SARASOTA, FL – A documentary short about two diverse schools that came together – with the assistance of The Asolo Rep – to put on a play that exemplified their unique cultures while celebrating diversity has been accepted to the Sarasota Film Festival. The C3 Project, which showcases how the Hershorin Schiff Community Day School and Visible Men Academy worked and came together last year through improvisation, spoken word and play, will be shown on Monday, April 8, 3:30 p.m. at the Sarasota Municipal Auditorium (801 N. Tamiami Tr., Sarasota) and again on Friday, April 12, 8 p.m. during the “Florida Showcase 1 Shorts” at Auditorium 3 of the Regal Hollywood Stadium 11 (1993 Main St., Sarasota). Runtime is 10:22; directors are filmmaker Tyler McCool and the Asolo Rep’s Community Engagement Specialist, Ria Cooper.
Over the course of the 12-week residency, which began in February of 2018, the Asolo Repertory Theatre led activities to help the 22 participating students at Visible Men Academy and Community Day School explore personal identity and find commonality through theater. Cooper met weekly with the students, all in grades 5-8, to facilitate dramatic arts activities to create a short play exploring themes of personal identity and overcoming differences. Sometimes the sessions were with each school’s group individually; every three weeks, the students came together.
McCool was there for various sessions over the course of the program, capturing the activities and interplay between the students, who come from widely different backgrounds. The culminating performance took place in May to an audience of families, teachers and community leaders.
“The C3 Project has been a privilege to produce and I am thrilled to have it shown in the Sarasota Film Festival,” said McCool. “Creating films about what makes us all similar as people has been my mission in producing documentaries, and The C3 Project exemplifies this mission. I look forward to the response from our community; I personally believe there is a lot to learn from our younger generations if we allow ourselves to listen.”
“C3” stands for “Creativity, Collaboration and Culture.” This program, which was funded by a nearly $20,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, also included a professional theater experience: a subsidized performance of the Asolo Rep’s Ragtime.
“We could not have been more pleased with the outcome of this program. The students created personal stories and experiences – looking at gender, race, cultural and religious differences – to help understand their place in the world and make meaning of those experiences,” Cooper said. “We are thrilled to be able to showcase the process and outcome of The C3 Project during the screenings at the Sarasota Film Festival.”
For more information about The C3 Project, contact Ria Cooper at 941-351-9010 or ria_cooper@asolo.org. To reserve tickets for a showtime of The C3 Project, go to the Sarasota Film Festival website: sarasotafilmfestival.com.
About Visible Men Academy
Visible Men Academy is a K-5 tuition free public charter school located in Bradenton, Fla. www.vmacademy.org
About Community Day School
The mission of the Hershorin Schiff Community Day School, which serves students in preschool through eighth grade, is to impact the world by creating a community where children of all faiths demonstrate integrity, academic excellence, and a desire to improve the world. For more information, visit the website at communityday.org or call (941) 552-2770.
About Asolo Repertory Theatre
Now in its 60th season, Asolo Repertory Theatre is recognized as one of the premier professional theatres in America and one of the largest in the Southeastern United States. One of the few select theatres in the nation that performs in true rotating repertory, Asolo Rep’s highly skilled acting company and extensive craftsmanship bring to life this unique performance method that gives audiences the opportunity to see multiple productions in the span of a few days. Asolo Rep presents up to 10 productions each season including contemporary and classic works and provocative musical theatre experiences. www.asolorep.org