262 PIED PIPERS PIPERS SHIFT PLATFORMS Pied Pipers alter performances to comply with COVID-19 guidelines. Since 1989, the children’s improvisational group Pied Pipers spread joy and broadened the imaginations of their audiences through interactive performances. With COVID-19 mandates on campus in fall 2020, the group’s intimate nature made continuing a daunting task. They decided the show must go on. As the last active Pied Piper group left on a major Christian campus, an expectant audience to perform for was not their only concern; Harding’s troupe had a legacy to continue. The Pipers’ success came from relationships, whether those were with the children they performed for or their fellow Pipers. “Pipers are a family,” sophomore Piper Matthew Floyd said. “We share not only the love of entertaining, but a deeper love connection through Jesus.” Dottie Frye, a veteran in the world of children’s theatre, understood how important those relationships were. In an attempt to stay connected to their community, the Pipers recorded 3-5 minute performances to post on their Facebook page. “We’ve even reached out to vintage Pipers, old members from way back in the day, and some of them have sent in songs or stories to put into the video as well,” Frye said. “I always tell them, ‘once a Piper, always a Piper,’ even if they can’t fit into their suit.” In the time of virtual performances, additions like the vintage Piper cameos were included, but the main Piper show format remained the same. “It’s kind of like The Wiggles,” sophomore Piper Morgan Haught said. “We start with a Piper song. Each song is unique, and every single year we make up our own choreography to them. Afterwards, we have our Piper greetings, and then we move from there. We have rhythms that we do, stories that we do, and we always end the show with a song. We can have multiple songs and stories in each show; it’s different every time.” The condensed video versions of the normal show and the absence of a live crowd’s energy changed the routine, but the two most important aspects of the show remained: imagination and authenticity. Frye said the Pied Pipers’ main goal was to spark children’s imaginations. “There’s no right or wrong way to be a tree, or a monkey, or an elephant; it’s just our imagination,” Frye said. The Facebook content inspired creativity in the children who logged on, which is the same result that a live show would have yielded. As long as the children benefited from seeing the Pipers’ love and creativity on the screen, the difficulties and uncertainty were worth it. “You can’t pretend in front of a child,” Frye said. “If the relationships aren’t genuine or the joy isn’t genuine, the children know.” Knowing the group’s ability, however, the troupe’s leader had faith in them. “They will see a group that loves children—a group that loves each other,” Frye said. Our minds are poppin’! Matthew Floyd does a magic trick on the Pipers’ Facebook page on May 25, 2020. The group’s social media presence was vital for their continuation. | photo courtesty of Pied Piper’s Facebook Account story by Zach Bishop
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