JANS - The Magnolia Roller Vixens, Metro Jackson’s roller derby team, announce their four day boot camp for prospective skaters and referees on Oct 1st, and Oct 3rd from 7pm to 9pm at the National Guard Armory on Northside Drive in Clinton. “This boot camp was designed to teach anyone interested in being a skater or a ref the basic skills and rules needed to play roller derby,” says Dena Radcliffe, Chair of the Skills and Practice committee. “We are recruiting women ages 18 and up, men and women ages 18 and up for our ref crew, and boys and girls ages 12 and up for our junior team.”

Megan Voos, Recruitment Chairperson says “Often, when I invite people to check out roller derby, I get the response ‘I don’t know how to skate.’ Well, here’s your chance to learn and become a part of the fastest growing sport in the world. Not only will you learn the fundamentals of roller derby, but we will pair you up with a Big Sister to encourage you along the way.” Roller derby is played on a flat track, usually of concrete or wood. A roller derby game is called a “bout,” which consists of two thirty-minute halves. Each half is made up of several two-minute “jams.” Each jam features five players from each team, four players called blockers, and one jammer from each team. The object is for the jammers to score points by passing members of the opposing team. At the end of the bout, the team with the most points wins.

“This can be a rough sport,” Elizabeth Ronie, a referee, says. “I attended several bouts and was interested in becoming part of the team, but I was very intimidated by what I saw. I hemmed and hawed for a few months before I finally joined the team. I really regretted the lost time.” She adds “I promise these girls are not nearly as scary off the track! They are lovely, helpful people.” Magnolia Roller Vixens was formed in 2008 and is a community-wise sports initiative for adult females. The Magnolia Roller Vixens promotes and fosters the sport of women’s flat track derby by facilitating the development of athletic ability, sportswomanship, and goodwill among its team members and staff.

The governing philosophy is “by the skaters, for the skaters.” The league adopts the rules and regulations of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) and is a WFTDA Apprentice League. Certain gear is required for all skaters, Radcliffe says. “We will have very limited gear available to borrow on a first come-first serve basis. To ensure the opportunity to skate, you may want to purchase your own gear before boot camp begins. You will also need your own mouth guard.” In addition to the mouth guard, elbow pads, knee pads, wrist guards, and helmets are also required. The cost of the boot camp is free for members and $5 per night for non-members. Email freshmeat@magnoliarollervixens.com for more information.

High stakes money dealing and child molestation weigh heavily by any measure; eliciting headlines though, by comparison, sit at opposite ends of angst and disdain. But the impressive dexterity of actor Nate Parker demonstrates his ability to balance the scales of emotion, making him one of today’s finest on screen talents. Parker costars in Arbitrage, the Richard Gere dramatic thriller centered on financial improprieties, from Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions. Parker also costars in Red Hood Summer, the Spike Lee intense drama that posits religion and fractured family dynamics amid sexual innocence, now playing in theaters. Arbitrage, from writer Nicholas Jarecki, is described as a taut and alluring suspense thriller about love, loyalty, and high finance.

New York hedge-fund magnate Robert Miller (Gere), on the eve of his 60th birthday, appears the very portrait of success in American business and family life. Behind the gilded walls of his mansion, Miller is in over his head, desperately trying to complete the sale of his trading empire to a major bank before the depths of his fraud are revealed. Miller struggles to conceal his duplicity from his wife Ellen (Susan Sarandon) and daughter, Brooke (Brit Marling), heir-apparent, all the while balancing an extramarital affair. Just as he’s about to unload his troubled empire, a bloody accident forces him to juggle family, business, and crime with the aid of Jimmy Grant (Parker), a face from Miller’s past.

