Hello Stage 32 Creatives,
My name is Al Carretta. Over the years I've written quite a few blogs for Stage 32 but this Summer I've just finished my 23rd indie feature, a 1912 set period drama; an adaptation of Eugene O'Neill's classic one-act play 'Thirst'. It has its premiere in this August's Edinburgh Festival Fringe as the opening film of the Nightpiece Film Festival.
keep filming!
Al Carretta
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Congratulations on finishing your 23rd indie feature, Al Carretta! That's beyond impressive!
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Thanks Maurice!
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You're welcome, Al Carretta. Where can I watch your films?
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Hi Al Carretta - its great to connect here on IYW. What a prolific body of work. What attracted you to this O'Neill piece (I'm a huge fan of his)?
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Congrats Al! I'm a massive O'Neill fan and this is exciting news! Hope I can see it!
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Wow :) Also, I'm a massive O'Neill fan!! Congrats to you Al :)
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Hello all; thanks for your comments! I chose to produce 'Thirst' as it ticks all the indie film boxes and where I've simply run out of money I had to get inventive. I ran a workshop on 'how to make your first indie film' last year and used this as a case study, suggesting wild - but perfectly plausible adaptations of this as source (e.g.in Space/in a lift etc). I'd done it on stage in the 2023 EdFringe to test my adaptation which retains most of the dialogue, removes what is archaic but focuses the story by inverting the main plot device. As it's a 1913 piece in the public domain it's royalty free. It has a small cast (technically 3) and although it appears to be quite widely studied in US High Schools, it's rarely produced. The story is simple; a sailor, a dancer and a first class passenger are shipwrecked and stranded on a life raft. It's evident how heavily inspired it is by the sinking of the Titanic but where it's O'Neill at the start of his career the play isn't regarded anywhere near his best. It's much easier to adapt and apply creative license to something that has lesser profile. The stage play boasts some incredibly complex stage directions but my inversion takes the text and builds it around the first class passenger - who has survived the shipwreck and is recovering in a sanatorium where he re-lives the horror of being adrift...
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You're welcome, Al Carretta. "Thirst" sounds interesting. I find the link to your website on your profile. I plan on checking out one of your films this weekend.
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That would be great! Last check, 20 of my films are on TUBI in the US. Most of them are on Amazon some are on STASH via YouTube. The Devil Made Me Do It (mafia crime drama), Cocaine Gangster Talk (UK crime drama) and The Judge Of Harbor County (western) are my personal favourites!
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The Chant Of July - my 2023 psychological horror!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-OJDqybAzo3 people like this
Always great to see you here, Al Carretta. Congratulations on the new work!
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Thanks Richard!
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I really love period projects and this one looks amazing Al Carretta