THE SHOW:
Serenity Hill in the Pandemic is an online episodic theatre/TV show centered around the residents and staff of an assisted living community in the time of COVID-19.
The show is fresh, with plotlines mirroring current events, in 22-minute episodes. Season 1 wrapped up with the final episode on September 6, 2020. Our second season of six episodes begins October 11.
Episodes air on Serenity Hill in the Pandemic’s Facebook and YouTube pages.
Serenity Hill in the Pandemic began as a play written for the stage with the support of The Hamner Theater. With the advent of the Coronavirus, live performances were suspended. Re-imagined and moved from Memory Care to Assisted Living, and from the stage to online, Serenity Hill in the Pandemic now makes its debut in a new format with new dialogue and current events.
THE STORY:
Serenity Hill in the Pandemic takes place in a long term assisted living facility, which is part of a larger community that includes independent living, skilled care and memory care. Located in Central Virginia, it could be anywhere in America. The show follows Serenity HIll’s residents and medical staff, as well as their family members, as they navigate the personal concerns of aging – in our current turbulent times – with laughter, sorrow, love and hope.
THE PRODUCTION:
Embracing the times we live in, Serenity Hill in the Pandemic tackles current events head-on. Between the constant danger of COVID-19, the recent examples of police brutality and the #BlackLivesMatter protests that have followed, and the isolation and threat of being in an assisted living community, the characters of Serenity Hill are challenged in familiar ways and the ways that are specific to the pandemic we are living in right now.
In a world where there is often less opportunity for older actors and actors of color, Serenity Hill in the Pandemic presents a wide range of performers and directors. It provides a voice for the quarantined elderly population, especially with current COVID-19 restrictions.
Serenity Hill in the Pandemic is also very focused on the philosophy of “Art Locally/Watched Globally”, so while our identity as a Charlottesville-based production is important, we want Serenity Hill in the Pandemic to be seen by audiences across the country and around the world. We showcase both local and national theatre artists, an unexpected benefit of being an online production.
Produced by
Hamner Theater and Whole Theatre
A special thank you goes out to our generous donors who make it possible to provide compensation for our actors and crew during this difficult time:
- Our contributors on Patreon
- Donations made through the Hamner Theater
- The Siochain Foundation
Creator and Writer Larry Goldstein is available for an interview.
For fifteen years, Larry wrote sketch comedy and wrote all the material for his New Vaudeville Revue which he toured for over 2,000 shows. After that, he led the Upper School drama program at Tandem Friends School. More recently, Larry has been an actor and director at Live Arts, playing Erik Blake in The Humans, and directing Seven Homeless Mammoths Wander New England by Madeleine George. He is the founder and director of Playback Theatre Virginia. Serenity Hill in the Pandemic emerged from a play that he wrote by the same name, and brought into the pandemic of 2020. It’s dedicated to the hard working CNA’s and their cohorts at the assisted living facilities where he moved his parents for the final stages of their lives.
CREW:
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Writer/Creator: Larry Goldstein |
Editors: Kathleen Mueller Ray Nedzel |
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Producers: Ray Nedzel Boomie Pedersen
Production Manager: Kathleen Mueller |
Directors: Chris Baumer Saunder Lynne Boyle Tovah Close Kisha Jarrett Shannon Montague Kerry Moran Ray Nedzel Boomie Pedersen |
CAST:
Samuel Katz … Kenny Raskin
Allen Katz … Chris Baumer
Ophelia Harris … Ty Daniels
Dr. Michael Kline … Boomie Pedersen
Judge Richard “Clay” Clayton … Joe Monaghan
Betty Lawson … Kate Monaghan
Andrea Clayton … Kiri Gardner
Edwina Franklyn … Abena Foreman Trice
Beatrice Johnson … Meg Hoover
Junebug Jones … Joan Arenstein
Ernie Williams … Ernest Chambers
Dante Harris … Rasheed Robinson
Allen Katz … Chris Baumer
David Campt … David Campt
Mrs. Liza Taylor … Royal Shiree
Aurora Jones … Michelle James
Mrs. Lacey … Marcello Rolando
Judy Kline … Deborah Arenstein
Dee Dee … Rosalyn Berne
Ruth Epstein … Geri Schirmer
Edith Berman … Kerry Moran
Stubby Girly Girl … Jennifer Peart
Russ Watson … Randy Risher
John Jackson … Richard Morris
Catherine “Kitty” Clayton … Carol McAvoy
Dennis Clayton … Tim McNamara
Mona Mason … Ann C. Rusk
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
SerenityHillTV@gmail.com
Producer: Ray Nedzel, rayrayman@gmail.com
Writer: Larry Goldstein, larry.goldstein@gmail.com
Marketing and Communications: Saunder Boyle, slb656@nyu.edu
SOCIAL MEDIA:
https://www.facebook.com/SerenityHillTV
https://www.instagram.com/serenityhilltv/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC21xV5MiZW0HYQh8xhVp3NQ
https://www.patreon.com/serenityhill