry.
Tartaglia's goal was to use Uncle Traveling Matt as a bridge between the audience and NASA's exploration goals. The show's central character is perfect for this purpose, as he is oblivious and thinks he knows everything, but really doesn't. This makes him a great character to teach the audience about awesome facts and figures about space.
Overall, "Fraggle Rock: A Space-y Adventure" is a fun and engaging way to introduce people of all ages to NASA's deep space exploration plans. By bringing together two seemingly unrelated worlds, the show showcases the importance of exploring new worlds, making discoveries, and working together to learn more about each other.