Berkshire Outdoor Shorts: 'King Corona'
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GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — Great Barrington Public Theater, in collaboration with Berkshire Film and Media Collaborative, presents Berkshire Outdoor Shorts, an online series of short, solo films centered on the natural environment of the Berkshires.
Each film is written by a local writer and produced in a socially-distant, outdoor location in Berkshire County.
"Artists everywhere are struggling, everyone is struggling. In recognition of all the weeks and months that we've had limited opportunity to interact, we wanted to give writers and actors a safe, enjoyable space for creativity, an outlet to respond to the world we're all living in right now. We're so lucky to live in the Berkshires where we have immediate access to natural beauty, open space, and fresh air - that was the inspiration for this series - and it's been a great collaboration with Berkshire Film and Media. I'm excited to release these films into the world for the enjoyment of all," Jim Frangione, artistic director of Great Barrington Public Theater said.
The first film in the series, "King Corona," written by local playwright Steven Otfinoski and starring Christopher Brophy, takes a "darkly playful" look into the "ruthless mastermind" of the king of viruses, according to a press release. Each film in the series will run 7-10 minutes. King Corona is available for free viewing at https://youtu.be/nbAB4nSq_50. Learn more about the series here.
"If there's one positive aspect of the pandemic, it's the new partnerships that have been created between Berkshire nonprofit organizations to continue to create art," Diane Pearlman, executive director of Berkshire Film and Media Collaborative said. "It's been our pleasure to have our talented, local film professionals bring Great Barrington Public Theater's screenplays to life. We were able to employ small crews and a few local talents - so we could socially-distance and keep everyone safe."
Additional films, which are currently in production include: "The Reject by Mark St Germain," "Almost You" by Leigh Strimbeck, and "Druantia" by Ryan Katzer.
Berkshire Outdoor Shorts is produced and directed by Diane Pearlman and Jim Frangione. Production Sponsors include John Sharaf Photography of Richmond and William Beautyman's Limelight Productions of Lee. The low-budget series is made possible by the contributions of several individual sponsors who are listed in all of the films. All donations and sponsorships to-date are matched by BFMC's Community Film Fund, a fund to help local non-profits create impactful videos for their fundraising, branding, marketing, and social media.
"We're excited about this new series," Frangione said. "Depending on the response, we are looking forward to accepting submissions on a rolling basis to keep the series going."
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