The 32-year-old Parker’s expanding movie career includes over a dozen feature films. He first received critical attention for his starring role in The Great Debaters opposite Denzel Washington. He followed this with a role starring alongside Terrence Howard and Cuba Gooding, Jr., in Red Tails. He is currently in production on David Lowery’s Ain’t Them Bodies Saints opposite Casey Affleck, Rooney Mara, and Ben Foster. Other credits include: Pride, Felon, Tunnel Rats with Michael Pare and The Secret Life Of Bees, which featured an all-star cast of Queen Latifah, Jennifer Hudson, Dakota Fanning and Paul Bettany. On stage, Parker appeared in American Voices opposite Dustin Hoffman, Annette Bening, Rosario Dawson and James Cromwell. Recently, I spoke to Parker, a Norfolk, VA, native who holds an honorary Doctorate from Wiley College in Marshall, Texas, who is known to be fastidious in preparing for each character portrayal.

“The first role I ever had was on television; it was on Cold Case. If I remember, it was a young man who had been molested by a swim coach. A number of years later, they looked into the murder of the swim coach and my character’s name came up. I can remember looking at the material trying to figure out how I would create this world and how I would be true to this character. Being someone who has never been molested, I just reminded myself that somewhere in the world a young kid – who is a victim – is going to be watching this and he will be sitting next to the person that is victimizing him. How would I be able to speak on behalf of that kid and will I do a good job? Will that kid say, ‘he’s so honest?’ That is the kind of approach I take in terms of what I chose to do and the type of messages I want to draw, based on my character analysis.” His process is enduring. “I come from an athletic background; I was a wrestler and in wrestling the stakes are high. If you don’t prepare, it can mean your health. You can break something or hurt yourself. Wrestling is a one-on-one sport and many times people think it’s you against the other person, but most often it’s you against yourself. I take that training with me: the discipline and the work ethic. So far it’s paid off.” There are nuances in Arbitrage, also costarring Tim Roth, that hearken of days gone by. Yet, there are shades steeped in present day, particularly the sanguine protagonist who doubles as the villain in question. Parker places well in period dramas.

Namely, in The Great Debaters, the tender love scene with Journee Smollett – both sitting quietly in a boat in the bayou – rates among my favorite on screen romantic events; their innocence is affecting. Parker seems at ease vacillating between eras. “I think that’s probably one of the greatest compliments I have received in my career and perhaps speaks to the reality that – in many ways – we’ve lost the power of the young black man. “It’s been replaced in the media by the angry black man, or the violent black man, the despondent black man, or the weak black man or the emasculated black man. I put ‘black man’ on it because I’m specifically speaking to our community. People ask me why I play so many period roles and my answer is simple. I tell them [that] when I see more material reflecting black men in a positive way – that will be progress for the community instead of a detriment – then people will see more contemporary roles [from me].” Our conversation moves to his role in Spike Lee’s Red Hook Summer.

Parker, as “Box”, is a jaded street thug, once a “church boy” gone by the wayside. The Red Tails star opined, “I think it’s important that we recognize those men we see on the street corners with their pants down and their hats backwards; with the ‘blood’ colors and the pistol in their waist, that they are the residue of having been discarded. It first comes with the leadership – you go to any school, and the success of any of those young people is a result of the leadership that has come before them. The people that have guided them so I think with this young man, Box, while it’s easy to play what a gang member is, it’s harder to really speak to his truth. His back story – you know that he’s trying; he was in the church and his mother passed away. No one filled in the gap. That’s what’s happening in our community: we’re losing our kids at ages 12, 13, 14… the girls get pregnant at 11, 12, 13… the boys are becoming gangsters at 11, 12, 13, and it’s not because they are criminal minded. It’s not because they want to die.

Largely, it’s because of that impermanence where they feel like tomorrow is not guaranteed. It’s that abandonment where they feel like they don’t have the support of people around them. That can make them feel like tomorrow is not guaranteed so they are raised most often by people that will take advantage, sometimes it’s gangs.” Reaching further into his perspective, “Sometimes a gang will provide that security, that safety net, that social experience: all the things that you would hope one can gain in a positive, healthy environment. “I think there’s a lot of judgment that goes on in our generation, among young people, and much of that judgment happens in church. In my own church, our pastor is younger than me now. I told him I was excited because when I used to go into church all I would see were older people just waiting to die.

