The Cassandra Project is named for the goddess of Greek mythology who was given the gift of prophecy. For the rest of her life, Cassandra was troubled with periods of confusion and self-doubt. The Cassandra Project is a labor of love for Naugle and the other participants, all of whom are volunteers donating their time both for the love of their art and for the opportunity to conduct research to see how far the limits of art and technology can be pushed. About 75 persons from five countries have been involved in Cassandra since the beginning, but only a handful participate regularly. Participants are chosen based on their performance skills and their interest in collaborative art.
Technicians are also key to the process.
There have so far been three performances, with the next one scheduled for April. Because of limitations in Internet technology, the number of performers has been limited to five or six locations at a time. Anyone can watch if they have ordinary Internet hookup, a good browser and at least a 28.8 modem. The Cassandra Project is strangely reminiscent of Elizabethan Theatre, where audiences sat onstage and interacted with the performers. In this case, the stage is the World Wide Web and participants are members of the arts community.