Artists and Musicians

New film probes democracy, diversity, and myth since the landing of the Mayflower

 

JOURNEYS IN THE LIGHT, Democracy, Diversity, and Myth in the Wake of the Mayflower premiered at the prestigious Chelsea Film Festival, October 12-15, Regal Theatres, Union Square, in the heart of New York City. The CFF is one of the top ten film festivals in North America according to USA Today's 2019 survey. Of the 131 films included in the festival from 20 countries around the world, Journeys was included as one of the “top picks” of the festival’s programmers!

This one-hour documentary presents a unique perspective on four centuries of history since the arrival of European settlers at Plymouth. The film’s creators look beyond the iconic Euro-centric Mayflower story to present highlights in the history of African Americans, Cape Verdeans, the Wampanoag people, and other people of color in the historic region of Cape Cod. At the same time, they find in the outright conflict aboard the Mayflower, the ultimate Mayflower Compact, and powerful precedents among indigenous tribes powerful relevance for the divided America of today. JOURNEYS IN THE LIGHT tells its tale through the eyes, historical research, and works of art of the vibrant community surrounding Zion Union Heritage Museum in Hyannis. Notable among the historical resources are the writings of long-time civil rights activist Dolores Daluz.

Leading up to the New York premiere, the documentary has had Cape Cod Chapter/NAACP-sponsored screenings at the Cape Cod Museum of Art in Dennis, MA, as well as in Falmouth and Provincetown, MA. In an August 2023 event in Staunton, VA, the NAACP (Staunton Branch #7119) was joined in its sponsorship by additional local organizations, including the Augusta County Historical Society, the Shenandoah Juneteenth Committee, and the Staunton Education Foundation.

JOURNEYS IN THE LIGHT is produced by Janet Murphy Robertson in collaboration with Zion Union Heritage Museum. The featured artists include Robin Joyce Miller, Carl Lopes, Pamela Chatterton Purdy, Joe Diggs, Michael Alfano, Sean Cassidy, Vasco Pires, and many others.

 

Janet with Lee Roscoe at the Chelsea Film Festival, where their short film THE WARNING was screened in October 2022.

Janet Murphy Robertson

Janet Murphy Robertson is the documentarian for Zion Union Heritage Museum where, in addition to Journeys in the Light, she produced the 2018 film documenting Pamela Chatterton-Purdy and Rev. Dr. David A. Purdy’s magnificent art and historical exhibition Icons of the Civil Rights Movement. Janet is also Executive Director of ArtistsAndMusicians.org, the producer of Shoestring Virtual Theater, as well as stage plays, concerts, and other cultural events. Shoestring’s 2022 film shorts titled Four Plays for a Planet in Peril (Filmmaker: Janet Murphy Robertson; Writer/Director: Lee Roscoe) have been recognized by the LA Independent Shorts Awards and the Chelsea Film Festival where Part IV: The Warning had its New York premiere in October 2022. Janet works collaboratively with clients on the whole range of activities vital to successful productions— from photography, videography, sound effects, set design, editing, and scoring to marketing, PR, and business planning.

Janet's additional production credits include several highly successful runs of A Woman's Heart by Judith Partelow and the musical version by Judith Partelow and Dana McCoy; Three Viewings by Jeffrey Hatcher; Sorry Wrong Number by Lucille Fletcher; The House of Atreus: From Tantalus through the Trial of Orestes by Elsa Bastone; Mick Ryan's Lament by Robert Emmet Dunlap and Kathi Taylor, and many other plays and concerts.

Before coming to the Cape in 2007, Janet was a senior consultant with Coopers & Lybrand (later PriceWaterhouseCoopers), Vice President of two major international retail companies, and President of the consulting firm Ogden Associates. She earned her BA at Vassar College, where she majored in Philosophy, and did graduate work at Drew University and the University of Paris.

Robin Joyce Miller

Robin Joyce Miller, Artist

Robin Joyce Miller, whose artwork is prominently featured in JOURNEYS IN THE LIGHT, frequently assists in presenting the film and joins in discussion with audiences. Robin is a retired educator, artist, author, poet and public speaker, who taught for 30+ years in the NYC school system. She spent the first half of her career teaching learning-disabled students and the next half as an art teacher. Robin was also a NYC Blueprint for the Arts Facilitator, leading workshops at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Whitney Museum. She is a recipient of the NYC and NY State Region 8 Art Educator of the Year Award.