They’d lived their lives and now it’s time for them to kill over, so they want to make sure that they are ‘right with God.’ “Today, if you look at the energy of young people and what we’re doing with Twitter, Facebook and all these social media outlets, there is such an opportunity for the church to gain a new energy. When this script (Red Hook Summer) was brought it to me I saw so much in it. The church has a responsibility. It’s my prayer that they step up to the plate and reach out to these young people.” Read more at www.Talk2SV.com.

When I last sat with David Ayer, writer of the Academy Award winning film, “Training Day” starring Denzel Washington and directed by  Antoine Fuqua (Brooklyn’s Finest, Shooter) ), it was for the slick and shrilling cop drama, “Street Kings” in which Ayer directed another Oscar winner, Forest Whitaker.

Ayer, the Illinois born, Chicago infused, South Central LA bred writer/director/producer  has built an impressive career unpacking the nearly 360 degree perspective of cop life given the arsenal of films to his credit, among them:  Dark Blue, S.W.A.T., Harsh Times, The Fast and The Furious.

Today, the 43-year-old says life offers another layer, now a husband and father yet there may still be another law enforcement scenario under his belt.  Currently, Ayer’s END OF WATCH, starring Jake Gyllenhaal (Love and Other Drugs, Source Code, Brokeback Mountain) and Michael Peňa (Crash, World Trade Center, Tower Heist) gives a sobering view of life behind the badge. Costars include America Ferrera (Travelling Pants franchise, TV’s Ugly Betty), Natalie Martinez (Death Race) and Anna Kendrick (Up in the Air).

Partners, Brian Taylor (Gyllenhaal) and Mike Zavala (Peňa) face the unpredictable streets of LA’s South Central — still defined by dominant gangs and excessive drugs– beat cops and friends whose goal is to reach the end of watch, alive. The young men see it all.  Despite the grind of duty, they find a semblance of solace in the time spent and conversations had, mostly in the squad car in between feats of heroism and bouts of hell.

Zavala holds family close to vest, his number one priority while Taylor is still searching for love’s satisfying embrace.

Their story is told through the lens of Taylor’s video cam that serves as a third character: sometimes shaky, sometimes reliable but always on, allowing the viewer to see what is most often legend in the tales we hear abbreviated on the evening news.

These guys “man up” everyday and take us along for the ride, whether we are ready for it or not and to that end, END OF WATCH is certainly worth seeing.

During conversations in Los Angeles prior to the red carpet premiere, I spoke with Ayer, Gyllenhaal and Peňa–

Sandra Varner (Talk2SV):  Gentlemen, this was quite an experience.  What are your thoughts on the other side of making this film?

Gyllenhaal: We spent five months on the streets with LAPD and the Sheriff’s Department riding through Los Angeles and Inglewood, usually two or three nights a week, typically from 4:00 PM until 4:00 AM.  We also did tactical training with live ammunition with Rick Lopez who trains all the SWAT teams and is SWAT himself; we did fight training and sparring…

Peňa: We just got beat up, or shall I say, I got beat up (laughter). Jake’s a good fighter. So after all that and our relationships with the police officers  we met along with everyone in the community, given thosee five months of being around, seeing what happens –not only  the violence but also the boredom in a  police officer’s job– we saw how relationships are made.  Good and bad.  Personally, the experience changed my life not only as an actor but also as a person; it was a once in a lifetime experience.

Talk2SV:  Yes, I understand you saw real police work being done…

Gyllenhaal: During one particular ride along, the officers received a call that there was some sort of shooting.  We respond to the call unaware that another squad had responded.  When we arrived at the scene, we witnessed a chase scene of a stolen vehicle.  At the end of the chase, cars were surrounded by cops at the end of a railroad track and I remember thinking to myself, ‘Am I in a Denzel Washington movie?’

Talk2SV:  You actually witnessed a murder as I understand it.

Gyllenhaal: Yeah…the very first ride along I went on, someone was murdered and consequently, on a number of different ridealongs after that too. [We saw] domestic violence, stolen vehicles…

Peňa:  We saw somebody shot in the face, in the arms …

Gyllenhaal: They survived though.

Talk2SV:  This film now posits you in the pantheon of buddy cop films.  Are there any such films that you’d liken END OF WATCH to?

