The Dallas Reel

Producer Sharon Garrison and Director Carolyn Hodge are moving forward with a script written by Cathy Bible, “When It’s Your Time”, for the second Dallas Reel project.

Casting begins Sunday, November 20th at STAGE in Dallas. Principle photography is currently scheduled for Mondays December 5th and 12th.

Crew and cast positions are open to members of the Dallas Table. For further updates, please be at the scheduled Dallas Table meeting, Wednesday, November 16th.

Last night was the cast and crew premiere of The Golden Bowl of Tawakoni Texas at the gallery at New Trick Flicks in Exposition Park in Dallas. This was the first time the film had been seen by anyone other than the editors, director, or producers. The party was a success and the film was a hit. We asked for anonymous comments back from the audience and they were uniformly and exceedingly positive. We’ll be going back to the editing suite for a couple more weeks to sweeten the sound, polish the images, and tighten the scenes just a little bit more before submitting it to two very well-respected film festivals.

Congratulations to everyone involved: you done did pretty damn good.

Third Quarter Film

Earlier this week, the producers received pitches for the Q3 Reel project from local Dallas screenwriters. Each writer was given the opportunity to pitch their idea(s) to the full panel of producers and answer some preliminary questions about the proposed film for 5 minutes. Writers pitched about ten films and the producers are reviewing the scripts and will select a film for the third quarter later this coming week.

Parker Lovein is The Dallas Reel’s youngest member and performer, at just eight years old. Parker began taking acting lessons when he was five, after his parents discovered his creativity, maturity, unique sense of humor and love for entertaining people and making them laugh. Parker comes from an artistic family, his attorney father a former soap opera actor, one grandfather the Hawaiian potter and sculptor, Matthew Lovein, and the other grandfather the playwright and screenwriter, Ronald Ribman. When Parker is not acting, you can usually find him scouring the backyard for anything with legs, wings or a tail. In fact, there is virtually no insect, mammal, reptile, fish, or bird that Parker cannot identify or would not love to spend an afternoon with. Parker’s other interests include Jiu-Jitsu, painting, and spending time with his family.

Latvian-born Tatiana Balazs has a long resume as a concert pianist, traveling around the world performing both solo and orchestra performances. She holds a degree of Doctor of Musical Arts from Moscow State Conservatory.

Tatiana has done commercial work for several brands (the NFL, Century Link, Taco Bueno, and Mary Kay). Tatiana has performed the role of Kelly in a TV pilot Midnight Café, played a show director in a film for Cirque Banqista, participated in the filming of the TV series Code 58, performed in the film 8-Liner, and played an attorney on the TV show Good Guys.

In addition to piano and acting, Tatiana loves to dance.

Tatiana is represented by the Linda McAlister Talent Agency.

The Reel held its first cast read-through for the upcoming film The Golden Bowl of Tawakoni, Texas tonight.

A great time was had by all. The Tawakoni Company, cast and crew, is looking forward to the first Reel production which is turning out to be an ambitious and very funny short film.

There is one more full cast rehearsal next week. Shooting begins on April 2nd.

Born and reared in Port Arthur, Texas, J. A. (June) Gunn lived with her grandparents who instilled in her the love of God, home and country. They always encouraged her to have a positive attitude, excel at what she wanted to do and experience the “joie de vivre” as a free spirit (with discipline and love). After years in nursing, having a family and a 31 year career in law enforcement, she discovered her appetite for acting. Always the ham at heart she has found her niche. J. A. began studying at Theresa Bell Acting Studios in Feb 2010 and credits her coach, T-Bell, her fellow students and her family with the encouragement to go on and pursue this new endeavor.

Frank has had a passion for acting since he saw his first Randolph Scott western at age five. In 1966, after a hugely fun, but rather non-productive year at TCU, Frank was accepted for work at the Pasadena Playhouse. Following a stint in the navy, graduating from college, getting his masters degree, and teaching school, Frank was always acting and trying to hone his skills.

Frank has worked as an extra, has been a featured extra, a lead, and has appeared on television, stage plays, and film. Frank lives in Sherman with his wife Cindy, their dog, and three cats.

Frank is represented by the Linicomn Agency.

Actress, avid reader, future entrepreneur who wishes to own a winery, production company and an animal rescue ranch hardly describes this fiery redhead’s passions and desires. An atypical teenager that is highly focused on her acting career, Melissa is learning all she can from her acting coach, mentor and friend; actress Lar Park Lincoln. Melissa absorbs everything about movie production because she loves the film industry.

