ISSUE #80
BEAM FROM THE BOOTH | GRAND RAPIDS FILM SOCIETY
[EDITED BY: GRIFFIN SHERIDAN & SPENCER EVERHART]
Hello and welcome back to an all-new, very special installment of BEAM FROM THE BOOTH brought to you by GRAND RAPIDS FILM SOCIETY!
December is here, and with it comes another month of programming, which begins TONIGHT (12/2) at 8:00pm with Wim Wenders’ WINGS OF DESIRE. If you missed it last week, our own Caleb Francis Jenkins gave a truly personal preface to the film in his own inimitable style.
We’re pleased to announce not one, but TWO series that will kick off 2025 for GRFS in a big way.
The first of these is MICHAEL MANN-UARY, which will feature three of Mann’s most notable films:
And alongside it, MOVIES AT THE MUSEUM, finds us partnering with the incredible folks over at the GRAND RAPIDS ART MUSUEM for three screenings that will take place in the GRAM auditorium, including:
Be sure to stay tuned for more details on these exciting events. For now: check out our lineup for this month!
COMING UP IN DECEMBER 2024
DECEMBER 2nd: WINGS OF DESIRE (1987)
Two angels, Damiel (Bruno Ganz) and Cassiel (Otto Sander), glide through the streets of Berlin, observing the bustling population, providing invisible rays of hope to the distressed but never interacting with them. When Damiel falls in love with lonely trapeze artist Marion (Solveig Dommartin), the angel longs to experience life in the physical world, and finds--with some words of wisdom from actor Peter Falk (playing himself) -- that it might be possible for him to take human form.
DECEMBER 3rd: LOOK AROUND - MICHIGAN FILMMAKERS SHORT FILM NIGHT
[+ BOOK PARTY]
Join Michigan filmmakers for a curated screening of their award-winning short films and panel conversation on the release of the new book "Short Film Screenwriting" (Bloomsbury) by former GVSU-professor Austin Bunn.
Film Program:
Love Machine" dir. Jon Clark
"A Clean Slate" dir. Tran Hoang Calvin
"Love Hurts" dir. Avalon Barr
"After", dir. Clare Cooney
"The Hiccup Man", dir. Nate Fischer
"Thing from the Factory by the Field", dir. Joel Potrykus
DECEMBER 10th: FILM SOCIETY PITCH NIGHT
[FREE SOCIAL EVENT]
Local creators have the opportunity to pitch their future projects to other local filmmakers and potential supporters in a 15-minute presentation.
Spots are limited for both audience and presenters, so be sure to RSVP!
DECEMBER 22nd: WHITE CHRISTMAS (1954)
[MATINEE SCREENING]
Singers Bob Wallace (Bing Crosby) and Phil Davis (Danny Kaye) join sister act Betty (Rosemary Clooney) and Judy Haynes (Vera-Ellen) to perform a Christmas show in rural Vermont. There, they run into Gen. Waverly (Dean Jagger), the boys' commander in World War II, who, they learn, is having financial difficulties; his quaint country inn is failing. So what's the foursome to do but plan a yuletide miracle: a fun-filled musical extravaganza that's sure to put Waverly and his business in the black!
DECEMBER 30th: EYES WIDE SHUT (1999)
After Dr. Bill Hartford's (Tom Cruise) wife, Alice (Nicole Kidman), admits to having sexual fantasies about a man she met, Bill becomes obsessed with having a sexual encounter. He discovers an underground sexual group and attends one of their meetings -- and quickly discovers that he is in over his head.
***
Tickets for all events— and more— are available now at GRFILM.ORG
Tell your friends. We hope to see you there!
INTERVIEW WITH WEALTHY THEATRE’S DARIUS COLQUITT
[BY: NICHOLAS HARTMAN]
Who is Darius Colquitt? What are your hobbies, interests, etc?
Ha. A question I'm constantly asking myself... As beings that are always adapting & changing, who I am becomes new every year. Primarily, I'm a creative, consistently weaving new illustrations & setting stages of new understanding for my people, whomever those people are today: from my Black family, to my queer family to my neurospicy family. In Life, I'm a brother, friend, mentor. By trade, however, I'm the Founder & Producing Artistic Director of BAM Talent.
