Audience of One

Jodi Eichelberger's first book of personal narratives takes you on a journey from the back alleys of his hometown in Boise, Idaho to the boards of Broadway. Since his career in the performing arts began as an itinerant puppeteer touring to schools, there has always been pressure to strive for bigger and bigger audiences. But in this collection, Jodi focuses on situations involving a single viewpoint. These solo audiences might be in crowded contexts: a stage manager viewing an infrared monitor at a sold out Broadway show, a man whose job is to watch the showers at a geothermal pool in Iceland, or a praying mantis in a lilac bush. Through these stories we journey from the Pacific Northwest, to New York, to Iceland, and to a factory town in China.

The stories range from deeply personal to an insider's view of popular entertainment Jodi worked on such as the Tony award-winning Broadway musical Avenue Q, the popular children's television program Lazytown, and a below-ground view of the children's television character Elmo in the feature film Elmo in Grouchland.