After retirement she and her husband have maintained two residences in NYC and Cape Cod. After George Floyd’s murder, Robin and her husband, James, began presenting a BLM series with the Cotuit Center for the Arts.  These programs are available to the public on Cotuit on Demand - YouTube. She is also on the Board of Directors at the Cotuit Center. Robin has served as a volunteer and resident artist at the Zion Union Heritage Museum, Hyannis since 2013. You can view more of Robin’s work on www.robinjoycemillerart.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NAACP Cape Cod to Sponsor Film Screenings in Celebration of Juneteenth 2023

The last of several preview screenings of Journeys in the Light will be presented at Brewster Ladies Library on Saturday, June 10, 2 PM! Admission FREE!

DREAMS FROM A PLANET IN PERIL is released on Vimeo-on-Demand!

 

DREAMS FROM A PLANET IN PERIL from Janet Murphy Robertson on Vimeo.

JOURNEYS IN THE LIGHT, Democracy, Diversity, and Myth in the Wake of the Mayflower: Sunday, May 7, 3 PM

On Sunday, May 7, at 3 PM, the Jacob Sears Memorial Library will present a preview of this newly updated one-hour documentary. The film’s creators look beyond the iconic Euro-centric Mayflower story to present highlights in the history of the African American and Cape Verdean people in this region since the arrival of the English settlers in 1620. They find in the Mayflower Compact, and antecedents in Native American governance, powerful relevance for the divided America of today. Journeys in the Light tells its tale through the eyes, historical research, and works of art of the vibrant community surrounding Zion Union Heritage Museum in Hyannis. The documentary, produced by Janet Murphy Robertson, features important local artists including Robin Joyce Miller, Carl Lopes, Pamela Chatterton Purdy, Joe Diggs, Michael Alfano, Sean Cassidy, Vasco Pires, and others.

 

 

DREAMS FROM A PLANET IN PERIL to be Screened at Brewster Ladies Library, Saturday, April 15

DREAMS FROM A PLANET IN PERIL by Lee Roscoe and Janet Murphy Robertson

Screening and Talk Back Discussion with Lee, Janet, and Laura Kelley of Protect Our Cape Cod Aquifer (POCCA)

Brewster Ladies Library, Saturday, April 15, 2:00-4:00 PM

Register at brewsterladieslibrary.org. Free admission.

 

Please join us for a screening of Dreams from a Planet in Peril, a spellbinding new film about planetary abuse and its underlying causes. The film’s characters, settings, and language change in the four different “dreams” within the film. Earth’s peril comes to life in a variety of engaging ways—as hyperbole, humor, satire, or melodrama and with all the variety, confusion, emotional range, and fragmentation of the dreamworld itself. Created by writer/director Lee Roscoe and filmmaker/producer Janet Murphy Robertson, the film was first released in October 2022 as individual film shorts, one of which premiered at New York’s prestigious Chelsea Film Festival and was a finalist in three categories at the Independent Shorts Festival in LA. Laura Kelley of Protect Our Cape Cod Aquifer (POCCA) will host a post screening discussion of eco-solutions, and the film’s creators will answer questions.

More about the Film

In the first dream—Water Spirits Colloquy—two Greek demigods and a legendary Native American spirit meet to share their torment over the ravaging of Earth’s waters by humans and eventually conspire to exact revenge. They interact amidst spectacular underwater and terrestrial imagery and in scenes of environmental destruction that build to a dramatic ending. In The Cage, an owl watches as three characters argue, with a mixture of stunning insight and staggering myopia, in a fast-paced mini class war that highlights societal conflicts impeding change. In Reprieve, an indigenous man in despair over the demise of his culture and the Earth is saved by the common decency of people he barely knows. The Warning brings the film to its stunning conclusion as the nameless slumbering woman is propelled by her dreams into a cartoon world so outrageously destructive to the planet that she steps into the dream and attempts to stop the madness.

