A Broadway Body
OCTOBER 2022 - Our Film is Finished!
Almost a year after we shot A Broadway Body, we've wrapping up post-production. I'm so proud of this project we've created and the story we're telling. So many incredible people cam together to make this film possible, and I could not be more grateful. I cannot wait to share it with the world!
We are currently in the festival submission process, targeting festivals in Chicago, New York, and London. We're also targeting female-empowering festivals and those who support the arts. It feels surreal to be in this position, but we are very excited to share our story and attend these festivals!
I am also so excited to say that I am in the early, early pre-production process of starting a podcast.
The A Broadway Body: Continued Conversations podcast will launch in 2023 as a means to continue the conversations that we had during the fundraising and production process. There are many creatives (and also non-creatives, too) that have faced body adversity, body dysmorphia, and/or some form of disordered eating. These talks are not had enough, and I am so grateful to have started this platform as a means to open up a channel for more female-presenting folks (or anyone, really) to tell their stories.
Stay tuned for more on our festival submissions and the launch of the podcast!
JANUARY 2022 - We Shot The Film and Started Post!
WE DID IT!!!! WE SHOT A SHORT FILM!!!
Wow. That's all I can say, really.
I had a script, the motivation, and the determination, then about 250 other people helped me turn this dream into a REALITY!
The film is currently with our editor, Chloe. Though, we've come up to a bit of a standstill because we need to raise more money to complete post-production and send our baby short film off to the festival circuit.
Since new years resolutions don't work anyway, how about you donate to a film project that is helping to shape our futures for the better? We're pushing back on the heartbreaking societal beliefs and "standards" that the gatekeepers of our industry STILL believe in today. I had a conversation with a woman whose daughter experiences them. Today. In 2022. So not only were Emilia and I experiencing the toxicity of body image perfection and beauty standards back in 2010, but 12 YEARS LATER, they are still extremely prominent.
My heart breaks.
On a lighter note, let me just say... our film looks AMAZING, Y'ALL! The story has been brought to light in such a beautifully collaborative way. We hired the best of the best, and I'm proud AF to say we had a very diverse team.
Because we wanted the caliber of this film to be top notch, our original budget raised in 2021 went to production costs! We still need to raise money for post-production costs, actor payments (aside from myself as I am not taking money from this project), and festival submission costs.
Post-production costs include sound mixer, composer, and colorist.
We have big plans to take this to major film festivals as well as localized film festivals. Without your contributions, we will not be able to get as many eyes on this piece as we'd like. Your contribution will go towards spreading awareness about the heartbreaking effects the performance industries have on so many people, women in particular, via our project.
I am so humbled by the women who helped me bring this story to life. This was such a collaborative team effort, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
STAY TUNED FOR MORE, AND PLEASE DONATE! ♥
JUNE 2021 - I'm Producing and Writing my First Ever Short Film!
As an actor in the entertainment industry, the fear of not getting cast due to my weight is always very present inside of me, and in many other female actors that I know. I have witnessed firsthand how the toxicity involved in the journey of an aspiring musical theatre professional can directly affect their mental health, physical health, and emotional health. I firmly believe we, as humans, should never compromise those things in our lives.
Body image, body dysmorphia, and disordered eating are all too existent in our society, and only amplified in performance communities, ranging from middle school and high school dance and theatre to Broadway and Hollywood. The toxic conditioning of body standards beginning at such a young age forces us actors, as we move into our collegiate and professional careers, to hyper-focus on our body image instead of hyper-focusing on our art.
Throughout the many years involved in the dance/theatre/film world so far, I've experienced the side effects of these standards myself and have also experienced my friends being treated in similar ways that Gemma is treated in the film.
It's horrifying, to put it bluntly.
Now more than ever am I determined to pave my own way in the entertainment industry, and fight for change in the very communities I have been involved in and am still involved in.
I was inspired to tell this story for women everywhere who don't have the courage, can't find the courage, and plainly shouldn't have to have the courage in the first place to stand up for themselves against the gatekeepers of the industry.
If I can do anything in this world, I hope it’s to impact future generations - fight for change for the sake of those to follow, because no industry is worth the cost of your well-being.