Last Chance -- Miller's Tale DVD Fundraiser Expires August 1st

Miller's Tale - Trailer from Cottage Films on Vimeo.

The documentary Miller's Tale tells the story of Scranton's Jason Miller, Tony- and Pulitzer-Prize winning playwright of That Championship Season and Oscar nominee for The Exorcist. The film follows Miller's journey through Broadway and Hollywood, and his subsequent move back to Scranton, PA--where he continued to work in local theater and film.

To raise funds to release Miller's Tale on DVD, director Rebecca Marshall Ferris has organized a web-based fundraiser to raise $5,000 to produce and release the film on DVD. A donation of $24.00 guarantees you a copy of the DVD when released in August. Other groovy perks -- including a new $5.00 The Miller High Life deal, which will give you streaming access to Miller's Tale online for 2 weeks in August -- are also offered.

The fundraiser will expire August 1st; so if you want to help Rebecca Marshall Ferris release Miller's Tale on DVD -- which guarantees you a copy of the film (either physical or streaming) -- click here.

WBRE-TV also aired a segment on Friday on the upcoming DVD release and fundraiser for Miller's Tale. Click here to watch the video report.

http://www.indiegogo.com/Millers-Tale-DVDs?c=home

http://millerstalemovie.com/

"Forged" Filmed in NEPA and Produced By Scranton Native Joe Van Wie (2010)

Check out the new issue of Go Lackawanna (July 24th); the cover story (Scene in Scranton) discusses the new film Forged, filmed in Northeastern Pennsylvania and Co-Executive Produced by Scranton native Joe Van Wie.

Forged tells the story of 13 year-old Machito, who must come to terms with the murder of his mother at the hands of his father Chaco.

Forged opens in New York and Los Angeles this Friday, June 29th. The film will premiere locally at Marquee Cinemas in downtown Scranton on Friday, Aug. 12. Screenings will continue through at least Sunday, Aug. 14.

According to the article, Forged will be released on DVD and Netflix in September.

Click here to read the full article from Go Lackawanna.

The film was also featured as a Cover Story in last week's issue of The Weekender. To read the article, click here.

UPDATE 7/30: Forged received a rave review in Friday's New York Times. Click here to read it.

UPDATE 8/16: Click here to read an article from the Times-Tribune about the Scranton premiere of Forged.

http://forgedmovie.com/

http://www.facebook.com/forgedmovie

"The Gathering" at Keystone College Will Feature Apple Store Architect Peter Bohlin; Firm Founded in Wilkes-Barre

The theme of this year's The Gathering literary conference at Keystone College (July 14-17, 2011) is Physical and Metaphysical Home: Memory, Grace and Structure.

One of this year's speakers is award-winning architect Peter Bohlin, whose firm Bohlin Cywinski Jackson was originally established as Bohlin Jackson on Market Street in Wilkes-Barre, PA. Born in New York City, Bohlin moved to Wilkes-Barre to establish his firm, which also has locations in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Seattle and San Francisco.

Among Mr. Bohlin's famous designs are the Apple Store on 5th Avenue in New York City (as well as Apple Stores in London, Japan and Paris), The William J. Nealon Federal Building and Courthouse in Scranton, Pixar Animation Studios in California and the Liberty Bell Center in Philadelphia.

To register for The Gathering, click here.

www.gathering.keystone.edu
www.bcj.com

Venus In Fur, Directed By Scranton Native Walter Bobbie, To Transfer To Broadway This Fall

Walter Bobbie, Scranton native and Tony-winning director of the long-running Broadway revival of Chicago, will be directing David Ives's play Venus in Fur on Broadway at the Samuel J. Friedman Theater in New York City. Previews will begin Thursday, October 13th, 2011 with an Opening Night Tuesday, November 8th. Venus in Fur is part of the 2011-2012 Manhattan Theater Club series. The limited run will conclude Sunday, December 18th, 2011.

Venus In Fur originally premiered Off-Broadway in January 2010; originally scheduled to run a month, the play was extended multiple times and closed March 25th, 2010. The original lead -- 2011 Tony nominee Nina Arianda (Born Yesterday) -- will be reprising her role of Vanda that she originated Off-Broadway. Actor Hugh Dancy will be playing playwright Thomas (originally played Off-Broadway by Wes Bentley).

From Broadway.com:

"As David Ives’ new play begins, we meet a modern-day playwright/director who has written an adaptation of Venus in Fur, the 1870 novel by Leopold Sacher-Masoch that became infamous when the author’s last name inspired the term “sado-masochism” to describe the interplay of sex and power in the book. An actress arrives to audition, her bag filled with S&M gear and period costumes. Soon the playwright is drawn into reading his own script with this mysterious young woman, with breaks to argue about the meaning of the story and the motivation of the characters."

In addition to Venus In Fur and Chicago, Walter Bobbie's other Broadway directing credits include White Christmas, High Fidelity, Footloose, and the 2005 revival of Sweet Charity (which includes a reference to Scranton in one of the lyrics).

Click here for a previous blog entry on Walter Bobbie.

www.mtc-nyc.org/index.php?q=node/171