Melissa is represented by the Linicomn Agency.

Louisa Cambridge, is thrilled to be part of the first Dallas Reel. She just finished a stage production at Bedford OnStage Theater as Marlene, in Del Shore’s amazing play, Daddy’s Dy’in: Who’s Got the Will? Previous stage credits include: The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940; Cinderella, Harvey, Nine, The Most Happy Fella, Gypsy and The Cherry Orchard. Television and film credits includes; The Deep End, The Good Guys, Chase, Lonestar, A Death Foretold, Believe You Me and The Art of Killing Bigfoot.

Louisa is represented by the Linicomn Agency.

Jeff Fenter has been performing on stage and in films for over 25 years. Jeff graduated from the Performing Artists’ Musical Theatre Conservatory at Mountain View College in Dallas, TX in 1997. After graduating, he went on a national tour as an actor/stage manager for Dallas Children’s Theatre from 1997-2000. In December 2003 he started his own theater company called AmeriStage Players. Jeff got married to the love of his life, Elizabeth Pruitt, in May 2008. The other two loves of his life are Sydney, Elizabeth’s 9-year-old daughter and Easton, who was born on March 19th, 2009.

He is represented by Linda McAlister Talent and can be seen in several commercials/films locally.

For more information on Jeff please visit his website at www.jefffenter.com.

Julias Bershell was born and raised in Louisiana but has been in Texas long enough to claim dual citizenship. Julias has extensive experience acting in commercials and industrials and is expanding his film experience. Through membership in the Dallas Table Julias has been inspired to push toward his goal of writing and producing original material for television and the big screen.

Bill grew up in the Bronx, and was born a story teller. At eleven, he was in a production of Victoria Regina in New York City, and met the first lady of the stage, Helen Hayes. So it began. He has fourteen years experience with theater companies in Norway, Germany, Virginia and Texas, and made his move to film and TV in 2000.

While in Germany, he learned the language, and is also conversant in French and American Sign Language. He has a good ear for accents, and played old Ben Mickelson, a British butler, in Comanche Moon, a CBS mini-series, a German psychologist in The Gray Man, a German pathologist, in A Killer Within, an elderly Jewish man in Spare Change, and a Mexican-American pharmacist in the award-winning Carried Away. The EXPOSURE Showcase selected him as actor of the year when he portrayed Vladimir Pachinko telling the true story of a courageous cellist, Vedran Smailovic, who lived in Sarajevo during the bloody civil war.

Since 2003, he has been a regular voice talent with FUNimation Productions, and has more than thirty named animation characters to his credit.

For ten years Bill has conducted seminars for film students at local colleges and universities. He helps them find, cast, and direct local professional actors. He is also asked frequently to serve as a judge for local film festival and showcases.

He served on the Board of Directors of the Dallas Producers Association, heading up their education program, and is presently on the Advisory Board to the Video Technology program at North Lake College.

His broad perspective is rooted in many life adventures; a lumberyard worker, teacher, New York taxi driver, writer, counselor, military pilot, university faculty member, bus driver, photographer, and poet. He brings the seasoning of these experiences to each role.

Bill is proud to be represented by Linda McAlister.

Clay is both the founding Executive Producer of the Dallas Reel and the director of the first Dallas Reel film, The Golden Bowl of Tawakoni, Texas.

Clay is a life-long Texan with a deep and abiding passion for all aspects of film. He began making films at the age of 8 using his father’s 8mm camera and architectural pens, the neighbor’s kids, puppets, man-eating alien basketballs, and scraps of his brother’s Godzilla and Rodan movies that he cut up and spliced into his own works 30 years before anyone made up the word “mash-up”.

After a life-detour through the technology sector, Clay returned to his first passion, directing film, and founded the production company New Trick Flicks. This year marks a significant milestone for Clay and NTF, as not only is he heading up the Dallas Reel, he will also be directing his first feature-length film and a 12 episode comedy series for broadcast television. Clay is also actively developing several new media projects for the Internet.

We are happy to announce the cast for the Reel’s first production, The Golden Bowl of Tawakoni, Texas. The cast members, in order of appearance in the script, are:

Harry - Bill Flynn Deon - Julius Bershell Mildred - June Gunn Joe - Jeff Fenter Alicia - Melissa Nassaur Judge Nancy - Louisa Cambridge Bobby - Frank Steele

Producer Dixie Sedgwick and Director Clay Luther wish to thank everyone who auditioned.