Gyllenhaal:  You know, strangely, there were moments in that car that remind me of Lethal Weapon, the sense of humor between both guys.

Peňa:  For me, I think of a couple of things. This film reminds me of the Sydney Lumet films, just in general. We rehearsed a lot.  Serpico is one of my favorite movies and that’s another thing that really helped our chemistry.  Jake has such a love for film and so do I. I guess it’s not really cool to say you love movies and film as actors but I do and I know he does as well.  We like the same kind of stuff.  There were times when Jake would open my eyes to a lot of really interesting things.  So to answer your question, I think Serpico and maybe Dog Day Afternoon because of the relationships.

Talk2SV: The video camera is central to the telling of this story. As actors, you live your lives before the time camera, as it were, so people like me can get to observe you through your work. How do you personally use video cameras in your own lives?

Peňa: Personally, I use my phone all the time. I’m videotaping things all the time, my family, myself, my friends; taking pictures. I mean, it has become a part of life. I love to capture things. I think the difference between having made this movie and say, for instance, five years ago to now is the fact that we film everything all the time.  There was a time during filmmaking, where I said to Dave (Ayer), ‘Do  you have to justify it narratively speaking that big gangsters would  be videotaping themselves doing highly illegal things?’ His response to me was, “Maybe not five years ago but today, everybody is videotaping everything.”  It’s almost as if the video camera is the third character in our lives.

Gyllenhaal: I remember there was this one interesting exercise that we were all doing; we all had our phones, iPhones, Blackberries, whatever and we were getting tazed.  I was thinking, don’t record that stuff but we got tazed for this movie;  we were giving it our all.  I found out that there is no cool way to look while being tazed, you can’t look cool.

TALK2SV: How does it feel to be tazed?

Gyllenhaal:  It feels like a thousand volts of electricity going through your body in a very short period of time.

Peňa: Yeah, it perhaps feels like an execution.

Gyllenhaal: Very painful.

Peňa:  Your muscles are like convulsing, it’s crazy.

Gyllenhaal: You have no motor control.

Talk2SV: Dave (Ayer), it’s not your first time at this dance; you have quite an arsenal of cop stories. Who are you in this scenario and what prepared you to tell these stories?

Ayer: I’m just me. I grew up in South Central LA. I mean, I used to run from the cops. I got beat black and blue when I was a teenager by LAPD. I’ve seen it all, but I’ve watched the department change.  Now, you have a department that’s diverse: by gender and ethnicity.  A department that reflects the people it polices whereas it didn’t before.  They’ve incorporated community policing so I feel like the ‘old school’ LAPD is gone and it’s a different department.  Also, I’m married now with four kids.  As a father, I’m more in love with my life than I was in the past so I wanted to bring my life into my work.  That’s why the family piece in this story was important to show because at the end of the day, these are guys who have the symbols of authority but they are just normal people behind all of that.

There will be much more from the guys about END OF WATCH on opening day, Friday, September 21.  Stay tuned to www.Talk2SV.com.

By Brinda Fuller Willis, PhD

Jackson Advocate Contributing Writer

Michael Lynche, aka Big Mike, as he was known on Season 9 of American Idol, has just released his new self-entitled CD with some of the best R & B love songs on the market today. The new Michael Lynche CD was recorded on the Big 3 Records label in Florida, debuting twelve songs that have the touch and feel of an old Barry White album. Released on August 14, 2012, Lynche seems to have tapped into his own niche as a crooner of love that is refreshing from an artist so young and full of talent.

This guy can actually sing and carry a tune which is lacking on so many levels by so, so many artists on the scene now. According to Stachemedia representative Kelly Krueger in New York, Michael Lynche’s new CD has debuted at #29 on the Urban AC Radio charts and is featured in the current special edition of People Magazine. Krueger also states, “Lynche recently appeared on local TV shows in the Tampa and Orlando areas i.e., Good Day Tampa Bay, Good Day Orlando and Fox 40 AM in Jackson, Mississippi.”

