Documentary to be Filmed Highlighting Cumberland County Playhouse's 50th Anniversary

On Tuesday, April 7th, 2015 the staff of CCP and community leaders attended a presentation at the Palace Theatre which was hosted by Crossville Marketing Director Billy Loggins, CEO/GM of WCTE Becky Magura, and Emmy winning director Todd Jarrell. Mr. Jarrell proposed a public television documentary titled: BRIGHT LIGHTS; LITTLE CITY: 50 YEARS OF THE CUMBERLAND COUNTY PLAYHOUSE. This documentary would serve as a celebration of one rural Appalachian community which embraced creativity without reservation, ensured success in self-determination, and through five decades has pursued the joy of self-discovery through the Arts. This documentary would be filmed over the course of the summer highlighting CCP 50th Anniversary special events, current running productions, and interviews with staff, with options to travel to destinations outside of Tennessee to film Alumni and other important members of the Playhouse Legacy.

WE SAID YES! The initial budget for the Project is $125,000, of which 100% is to be raised by CCP. This Project budget will cover everything, from film rights, closed captioning, cameras, crews, possible trips to NYC or LA for interviews, and a website dedicated to the film and funding. The film is predicted to come in under budget. As of September 17th, we have $87,000 in pledged donations, including a very generous contribution from the City of Crossville. WCTE will serve as the fiscal agent for the project.

All checks should be made payable to WCTE and will be held in a restricted fund designated for BLLC. Or please visit the BLLC website to donate with a credit card.

Bright Lights; Little City: www.brightlightslittlecity.org

Cumberland County Playhouse: www.ccplayhouse.com

WCTE: www.wcte.org

In nearly 20 years as writer/director, Todd Jarrell has published/produced television & radio and print features from over 40 countries, on seven continents, and four oceans. Jarrell's stories run a spectrum of art, culture, and social issues, building well-researched concepts into ratings-worthy programming. The majority of Jarrell's nationally released work in television has focused on the cultural and artistic lives of the people of Tennessee's Upper Cumberland region: the TREE SAFARI series (PBS), DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN ( APT), TUBA U: Basso Profundo (PBS), and the awardwinning Americans/Roots live concert series BLUEGRASS UNDERGROUND (PBS), now in it's fifth season. Through these stories, millions of viewers in the USA and Canada have seen the true cultural diversity that is the Upper Cumberland. Recognition for Jarrell's work includes nine EMMYS earned in multiple categories, CINE Golden Eagles, TELLYS, PRNDls, the Edward R. Murrow Award, the PASS award, the Nancy Dickerson Whitehead Award and many more.

To post a comment, you must register and login.