Great Docs about Art and Artists

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Thanks to my friend, local Charlotte filmmaker and documentarian April Denee, I recently found myself on a documentary viewing kick. I watched a lot of great docs-all about art, artists and collectors, and have been recommending this list often because the stories are both interesting, thoughtfully told and worthy of discussion. So, I am going to use this opportunity to post these docs in the order in which I viewed them and write a short blurb about each. I watched them all on Netflix on Demand, but they are all widely available on iTunes and other outlets as well.

Love to hear what you think!

Exit thru the Gift Shop- Banksy’s Oscar Nominated doc on street art and artist that asks the question “What is Art? ”
Art of the Steal- Controversial relocation to move Barnes Art Collection to Philly.
A Man Named Pearl- Inspiring story of self-taught topiary artist Pearl Fryar from my homestate of South Carolina.
Herb and Dorothy- How a librarian and postal worker became NYC’s biggest art collectors.
Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work- Joan Rivers broke many barriers for women and comics.

And check out April’s current project, Busk, on Charlotte street artists here : http://www.indiegogo.com/buskmovie

Wildacres Residency Awarded to Donna Scott Productions for Summer 2011

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donna scott productions
is excited to announce the award of a 2011 residency at Wildacres for creative work and development of two new theatre projects. The residency will take place in August 2011 at Wildacres Conference Center in Little Switzerland, NC.

The Wildacres Residency Program began in 1999 and over the past twelve years has hosted approximately 290 writers, artists, and musicians. Wildacres chooses 25 artists each year for residency awards.

Aphasia Screening Schedule

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Aphasia on tour with Carl McIntyre : Spring/Summer 2011
**All events are private hires unless noted**

March 1 UNC-Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC
March 31 West Va Speech & Hearing Convention Flatwoods, WVA
April 13/14 East Carolina University Greenville, NC
April 18/19 Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN (April 18, Public Event**)
April 21 Emerson University/Spaulding Hospital Boston, MA
April 26 Northeast AHEC/ Appalachian University Boone, NC
May 3 Southeast AHEC Stroke Convention Greensboro, NC
May 21 Rogers C. Peace Rehab Greenville, SC
June 11 TBA
June 14-16 TBA
June 24-26 TBA

To book a screening of Aphasia please go to http://www.aphasiathemovie.com for more information

Aphasia chosen as Official Selection of Big Bear Lake International Film Festival in California

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For Immediate Release

For more information or for interviews please contact
Donna Scott, donnascott@hotmail.com

Aphasia chosen as Official Selection of Big Bear Lake International Film Festival in California

Aphasia will screen September 2010

CHARLOTTE, N.C. July 30, 2010 … The short film Aphasia has been chosen as an Official Selection of the Big Bear Lake International Film Festival and will be shown in Big Bear, CA in September 2010.

Aphasia was written by Jim Gloster, a Charlotte, NC director, actor and writer. Gloster wanted to capture the story of his friend, actor Carl McIntyre who suffered a massive stroke in 2005 at just 44 years of age. As a result, McIntyre lives with aphasia, an acquired communication disorder that impairs a person’s ability to process language but does not affect intelligence.

Aphasia is a double dose of reality told in narrative form. Carl stars as himself and portrays his life story in a powerful and nuanced performance. Aphasia uses comedy and pathos to raise awareness about aphasia and provide hope and inspiration to anyone working to overcome obstacles in their lives. The film recounts McIntyre’s first person experience during the stroke, his recovery and his struggle with his inability to communicate.
The film was shot in Charlotte, NC with approximately 100 crew members rotating through the eight day shoot. There are 33 speaking roles and roughly 35 cast extras that were used at different times. Most of them had had worked with Carl previously or knew of him, his career and his story.
“Aphasia was the perfect way for us to use our art to bring something positive and far-reaching out of a tragic situation. And what better example to encourage anyone that has encountered a disability in life than to have Carl actually play himself in the movie? What Carl wanted to do most is act again, and Jim’s script has given him the opportunity to do that, while simultaneously providing a way for him to encourage others to do the same,” said Donna Scott, Executive Producer.
The production team of Jim Gloster, Chuck Bludsworth, Tonya Bludsworth and Donna Scott formed Little Word Films to produce Aphasia, in Charlotte. Little Word Films has partnered with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences http://www.med.unc.edu/ahs/sphs/ on this project.
Aphasia was also chosen as an official selection of the Prince Edward Island International Film Festival in Canada and was screened there in July. To learn more about the Carl McIntyre Aphasia Project, please check out our website and social media pages: http://www.aphasiathemovie.com and fan us as ‘Aphasia the Movie’ on face book.
More than 100,000 Americans develop the disorder annually. Aphasia affects about one million Americans, or 1 in 300 people. It is more common than Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy or muscular dystrophy, however, most people have never heard of aphasia. While the most common cause is stroke, aphasia can also result from head injury, brain tumor or other neurological causes. To learn more, go to: http://www.aphasia.org.

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donna scott productions annouces June 2010 production: The Dixie Swim Club

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For Immediate release
April 25, 2010
Contact: Donna Scott
Email: donnascott@hotmail.com
Office: 704-366-7965

donna scott productions announces 2010 show: The Dixie Swim Club

The producer and creator of both The Body Chronicles (awards: Creative Loafing Best Original Show and Metrolina Theatre Association Best Special Event) and The Fairy Tale Chronicles (awards: Metrolina Theatre Association Outstanding Original Play), donna scott productions is excited to announce the June 2010 Charlotte premiere production of The Dixie Swim Club by North Carolina playwrights Nicholas Hope, Jessie Jones and Jamie Wooten.

The Dixie Swim Club follows five college friends on their annual beach trip to the Outer Banks and focuses on four of those weekends while spanning a period of thirty-three years. Sheree, the spunky team captain, desperately tries to maintain her organized and ‘perfect’ life, and continues to be the group’s leader. Dinah, the wise-cracking overachiever, is a career dynamo in stark contrast to the frustrations of her personal life; Lexie, pampered and outspoken, is determined to hold on to her looks and youth as long as possible. The self-deprecating and acerbic Vernadette, acutely aware of the dark cloud that hovers over her life, has decided to just give in and embrace the chaos. And sweet, eager-to-please Sister Jeri Neal enters with a surprise that sends her life down the road not taken. As their lives unfold and the years pass, these women increasingly rely on one another, through advice and raucous repartee, to get through the challenges (men, sex, marriage, parenting, divorce, and aging) that life flings at them. The Dixie Swim Club is the story of five unforgettable women – a hilarious and touching comedy about friendships that last forever. Tonya Bludsworth, Stephanie Dipaolo, Chandler McIntyre, Donna Scott and Sheila Snow Proctor comprise the cast; Polly Adkins will make her Charlotte directing debut.

The Dixie Swim Club is a project in a continued partnership with Theater Charlotte and Ron Law, Executive Director at Theatre Charlotte. The Dixie Swim Club will be presented at Theatre Charlotte, 501 Queens Road, and will open June 10, 2010 and run thru June 26, 2010. Tickets are $24 adult, $20 senior and $10 student and can be purchased at carolinatix.org; group discounts available.
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