Red-Nosed Doctors’ Diary – Hello? You have a video call!
“Beep—beep—beep!”
“Your good friend A-Wu is calling!”
“Is anyone home?”
“Y-yes, my little sister! And my big sister! And Dad!”
“A-Wu, did you wash your hair yesterday?”
“Have a sniff!”
(“Eww~”)
(The two sisters, who could smell A-Wu’s hair through the video camera, hurriedly found buckets to cover their entire heads, afraid they might smell A-Wu’s unwashed hair.)
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began impacting Taiwan in 2020, Medical Clown have added online video services to the way they work!
Before each performance, we contact medical staff and parents to understand the child’s physical and emotional state and needs. Perhaps the child is scheduled to undergo certain treatments that day, and we hope the red noses can be more considerate of the child’s feelings, or perhaps the child needs some time to calm down after the day’s treatment……
Each time, we work hard to create a personalized and intimate video moment with each individual child. Of course~ of course~ sometimes the connection drops, there’s lag, or we can’t hear each other clearly, leading to hilarious scenes where the two clowns seem to be shouting to each other from across a mountain. (Laughs)
Before Calling
How exactly do clown performers prepare for a performance? Today, we’re giving you an exclusive report on the latest happenings with A-Wu the clown! First, she’s lying down…… (Hey! A-Wu, why are you lying down before the interview has even started?!)
Dear viewers, we apologize—the interviewer put up the wrong photo. This is A-Wu after finishing her video performance. Just look at how messy the floor around her is!
Actually, before having a video call with the children, clown performers not only have to turn their own rooms, and sometimes even their living rooms, into performance spaces, but also bring out props that can’t be taken into the hospital, such as ladders, cleaning-tool sets, and even pots, pans, and bowls. They can transform any object into part of the performance.
The day before, they also make plans with their clown partners: tomorrow, we’ll bring flowers, change the video background to the seaside, and go to the beach together! Before the video call, the Medical Clown searches for the sheet music for “I Love Summer,” hoping to embark on a hot and crazy seaside adventure shortly.
The Medical Clown and their friends have gone to so many places! They’ve flown into outer space, slipped into gardens, and stepped onto the beach, encouraging the children to imagine along with us.
We keep our appointments on time and maintain an emotional connection with them, allowing the children to freely be themselves. We empower the children by letting them attack the clowns with filters (flamethrower effects, hair standing on end in fury, laser beams shooting from fiery eyes~~ Ah~ it hurts! It hurts!)
The Medical Clown also occasionally read a short poem for the children, accompanied by music and broadcast through the speakers.
During these two months of video calls, I’ve come to deeply feel that the camera is not an obstacle. Children will always surprise and move us with their incredible imaginations. They always throw out unexpected surprises, breaking through the limitations of distance and freely exploring the world of imagination together with the Medical Clown.