Stachemedia reports Michael Lynche is currently on a radio promotional tour hitting NYC; Philly; DC; Atlantic City; NOLA; Jackson; Shreveport; Little Rock; West Palm Beach; Chattanooga; Augusta; Columbus, GA; and Charleston, SC. Additionally, Kruger states the theme of the CD is LOVE, infused with R & B, soul, pop and with a trace of vintage funk. The CD is co-written by Lynche along with producer, Jason Pennock Babyface, Michelle Williams, and Natasha Bedingfield. The incredible CD includes: “Crazy Gina”, “Sex”, “Intoxicated”, “This Woman’s Work”, “Who’s Gonna Love You More”, “Baby Boo”, “Speechless”, “Today”, “Love Is You”, “Somebody Save Me”, “Lover’s Symphony” and “Unstoppable”.

Biographical information reveals Michael Lynche’s life has been defined by love and second chances. The Florida native and devoted family man’s rise has been well-documented through his riveting appearance on American Idol. He was saved by the judges on Idol, giving him a second chance to continue through the prized competition. After wowing millions of fans on American Idol with his comforting, yet husky and powerful voice, performing throughout the U.S. as part of the American Idol Live tour, Michael has created his rich and lyrically inviting debut CD. The first single, “Who’s Gonna Love You More” impacted radio on May 21, 2012, with a #36 ranking on Billboard’s Adult R & B chart.

Giving music a second chance after an athletic run via a scholarship at the University of Central Florida, Michael left his hometown of St. Petersburg and moved to New York to pursue his dream of a career in music that included an audition on American Idol, which launched him into the music industry and now is a regular correspondent on Good Day New York for the American Idol re-cap segments and performed on GDNY last July. Visit Amazon and iTunes to get a copy of the hot new Michael Lynche CD!

JANS – The Mississippi Film and Video Alliance is now offering up to $500 for each Mississippi-based team for finishing a film through the newly launched Jackson 48 Hour Film Project to be held August 17-19, 2012. Through a generous grant from the Mississippi Film Office, MFVA wants to support your filmmaking efforts through the Jackson 48 Hour Film Project and the Emerging Mississippi Filmmakers Grant Program. The 48 Hour Film Project is an international competition entering its twelfth year, but this is the first time it will be available to filmmakers in Mississippi. The competition will take place over the weekend of August 17 and all films submitted will be screened August 25th at Millsaps College in Jackson. Films must be screened at the August 25th screening to qualify for the $500 funding. The winner of the Jackson competition may go on to compete internationally. Prizes include a screening at Cannes Film Festival, a screening at NAB, professional screenwriting software, and $5,000. The 48 Hour Film Project is a wild and sleepless weekend in which you and a team make a movie—write, shoot, edit and score it—in just 48 hours. On Friday night, teams are given a character, a prop, a line of dialogue and a genre, all to include in their movie. 48 hours later, the movie must be complete. The competition is open to all ages globally. Anyone can participate statewide and beyond (they just have to have someone in Jackson to pick up their chosen prop/line/name/etc. and then drop off the finished film by the 48 hour deadline). Registration and more information is available at http://www.48hourfilm.com/en/jackson/ MFVA continues to help filmmakers with its Emerging Mississippi Filmmakers Grant Program which offers up to $2,500 for each project and $500 for each student project. Projects requiring less than $2,500 will also be considered. The program was created to help develop Mississippi’s film and video artists as the next generation of Mississippi’s legacy of storytelling. The grant is available to working and emerging Mississippi filmmakers. The program is open to legal residents of Mississippi, 18 years of age and older. MFVA has helped fund over 40 projects in its twelve years as an organization. Applications and supporting material must be mailed to MFVA postmarked on or before August 15, 2012. Applications received via e-mail will NOT be accepted. For details, please visit: http://msfilmandvideoalliance.org/grants/grants.html