In regards to hobbies, I kind of use all of my hobbies in my work, so it feels like I’m never really off work. I enjoy video game streaming, music production, vocal performance, film editing, foley/atmospheric/sound arts, digital/graphic design… If it’s artistic I’m probably into it.
To those reading this interview and aren’t familiar with BAM Talent — can you give them a brief history and what BAM is?
Brief? Ha. I’ll try. So, the seed for #BAMTalent was planted in 2016 with the creation of the #BlkARTMatters Initiative, created to fill the need for a multi-dimensional Black Artistic Influx throughout the West Michigan area. The initiative led to the inception of #BAMFest, a two-weekend festival held in 2018, at the old Dog Story Theatre space. Black Vocalists, Actors, Spoken Word Artists and Solo Performers came together to celebrate our heritage, identity and artistry all at once. It was a great start but there was more work to be done. Speaking candidly, I love our arts community, but I've also never been shy about calling us out on poor practices.. So, #BAMTalent, founded in 2021 was created with one thought in mind: Elevation. We work as a forward-thinking, national nonprofit dedicated to celebrating, promoting, and advocating for Black and underrepresented artists, providing training, artistic management & representation, community support & platforming opportunities for incredible talent.
To my understanding, BAM started off as theater but now you’re making a transition into the world of film. Tell us about that.
Correct… and in so many ways, yes. Explaining our approach takes a little time… Just ride with me here. (laughs) So, as an entertainer by trade, I’ve been privileged to be on stage and in a number of filmed projects. Both mediums, while wildly different in format, are very much one in the same. They explore our communal nature through some specific lens, be it the director, writer or editor. Additionally, both tend to lead the consumer to the same place: introspection of some kind. The thing I love about theatre which film allows you to escape is realism. The truth in a person’s voice in the room; in the shared breath of a living experience on a singular night of existence. Local vibrations shaking you to your core. That feeling is a feeling most don’t get to experience, especially if they’ve never attended a live theatrical production. It’s unmatched. Counter to that, what I do like about film that theatre must deal with is the ability to “correct your mistakes:” Onstage, you must deliver the lines as written and your mistakes must be figured out. In film, there’s compromise in the building of a character, as well as the chance to find the right intention for that forever take. Those moments, both live and filmed, get to live with us forever. Now the thing I’ve always been fascinated with is how the two mediums aren’t crossed except for spectacle or in jest. The only true example of a successful cross between the two is the Rocky Horror Picture Show shadowcast experience. Recognizing the lack of shadow casts in existence, and seeing a very easy avenue to ride on, we knew it was time to get to work. But, that’s just one project. We’re gearing up for the continuation of our Digital expansion featuring story podcasts, a number of YT features and a brand new game show, all in the pursuit of Black Enrichment, Inspiration & Enabling.
Let’s talk about BAM’s upcoming shadow cast screening of Dreamgirls at Wealthy Theatre in December 10th. Doing a shadow cast is no easy work and takes hours of preparation and planning. Can you walk us through the event from start to finish? Let the people know how much work it takes!
Sure! So, you are correct! Putting together a shadow cast for a production is no easy feat and for us is no different than a regular production except there are no materials to assist you other than the film itself and the cast will be lip-synching everything! So, while the rehearsal process has been underway for about a month, the first day of work on this project began during the summer. When we knew the project was a go, I met with my assistant, Bexx Chambers, and watched the movie incessantly. I learned the choreography, we figured out the costume plot, and finally compiled a list of the most important scenes/moments. We then script out the show. Afterwhich, we hold a two month long open casting call, announce cast selections & begin rehearsals. As we talk, I’m looking over final costuming (so many wigs) and prepping for our last week of rehearsal. I’ll still need to plan out our light plot and rehearse the cast at the Wealthy. This is long, exhausting & tedious work… but representation in all forms and places will always be necessary.
On the day of the event, you’ll enter the Wealthy which will have been transformed into the DETROIT THEATRE from the film, in preparation for the talent contest to begin. When the film begins, the audience will be immersed in the world with the cast entering the house and walking through some of the most iconic moments from the 2006 film. I have to say: this cast is outstanding. And you don’t want to miss the ridiculously wonderful work of Khalilah Miles, Journeé Evans, DeeDee Chaunte, Jazz McKinney, Kheif E., Noah King-Bates, Danah Montgomery Amani Randall, Ciezonn Preston, Nick Villaire, Allison Rose Donahue, Josiah Hayes & Rian McKinney.
