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When Tedd reaches out to Henry in desperation, figuring out with Kings Row character Jamie Wakefield, described within the novel as “too fairly for a boy” Henry instantly jumps on the alternative to assist. The serendipity that Jamie Wakefield was modeled on his childhood pal and one-time lover reopens his contradictory emotions about his previous. Tedd and Henry’s unlikely connection develops in stunning methods, remodeling their lives.
This long-range venture started twenty-three years in the past with Lenny Pinna’s friendship with the 75 yr previous Tedd Burr in Cleveland Hts., Ohio. One auspicious night their traditional dialog opened up right into a dialogue about Tedd’s youthful gender confusion. This dialogue resulted in a rare cinema veritI type movie Letters to Uranus: The hidden life of Tedd Burr.
What was revealed that night was Tedd’s two yr correspondence with Henry Bellamann, comprised of over 100 lengthy letters which had been mendacity in a field for fifty-five years, and his iconic 19 yr previous {photograph} which Henry had derisively described as “a face that might have come from the planet Uranus.” This quote evokes the extremely psycho-sexual complexity of their relationship.
Although Pinna has been concerned with this story because the yr 2000 and truly possessed the unique letters since 2003 (bequeathed to him by the elder Tedd Burr) he knew Tedd and Henry’s story couldn’t be informed at the moment. He has been quoted as saying “America was not but prepared for this story 23 years in the past. Tedd and Henry had been speaking brazenly about issues in 1943 that we have solely begun to speak about publicly over the last 5 to 10 years. And for some it’s going to nonetheless be too quickly.” Both with the progress made by the LGBTQIA+ group and different elements of society which have responded with backlash, Tedd’s story has solely gained significance and an immediacy that meets the second.
For the previous a number of years, Lenny Pinna has been creating the Limited TV Series ‘In The Name Of Jamie Wakefield’ based mostly on and impressed by Tedd and Henry’s letters; In 2023, he began collaborating with media artist, Bonnie Diczhazy to discover a method to liven up Tedd and Henry’s poignant World War II story. Bonnie and Lenny’s collaborative synergy dates again to the mid-nineties after they based Ecclesia Theater at Lake Erie College in Painesville, Ohio.
Deciding to current the collection pilot on YouTube with no full manufacturing firm, Pinna and Diczhazy ended a late-night brain-storming session with one central concept that blossomed right into a full-blown set inside a 4′ x 6′ space of the lounge of Pinna’s childhood house. That thought led to the design of a quilt prime for the first backdrop. Immediately, Pinna was motivated to assemble the backdrop for the pilot over the lengthy Labor Day weekend.
The backdrop was impressed by Pinna’s award successful authentic quilt design that he had made for his 25 yr previous son, Matthew referred to as Jazz City Rhapsody; he had requested his son to decide on the first materials to provoke the design. The quilt gained the 2013 S.F. Quilt present’s prime honor—the Viewers Choice Award.
Pinna proceeded to shoot the pilot over a one month interval, using further set dressing, props and costumes drawn from his household background–including a number of heirloom items. The bringing collectively of disparate components epitomizes Pinna’s life-long profession as an eclectic artist. In addition to his quilting expertise Pinna additionally relied on his coaching as an actor, puppeteer, costume designer and set designer to craft an expansive world within the smallest of areas.
Artistically, Pinna selected to play every character himself slightly than solid actors for the 25+ characters within the collection. This is supposed to current his explicit tackle the story, but encourage the additional creativeness of a totally realized TV manufacturing. His efficiency/studying type is a singular method to conveying dramatic narrative. Throughout the pilot he performs a number of characters in lots of scenes, demonstrating a uncommon capacity to transition fluidly between young and old or female and male and all the things in between.
‘In The Name Of Jamie Wakefield’ is a strong testomony to the dedication of 1 man’s persistence in presenting a singular story of friendship, braveness, energy and acceptance. His previous docu-drama, Letters to Uranus and the present collection pilot for In The Name of Jamie Wakefield can now be seen on YouTube at Ecclesia Arts. Tedd Burr, who died in 2012 needed his story informed, and Lenny via analysis, dedication and perseverance has lastly been capable of share Tedd’s story.
Lenny Pinna is an achieved eclectic artist who has lived in New York, Cleveland, Houston, and the San Francisco Bay space earlier than returning house to Johnstown, PA throughout the COVID-19 epidemic–via an ideal storm of occasions together with shut household deaths. Once there in his childhood house he managed to search out the silver lining–the time and house to carry forth the ebook and the collection pilot.
Lenny Pinna and Bonnie Diczhazy hope to attach with a bigger manufacturing crew to carry all six episodes of ‘In The Name Of Jamie Wakefield’ to mainstream tv within the type of a Netflix, Amazon or Paramount+ collection.
‘In The Name Of Jamie Wakefield’ episode 1 “Tedd and Henry, Albert and Jamie” launches October, twenty seventh, 2023 on YouTube at Ecclesia Arts.
Media Contact
Lenny Pinna, Ecclesia Arts, 1 707-480-6103, [email protected], https://www.youtube.com/@EcclesiaArts
Bonnie Diczhazy, Ecclesia Arts, 1 440-488-8293, [email protected], https://www.youtube.com/@EcclesiaArts
SOURCE Ecclesia Arts