JANS – Mississippi Boychoir, a diverse group of talented and entertaining boys from across Central Mississippi and Hattiesburg area, is now auditioning for its 2012-13 season. Boys in grades 1 – 12 who like to sing are invited to schedule an audition by calling 601 665-7374 (Jackson) or 601 549-0473 (Hattiesburg); email mississippi boychoir@comcast.net; or visit www.mississippiboychoir.org. Membership is based upon each boy’s natural talent, regardless of economic status, ethnicity, or training. The program is tuition based but scholarships based on need are available. Lelon Thompson directs the choir. He holds degrees of Bachelor of Music Education and Master of Voice from Mississippi College. He studied at the Metropolitan Opera Studios and the Herbert Berghof/Uta Hagan Acting Studio in New York. His numerous awards include a Fulbright Scholarship and Teacher of the Year Award by Parents for Public Schools Much in demand for performances and concerts, the Mississippi Boychoir was chosen this year to perform for the governor’s inauguration, with the American Boychoir in concert, and Eudora Welty’s Birthday Celebration. The choir is a non-profit organization and funded in part by the Mississippi Arts Commission, the National Endowment for the Arts, numerous corporate partners, foundations and individuals.

By Brinda Fuller Willis, Ph.D

Jackson Advocate Contributing Writer

Thalia Mara Hall…..Billed as a reunion gala, the 2012 International Ballet Competition performances held July 14th had the look of the Olympic trials recently held a few days ago. When one thinks of the ballet, images of delicate dancers who glide across the stage with an occasional leap into the air while standing on their toes fills your head. However, I along with every attendee at the IBC Reunion Gala Competition soon had those passé type images shocked right out their heads and replaced with acrobatic feats that transformed the stage into what appeared to be an Olympic trial venue. The normal pirouette turned into an athletic gymnastic movement with height and definition that made the crowd gasp for their breathe each time one of these superstars took flight in dance after dance displaying the same strength, technique, confidence and intestinal fortitude that pushes Olympians. According to Chantel Lott, the public relations and marketing director for the USA/ IBC, “The gala’s purpose is to reunite the stars with their fans, to maintain IBC presence in the interim season, and to celebrate the success of the dancers after their IBC experience.” Thus, this type of event brings out the best in new arrangements that illuminate individual and duets that aren’t seen in any other settings. This years’ gala was graced with the presence of Senator Thad Cochran, who introduced and presented William “Billy” Mounger with a gold medal for his years of service and dedication to the Jackson International Ballet Competition. Mounger said, “This is the world’s best competition and it gives me the best pleasure to be with the best in the world.” The gala was opened by CityDance, a debut group comprised of Jackson Public School students age seven to twelve years old. The CityDance (Level III) members included Michya Burton, Endia Cook, Alexzandria Horn, Yamya Johnson, Khaela Jones, Saryah Jones, Raya Pack, and Jamira Roach. According to Sue Lobrano, USA/IBC executive director, “The USA/IBC’s after school dance program supports the CityDance program by providing free ballet classes and dancewear.” CityDance performed Gabriel’s Oboe with music composed by Ennio Morricone and choreographed by Mia Whitehead. The Reunion competition performances included: •Le Corsaire, Pas de Deux, Medora and the Slave (Dancers: Adiarys Almeida & Joseph Gatti) •Grand Pas Classique (Dancer: Mikhail Ilyin) •Oh, Inverted World (excerpt) (Dancers: Annali Rose & John Michael Schert) •Sleeping Beauty, Female Variation from Grand Pas de Deux, Act III(Dancer: Alys Shee •Lost in Time (Dancer: Brooklyn Mack) •Coppelia, Wedding Pas de Deux (Dancers: Misa Kuranaga & Jeffery Cirio) •Ave Maria (Dancer: Jose Carreno) •Swan Lake, Female Variation from Grand Pas de Deux, Act III (Dancer: Alys Shee) • Unrestrained (Dancer: Mikhail Ilyin) •La Bayadere, Variation of Solor (Dancer: Brooklyn Mack) Blue Until June (excerpt) (Dancers: Annali Rose & John Michael Schert) •Don Quixote, Grand Pas de Deux (Dancers: Candice Adea & Jean Marc Cordero) The entire performance was given a standing ovation by the Jackson audience with special attention given to CityDance, Brooklyn Mack for his performance of La Bayadere and Lost in Time. Additional ovations were given to Annali Rose and John Michael Schert for their execution of (Blue Until June) to the music of “At Last” performed by Etta James. The 2012 IBC Reunion Gala was dedicated to Billy Mounger presented by Entergy. Additional sponsors included funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, Mississippi Arts Commission, Mississippi Development Authority and the Jackson Convention and Visitors Bureau. To support the CityDance after school program please contact Kitty Cook Ramsey, USA/IBC director of development at (601-973-9249. Learn more about the USA/IBC go to www.usaibc.com and www.usaibc.com/our-community/citydance. To support the CityDance after school program please contact Kitty Cook Ramsey, USA/IBC director of development at (601-973-9249.