The world is quite heavy right now due to the current political climate. How do you use BAM as a voice to help guide us/yourself through these difficult times?
I’m using BAM as both a voice and an ear. Conversation is the most important part of this moment and we’re not only figuring out what to say but we’re doing a whole lot of listening. There are a lot of tired Black Americans and we’ve spent a lifetime in complex complexes that we’re already spending time deconstructing. The current and impending climate is a huge threat to us all. If there be no Department of Education, there’s most likely a loss of support to the National Endowment of Arts and other organizations. Knowing that this Congress would do away with Black programs of progress like ours means the grassroots need to get strong now.
So, what is BAM doing? We create avenues of expression for people to not only release their frustrations but also grow from them. We’re looking into expanding our Educational Department to alleviate some of the pressure from school programming that may suffer. We’re also looking into how to expand our artist outreach program, BAMCares.
Where do you hope to see BAM in the next five years?
BAM Talent was born of a need for change and our organization has held big dreams from the beginning, crafted for the future of this community. BAM Talent’s original goal was to become the first fully operational Professional Black Equity Theatre within the city of Grand Rapids, creating new works featuring new artists, both through live and virtual means. Our more important goal is to fully establish the BAM National Hub Program, helping to establish a network of National “No-Overhead” Venues for our local artists to plant a more national footprint. We’re already in Chicago, LA, NYC, GR, Austin TX, and we’re working to secure more national partners in 2025. (We are working on getting a bus too! Stay tuned!)
The more material dream: We plan to own an accessible community center that serves as a performance space for touring artists & productions, executive offices, workshop spaces, rehearsal halls/dance studios, an in-house film/live stream studio for our virtual department, foley art house, storage for our costume & set rental space, a rotating gallery space & housing for guest artist occupancy. We want each space to be named for a Black West Michigan Artist that’s lended their life's work to this community & continue to honor the roots of our ever-growing tree of life.
How do we keep up to date with BAM? Any socials you/info you want to share with our readers?
You can follow BAM Talent on FB, IG, TikTok but we NEED supporters to join our Patreon at Patreon.com/bamtalent where we will begin making all of our updates for all upcoming projects & sharing first looks, audition notices and more.
Any last words? Something you want to touch on that wasn’t discussed.
Knowing what the climate is looking like, be prepared to support your Black, Queer, POC and Woman friends more directly than you currently do. We are being erased and more of us come up missing everyday with almost no explanation. We deserve to be more than hashtags and candles on corners. Find out how you can make a difference, big or small, and change the life of someone in your community today… and please practice patience with all of your Black, Queer, POC and Woman friends. We’re mentally gearing up for what appears to be a really big fight.
All photos courtesy of Enraptured Memories.
UPCOMING EVENTS
WINGS OF DESIRE (Wenders, 1987)
WHAT: When the angel Damiel falls in love with lonely trapeze artist Marion, he longs to experience life in the physical world, and finds--with some words of wisdom from actor Peter Falk (playing himself) -- that it might be possible for him to take human form.
WHEN: TONIGHT! Monday, December 2nd, 8:00pm
WHERE: The Wealthy Theatre
LOOK AROUND: MICHIGAN FILMMAKERS SHORT FILM NIGHT & BOOK PARTY
WHAT: Join Michigan filmmakers for a curated screening of their award-winning short films and panel conversation on the release of the new book Short Film Screenwriting (Bloomsbury) by former GVSU-professor Austin Bunn.
WHEN: Monday, December 3rd, 7:00pm
WHERE: The Wealthy Theatre
WHAT: An extension of our FILM SOCIETY ROUNDTABLE free social events —Up to 10 local filmmakers will have the opportunity to pitch their concepts to an audience of potential collaborators and supporters.
WHEN: Tuesday, December 10th, 6:00pm
WHERE: Koning Micro-Cinema @ Wealthy Theatre
And so we’ve arrived at the end of another BEAM FROM THE BOOTH! We appreciate you taking the time to read it and truly hope you’ll continue to do so. Be sure to SUBSCRIBE to get each issue in your inbox every week, and stay up-to-date on all things GRFS.
Plus, join us on social media! We’d love to chat with everyone and hear YOUR OWN thoughts on everything above (you can also hop in the comments section below).
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Look for ISSUE #81 in your inbox NEXT WEEK!
Until then, friends...
