Back Lane Studios’ friend Anna Tierney has launched a new program to turn short written pieces from local and international writers into audio works through a collaborative process. “Tell Me A Story” debuted Sunday, April 25 at 1:30 p.m. and will feature eight short pieces of new writing, read by the writers themselves and a cast of international actors. Watch it on YouTube.

The Writers: Lizzie Clarke, Toni Ellwand, Joanne Shimotakahara, Jerome McNicholl, Justin Otto, Polly Phokeev and Lisa Randall.

The Readers: Lizzie Clarke, Caroline Moroney, David Hargreaves, Kika Markham, Lisa Randall, Nathan Carroll, Joanne Shimotakahara, Kate Ross, David Tompa, Harrison Browne, Justin Otto, David Keeley, Ellie Ellwand and Annick Sheedy McLellan.

Our documentary Chasing Monsters, Parkinson’s and the Power of Art will be screened at the LA Awareness Film Festival, to be held virtually from Oct. 1 to 11, 2020. The festival, run by a charity, is designed both to raise funds for a culturally diverse community in Los Angeles and to “inform and inspire audiences through a program of films on Ecological, Political, Health/Well Being and Spiritual topics.”

The film, by our filmmaker instructors Jeana McCabe and Jordan McTavish, tells the story of  former Ontario Superior Court Judge Kevin Whitaker, who turned to painting after his diagnosis of Lewy Body Dementia, a particularly virulent form of Parkinson’s. This will be the third film festival where Chasing Monsters has been shown.

Jeana and Jordan produced the documentary following Kevin’s first art show at Back Lane in April 2018. It explores Kevin’s experiences with LBD Parkinson’s, and the impact his embrace of art has had on the progression of the disease.

Painting has also given Kevin a new purpose. He has raised tens of thousands of dollars for LBD Parkinson’s research through the sale of his paintings.

A documentary about former judge turned painter Kevin Whitaker by Back Lane Studios premiered Dec. 1 , 2018 at the Revue Cinema.

Kevin’s large, vivid paintings offer a glimpse inside the hallucinatory world of someone coping with LBD Parkinson’s. His fourth show, Pandemonium, of new works at Back Lane Studios opens Nov. 20, 2020. We will be featuring the paintings on line, but will also offer an opportunity to visit the studio in person.

Two of our SilverShorts workshop participants Lois Broad and Bill Jermyn spoke with CBC Fresh Air’s Nana Aba Duncan, Sunday, March 3. Lois, 91, a born story-teller who grew up in the Junction, talks about her free-spirited sister in the video that’s making its big screen debut; Bill made his video about growing up in Ireland and has been working on another about Lois’s early memories. Listen to the interview.

CTV news aired a story about Kevin Whitaker, whose show runs Dec. 1-2 at Back Lane Studios.

Watch the video and check out the informative story posted along with it. Thanks to Avis Favaro for her report.

Kevin Whitaker paints in his studio. The photograph is from CTV’s new item.

Former Ontario Superior Court Judge Kevin Whitaker’s whose paintings are on display until Sunday, April 22, was interviewed by Matt Galloway on CBC Radio’s Metro Morning.

Kevin discusses the impact of his disease and how painting has helped him. Have a listen. 

The exhibit opened Friday, April 13 to a packed reception!

We will be offering four different programs this summer in photography, documentary filmmaking, Stop-Motion, and Crafts and Movie-Making.

The kids have fun, but they also gain skills. Here’s what one mom, Sarah Dimmock, said about the documentary program and its impact on her son: “Interestingly, since school has started, I have heard Conor applying the approach and process for making a documentary to his school work!  Organizing work for school projects has been a struggle for Conor and, without realizing it, this fun project has given him a formula to help with this!” 

Our Stop Motion class for July 16 is now sold out, and there’s just one spot remaining in the Kids and Camera workshop scheduled for July 30. There is still plenty of room in later camps. 

We are also opening another Kids & Cameras program for Aug. 13-17! 

Our Summer Line-up:

1. Project Kids and Camera Summer: For ages 9-13. $175 with discounts for multiple registrations.

• Monday, July 30 – Friday, Aug. 3:  afternoons 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. (1 space remaining)
• Monday, Aug. 13-17, mornings, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.  (just scheduled)
• Monday, Aug. 27 – Friday, Aug. 31: afternoons, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

2. Documentary Filmmaking: For ages 11-13. $225 for 9 half days.

• Tuesday, July 3 to Friday, July 13: afternoons, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
• Tuesday, Aug. 7 to Friday, Aug. 17: afternoons: 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

3. Stop-Motion Workshops:  For ages 9-13. $150. 

• Monday, July 16 to Friday, July 20: afternoons, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. (Sold out!)
• Monday, Aug. 27 to Friday, Aug. 31: mornings,  9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.  For more information, go to our Stop-Motion page.

4. Crafts & Movie-Making: For ages 9-13.  $150.

• Monday, July 30 to Friday, Aug. 3: mornings, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Our first summer documentary camp production!

Mavis Wilson is interviewed by Polly Priebe while Elke Schliemann runs camera and Jeana McCabe directs.

Seniors have been recording some fascinating stories as part of our SilverShorts Doc Project. We have just posted 18 completed videos — and more are on the way. Check our the 18 stories so far on  our website’s Video section, The Silver Shorts Project: 2017 and The SilverShorts Project: 2018.

The stories are wide ranging, from rebuilding a farm levelled in a tornado to musing about the process of creating art. They all make up part of our collective history.

At Back Lane Studios, we’re always grateful to teacher Sean McClare and Bishop Marrocco/Thomas Merton High School for the opportunity to work with a Grade 12 class. This fall, the students produced videos about grandparents, parents and friends, as part of our SilverShorts Doc Project, our program for seniors.

What did the students like most about the project?  Here are a few comments:

• “Learning about my grandmother and her struggles.”
• “I enjoyed having the opportunity to learn more about my family’s backstory.”
• “Learning about everyone’s family story.”
• “Seeking to tell someone’s story and seeing how happy it made them to tell.”

Last year, Humberside students Maddie Johnston and Hayley Adams with other members of the school’s film club decided to make a video to commemorate the school’s 125th anniversary.  Back Lane Studios helped some, but Maddie and Hayley took the lead and despite all of their grade 12 commitments managed to edit the interviews and put this video together.

They spoke with alumni Tom Norris, a 1952 graduate and son of a Humberside teacher; Gillian Nichol, from the class of 1971; Doug Wighton, also 1971. The students spoke as well with beloved music teacher Janet Keele, who joined Humberside in 1966 and, three years later, started the grand tradition of staging musicals.

We hope the interviews spark much happy reminiscing during Humberside’s 125th anniversary celebrations Oct. 20-21. For more information, go to the HCI Alumni Association website.