Cadence Theatre Company Launches KdentsTV with "quaranteens"
Cadence Theatre Company Launches KdentsTV with quaranteens, a new web-reality series where teens are “in charge”
FIRST 100 SUBSCRIBERS WILL BE ENTERED INTO A DRAWING FOR A $25 AMAZON GIFT CARD!
Follow @KdentsTV on Instagram and Twitter.
If necessity is the mother of invention, Anna Senechal Johnson, Artistic and Managing Director of Cadence Theatre Company, is finding that quarantine is the queen and king of innovation.
Richmond, VA’s Cadence Theatre Company normally offers a three-show season in partnership with Virginia Repertory Theatre, as well as student and adult acting and workplace readiness programs. In its new normal, Cadence is harnessing youth creativity from a distance via a new YouTube channel called KdentsTV, where students channel creativity. The channel’s first series, quaranteens, is a web-reality show that features high-school students documenting their lives at home. Student filmmakers developed their footage with the help of film professionals and VCUarts Cinema graduates and students. The show’s theme song, HiLow, was written and recorded by 17-year-old Nicholas Caviness using Logic Pro X.
“Like us in theatre, many in the film community are sitting at home, waiting to get back to work. We wanted to capitalize on this particular time in our lives, when Cadence’s students, VCU students, and film professionals have time to meet – albeit remotely – and learn from each other, create together, and document this time in history.” says Johnson. “With so much uncertainty in our world and so much time on our hands, filmmaking and storytelling empowers our students and lets them be in charge of something creative and important.”
Johnson says the project’s shared Google Drive file is filled with storyboards, scripts in various stages of development, and tips from recent cinema graduates and industry professionals. Most recently, the collaborators have been sharing resources in support of Black Lives Matter and discussing how to document the history being made in Richmond now. Team members meet via Zoom or Facetime for live collaboration. Johnson describes the program as “professional artists empowering young graduates to lead and inspire the next generation of filmmakers and performing artists.”
She envisions a growing list of partnerships with media outlets and corporations, as well as growing production values as restrictions are lifted. Until then, the remote film crews are proving to offer a seemingly never-ending supply of ideas and content.
In the pipeline is a horror film festival, with all work filmed on a phone in one room of a student’s home, a script called Seven Hills – which features seven Richmond-centric stories united by a central theme — and additional programming, including music videos and shows about dance, cooking, and sports.
Myles Connell, a professional screenwriter, director, musician, and “script doctor,” is working alongside Cadence students to move their projects through the pipeline to a finished product. His first film, In Uncle Robert’s Footsteps – a 24-minute short – premiered at New Directors New Films at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and subsequently played at Sundance. He also wrote and directed The Opportunists – an independent feature starring Christopher Walken, Vera Farmiga, and Cyndi Lauper - which premiered at Sundance and was theatrically released in the United States, France, and Italy.
Olivia Dinman, a soon-to-be graduate of VCUarts Cinema pursuing a career in screenwriting and production, is working with Cadence students on quaranteens. For her, the program is a dream come true and a lifesaver during what could be a creative vacuum.
“In high school, I remember making small projects and wishing there were an opportunity for me to learn about film production in depth and to meet others who were equally passionate about filmmaking. Cadence Theatre’s quaranteens is offering that opportunity,” says Dinman, who is set to direct a short film with VCUarts Cinema as well as an independent project when “the world returns to normal.”
And when “normal” does happen? Dinman sees the Cadence collaboration only growing deeper: “We are connecting with awesome young filmmakers, actors, and artists to keep that passion for creating and storytelling alive during this strange time. It's been really rewarding to see the YouTube channel, quaranteens outlines, and storyboards come to life. Their excitement gives me hope for the future of filmmaking, and I'm looking forward to working with them even further.”
For information about sponsorships or partnerships, contact Anna Senechal Johnson at info@cadencetheatre.org or at (804) 233-4894.
Collaborators and partners
Anna Senechal Johnson, Cadence Theatre Company Artistic and Managing Director
Laine Satterfield, Cadence Theatre Company Education Director
Joni Albrecht, Little Star Communications
Danny Caporaletti, VCUarts Cinema faculty member
Olivia Dinman, Student, VCUarts Cinema student
Tricia Nguyen, Student, VCUarts Cinema student
Mackenzie Nolan, Student, VCUarts Cinema studentErica Arvold/arvold.education, casting director
Anne Chapman, casting director
Myles Connell, professional screenwriter
Michael Duni, filmmaker
Caroline Connell, collaborator
Sarah Hurst, collaborator