Phase 4 Films recently released the romantic comedy DVD “Hopelessly in June” starring Vincent Brantley, Carolyn Neff, Ed Asner, Tommy “Tiny” Lister Jr. and Keith David. The movie was the official selection of the Hollywood Film Festival, the Temecula International Film and Music Festival, the ReelWorld Film Festival, and the Bud Abbott Feature Comedy Award Winner at the Garden State Film Festival. In short, Daleon Myers’ failure to find his one true love continues to disappoint his religious and overbearing family. His prayers are answered when he falls for June Flowers, a beautiful Los Angeles businesswoman. Things are fine until the parents come into the picture.

Front Row (L to R): Justin Bell, Edison Brown III, Jack Archer, Sophia Bowley, Miriam Margot McCafferty, Aaliyah Bass. Second Row: Vanessa Johnson, Alex Forbes, Jayda Ross. Third Row: Lenora Campbell, Roblisha Brown, Maleigh Edwards, Kamryn Davis, Derykah Watts, Kayla Quinn. Fourth row: Lacey Johnson, Jasmine Lucas, Lily Garretson, Hannah Clay King, Sara Waldbauer, Lucie Cooper, Kaitlyn Fowler. Fifth Row: Alice McPhail, Emani Sullivan, Emily Gill, Ben Rodenmeyer, Susanna Blount, Maggie Jefferis. Sixth Row: Kate Rodenmeyer, Emma McNeel, Theo Lott, Nailah Stamps.

JANS – New Stage Theatre‘s Summer Day Camp will present Disney favorite “The Little Mermaid, Jr.”, July 12 through 15. The performances are Thursday through Saturday at 7 p. m. and Sunday, July 15 at 2 p.m. Ticket prices are $15.00 for adults and $10.00 for children 12 and under. Tickets can be purchased by calling the New Stage box office at (601) 948-3531 or ordered online at www.newstagetheatre.com. Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Jr. is sponsored by The Walker Foundation, The Greater Jackson Arts Council, The Gannett Foundation and The Feild Cooperative. This classic Disney title contains all of the songs from the Academy Award winning animated feature film as well as three new songs from the Broadway show. Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Jr. takes place in a magical kingdom beneath the sea, where a beautiful young mermaid named Ariel longs to leave her ocean home to live in the world above. But first, she’ll have to defy her father, the king of the sea, escape the clutches of an evil sea witch and convince a prince that she’s the girl with the perfect voice. Adapted from Disney’s 2008 Broadway production, Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Jr. features the hit songs Part of Your World, She’s in Love, and the Oscar-winning Under the Sea. “The Little Mermaid is a classic and a show that everyone is familiar with and will enjoy seeing on the stage,” said Summer Day Camp Director Chris Roebuck. “This year, however, we are doing something a little different – we are having two casts each performing the show twice. This gives more students an opportunity to shine, and gives me and the camp staff more opportunities to impart some of our theatrical experience to the students.” As the culminating production of the four-week Broadway Junior Summer Theatre Intensive, Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Jr. is ready for production. Director Chris Roebuck recruited Choreographer Marlena Duncan and Music Director Andrew James Craig to assist him in this production. Both are professionals working in the community.

The opening scene presents a beautiful golden child innocently immersed in her own animal kingdom –a world of domestic pets, remnants of a crude existence– bearing a striking chord of realism, albeit suspended belief. Hushpuppy (Quvenzhanẽ pronounced Qwa von je nay) is the film’s small heroine of epic proportion who guides us through one of the most beautiful and extraordinary films of the past decade, Beasts of the Southern Wild, directed by Benh Zeitlin.

