Short Stuff: An Evening of Storytelling Through Short Film and Song
FUNDRAISER EVENT!
SHORT STUFF will spotlight and celebrate the wealth of creative talent in the Hudson Valley. SHORT STUFF has been described as a program with a mission; producers Carol McCann and Connie Rotunda see the program as the beginning of an exciting new initiative to amplify the Rosendale Theatre’s role as a resource and venue for local filmmakers, musicians, and the theatrical community.
SHORT STUFF will feature an evening of compelling short films by regional filmmakers, followed by an intimate set of unplugged-style performances from local singer-songwriters. With this inaugural event, the event organizers hope to debut a program that can be branded and repeated in the future to help deepen the Rosendale Theatre’s relationships with local artists, as it becomes ever more a touchstone for artists and audiences in Ulster County.
The film segment will include the following works:
AGUILUCHO (21 Minutes) (2021)
Directed by Daniel Byers. Produced by Katrin Redfern and Andrew Stern.
When a rare Harpy Eagle nest is discovered near their community in the remote Darién Gap rainforest, the Emberá of Playa Muerto find an unlikely ally and a renewed relationship between the tribe and the great raptor.
GONE BEFORE YOUR EYES (12 Minutes) (2023)
Written and directed by Cara Yeates.
Trapped in a surreal loop, an artist with Alzheimer’s struggles to paint.
WILL YOU PLEASE HIT ME? (15 Minutes) (2024)
Directed by Jack Frederick.
At a quiet country bookstore, yoga teacher Lisa accidentally runs into Tanya, the woman who ruined her life, only to find that there is now one more thing Tanya would like from her: physical punishment.
THE SUIT (20 minutes) (2023)
Written and directed by Carol McCann.
Inspired by a song of the same name, The Suit follows Margaret and her granddaughter Tilly, as they travel rural Nebraska in search of the perfect suit for Grandpa.
The screenings will be followed by original performances from these dynamic singer-songwriters who trace their roots and sources of inspiration to the Hudson Valley:
JEFFERSON THOMAS AND CAROL MCCANN
Born in Albany, Jefferson cut his musical teeth playing all around upstate New York and has gone on to tour the world as a musician and songwriter. Carol has been an Ulster County denizen for 25 years and has performed as a singer-songwriter in the New York club scene for decades.
ANNALISA CHAMBERLIN
Annalisa is a singer-songwriter, musician, and teller of stories, who works in independent theatre, film, and television, and currently sits on the board of the Irish American Writers and Artists Association.
KYLE MILLER
Kyle is a Hudson Valley-based multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, and performer whose music runs the gamut from introspective pop ballads to traditional folk music.
The event will close with a brief Q&A session with both filmmakers and singer songwriters, led by SUNY New Paltz Professor Emerita, Connie Rotunda.
