Theater students work on 3 original movies

Photo provided by CHARLEY VANCE -- Craig Schimpf, parish manager for Entergy, presents a $1,000 grant for the Talented Theatre movie project to Amite High students. From left are Carl Briggs, Waltesha Burise, Kherra Brown, Schimpf, Aareyon McGee, Destiny Zanders and Erykah Williams. Sumner High also participates in the movie project.

The Talented Theatre students at Amite and Sumner high schools are once again creating movies.

This is the 14th year the students at these schools have created movies, Talented Theatre teacher Charley Vance said.

The movie project has received four national awards and has been nominated for a fifth award, Vance said.

This year’s movie at Amite High is about a student becoming jealous of a new student and talking her into taking a prescription drug. At first the side effects are amusing but the results are life-threatening consequences.

Sumner High School students are creating two movies.

One of the movies involves a student who is depressed and listens to rumors about her boyfriend and another girl. The girl brings a gun to school to settle her issues.

The second Sumner movie is a comedy about who has it tougher in high school — girls or boys.

The students, through screen treatment sessions, create the stories for all of these movies,”Vance said.

Filming will begin Oct. 20.

Vance said each movie runs about 20 to 30 minutes. Upon completion, there will be a World Premiere night in late January. After the premiere, the movies are shown in the Tangipahoa Parish public schools as teaching tools and are posted on School Tube.

The Amite High Talented Theatre students are Aaryeon McGee, Kherra Brown and Carl Briggs. Also appearing in the Amite High movie are Destiny Zanders, Erykah Williams and Waltesha Burise.

The Sumner High Talented Theatre students are Carlee Applewhite, Maggie Applewhite, Preston Womack, Marla Sheridan, Alex Williams, Katherine Davis, Cara Graham, Jedarius Collier, Alexis Biandolillo, Scotti Dykes, Maranda Beadle, Mariha Beadle, Kirstie Newman, Jacob Moore and Austin McDaniel.

The Talented Theatre movie project is made possible by a decentralized block grant from the Louisiana Division of the Arts, a grant from the Every Kid a King Foundation managed by the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, a grant from Entergy, donations from First Guaranty Bank, Florida Parishes Bank, First Bank and Trust, and Washington/St. Tammany Washington Electric Co-operative.