Off-Broadway's THE CRUSADE OF CONNOR STEPHENS To Receive Film Adaptation

Dewey Moss's "provocative" award-winning play The Crusade of Connor Stephens has been optioned by Diceman House Cinema for a film adaptation, scheduled to begin shooting fall of 2018 in Texas' Dallas-Fort Worth area. Diceman House has secured distribution for the film, and distributor and cast will be announced at a later date.

In The Crusade of Connor Stephens, extreme loss shakes a Texas family as it comes to terms with a tragic act of violence. In the midst of widespread media attention, their story becomes an allegory for the national debate over religion, tolerance and the seedlings of hate. With humor and resilience, they will confront the ghosts of the past and discover the brutal universal truths that define the American family in the 21st century.

Bren Rapp, producer and head of creative development for Diceman House Cinema explains "The project attracted me immediately because it is so topical and relevant to issues prevalent in our current society - but beyond that, it is a story of the complex relationships that form the first society we are ever members of - our families. From there the small circle of influences that make up our early lives can have huge implications that are undeniably present in this work. Now is a remarkable time for it to be shared on film because I believe audiences are ready to explore that, to see these things they are being forced to face daily, that is, unfortunately, becoming part of our collective experience, confronted in a way that is at once personal and universal."

"After nightly standing ovations and incredible emotional audience response to the Off-Broadway run and livestream of The Crusade of Connor Stephens, we are thrilled that Diceman House films will be producing the film version, to extend the relevance of the play and reach a whole new audience with the show's message." Dewey Moss, Producer, DMoss Productions

The team at Diceman House Cinema developing The Crusade of Connor Stephens for film is uniquely positioned to transition this award-winning play by Dewey Moss across mediums. As producers, Bren Rapp and Joey Folsom not only share impressive experience with projects on and behind the camera, the two collectively have worked over a decade as theatre practitioners. As actors, directors, producers and adapting staged works, they bring an in-depth understanding of the intricacies of effective storytelling for both stage and film. As screenwriters adapting the screenplay, Folsom and writing partner Derek Presley have collaborated on multiple feature film scripts focusing on character-driven narratives. Presley is an award-winning filmmaker whose work has been shown internationally at film festivals including Festival de Cannes.
Written soon after the Sandy Hook tragedy, The Crusade of Connor Stephens made its world premiere at the 2017 Midtown International Theater Festival to sold-out audiences and critical acclaim. It won seven MITF awards, including: Best Overall Production (DMoss Productions), Best Play (Dewey Moss), Best Director (Dewey Moss), Best Actor (James Kiberd), Best Actress (Kathryn Leask), Best Supporting Actor (Ben Curtis), and Best Supporting Actress (Kathleen Huber). It was nominated for 11 total awards, including an additional nomination for Best Supporting Actor (James Padric), Best Lighting Design, and Best Sound Design. Later that year had its official Off-Broadway debut at the Jerry Orbach Theater at The Theater Center and is one of the first Off-Broadway plays to stream a live performance (www.Crusade2017.com/livestream).

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