Synopsis

In a forgotten but defiant bayou community cut off from the rest of the world by a sprawling levee, a six-year-old girl exists on the brink of orphan hood. Buoyed by her childish optimism and extraordinary imagination, she believes that the natural order is in balance with the universe until a fierce storm changes her reality. Desperate to repair the structure of her world in order to save her ailing father and sinking home, this tiny hero must learn to survive unstoppable catastrophes of epic proportions.

Director’s Perspective

Someone’s ability to bake doughnuts or laugh loud is just as good a reason to make them a dolly grip as their ability to push a dolly. I want to fill my life and my films with wild, brave, good-hearted people. Whatever amount of chaos and disaster that leads to doesn’t matter, because you’re going through it with the people you love, and in the end, no matter what, the movies come out wild, brave, and good-hearted; and that’s more important to me than smooth dolly moves.

This concept extended to every part of the process making Beasts of the Southern Wild. My approach to making movies is about crafting energy, a feeling, and a way of life that the people that make movies with me can live. It’s about inventing a reality and populating it with the best people I know.

Most gloriously, in our casting process – where we chose Dwight Henry, from the bakery across the street, and Quvenzhané Wallis, from Honduras Elementary School to take charge of our heroes, Wink and Hushpuppy. Neither of them had any previous experience acting, but when you look in their eyes, you see fearless warriors, and you know they can do anything. Even though you then revise the script as you learn from the actors and settings along the way and change everything about your approach, it doesn’t matter, because those elements were superficial in the face of accurately capturing the fierce spirit that the film needed to articulate. That principle was applied to every decision. Are we going to create an interior water set? Or are we going to sea? Do we dress an accessible location to look like an island at the edge of the world, or do we go to the edge of the world? Do we dress an 11 year-old to look like she’s six? Or do we cast a six year-old? We tested the strength of the story and family that made it against every element that would try to break it.

I spoke with Benh Zeitlin about BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD–

Sandra Varner (Talk2SV): Clearly this story stays with you. Upon review, it felt very familiar as I am a Louisiana native. Initially, I tried to liken the character to myself and the bond shared with my father, but, as I continued to ponder, it became clear [to me] that Hushpuppy represented a reflection of my 92 year old mother. From her youth, defiant, and today, my mom is still fiercely independent, in love with land and nature, fond of every living creature. This little cherubic-faced girl, a tough-as-nails character holds a mirror up to a portion of my mother’s childhood– exhilarating though frightful.

Zeitlin: Wow. That’s one of the nicest things anybody has ever said about this movie, I really appreciate that.

Talk2SV: I adore the film actually. Raised in Louisiana, it still holds mysteries. Your depiction is hauntingly beautiful. I am bowled over that you were able to capture the rich, mystifying, eerie and nearly unexplainable aura of southern Louisiana; that you translated it so beautifully in this film is utterly mesmerizing.

Zeitlin: The film is a real collaboration. Much of what comes through on screen was brought by local actors and the place where we made it. We learned so much by living down there. We tried to create a system of making a movie where all the elements in the film are believable. Also, I think a lot of it is really brought to the film by people that have lived in south Louisiana all their life. For me, it was just a matter of trying to make sure that I was listening [to them] and trying to give it (the film) an element of a story within its space and not try to come in with a bunch of pre-conceived notions. It had a quality even though the story is fictional. Our approach was as if we were making a documentary.

Talk2SV: I don’t know if words will ever fully express what you’ve done with this film that may not be possible; simply put, there’s something magical about southern Louisiana.

Zeitlin: Yeah and it’s totally intangible. I love talking to people who understand because you can’t really explain it, you know. And that’s what the film is. People start asking what I want others to take away from the film or try to explain the connection and that’s sort of what the film is– a song about a feeling that is only there. It’s hard to articulate. It’s just something everybody gets and that’s what we were trying to somehow articulate. I think this film gives you the tools to articulate New Orleans and south Louisiana in music and food; we tried to articulate it in film.

Read more at www.Talk2SV.com