In addition to Roscoe, the cast includes nine other beloved Massachusetts-based actors: Tom Wolfson, Judith Partelow (courtesy of SAG), Rod Owens, Karen McPherson, Constance Wilkinson, Cleo Zani, Geof Newton, Olivia Thompson, and LeVane Harrington.

Dreams from a Planet in Peril is supported in part by grants from the Massachusetts Cultural Council (Towns of Brewster and Dennis).

 

Regional Premiere: Cape Cod Museum of Art to Screen DREAMS FROM A PLANET IN PERIL

Tickets

The Cape Cod Museum of Art will host the Regional Premiere of Dreams from a Planet in Peril, a new experimental art film by writer/director Lee Roscoe and filmmaker/producer Janet Murphy Robertson. The action unfolds as a series of intense dreams in which the female protagonist—a passionate environmentalist—witnesses the progressive destruction of the Earth and its underlying causes and consequences. She ultimately awakens and confronts the perpetrators within the fourth dream itself. This last portion of the movie—also distributed as a short film titled The Warning—had its New York premiere at the prestigious Chelsea Film Festival in October 2022 and was a finalist for three additional awards at the Independent Film Shorts Awards in LA. After the 65-minute screening, there will be a talk back session with the creators and some of the starring actors.

Just as in an actual night of dreams, the film’s “plot,” visuals, and language change completely as the action unfolds and literal realism is rare. Earth’s peril comes to life at different points as hyperbole, humor, satire, or melodrama and with all the variety, confusion, emotional range, and fragmentation of the dreamworld itself. In the first dream—Water Spirits Colloquy—two Greek demigods and a legendary Native American spirit meet to share their torment over the ravaging of Earth’s waters by humans and eventually conspire to exact revenge. They interact amidst spectacular underwater and terrestrial imagery and in scenes of environmental destruction that build to a dramatic ending. In The Cage, an owl watches as three characters argue, with a mixture of stunning insight and staggering myopia, in a fast-paced mini class war that highlights societal conflicts impeding change. In Reprieve, an indigenous man in despair over the demise of his culture and the Earth is saved by the common decency of people he barely knows. The Warning brings the film to its stunning conclusion as the nameless slumbering woman is propelled by her dreams into a cartoon world so outrageously destructive to the planet that she steps into the dream and attempts to stop the madness. More about the film here.

In addition to Roscoe, the cast includes nine other beloved Massachusetts-based actors: Tom Wolfson, Judith Partelow (courtesy of SAG), Rod Owens, Karen McPherson, Constance Wilkinson, Cleo Zani, Geof Newton, Olivia Thompson, and LeVane Harrington.

DREAMS FROM A PLANET IN PERIL is supported in part by grants from the Massachusetts Cultural Council (Towns of Brewster and Dennis).

Lee Roscoe and Janet Murphy Robertson, photo by Johnny Bergmann

An interview of Lee Roscoe and Janet Murphy Robertson by Johnny Bergmann, ArtsLight, Lower Cape TV, on Wednesday, March 8.

 

JOURNEYS Film Preview, First Parish Brewster, Sunday, February 12, 2 PM

The new release of Journeys in the Light was previewed at First Parish Brewster UU on Sunday, February 12. Under its new title, JOURNEYS IN THE LIGHT, Democracy, Diversity, and Myth in the Wake of the Mayflower, the one-hour documentary presents a unique perspective on four centuries of history since the arrival of European settlers in this region. 

The film’s creators look beyond the iconic Euro-centric Mayflower story to present highlights in the history of African Americans, Cape Verdeans, Wampanoags, and other People of Color here. At the same time, they find in the outright conflict aboard the Mayflower, and the ultimate Mayflower Compact, powerful relevance for the divided America of today. Journeys in the Light tells its tale through the eyes, historical research, and works of art of the vibrant community surrounding Zion Union Heritage Museum in Hyannis. Notable among the historical resources are the writings of long-time civil rights activist Dolores Daluz.

This Black History Month program included a brief introduction by the filmmaker, Janet Murphy Robertson, with a special tribute to John L. Reed, her collaborator in the creation of this film, who passed away several days before the event. Robin Joyce Miller read a moving tribute to Mr. Reed written by Massachusetts Representative Kip Diggs. After the screening, Janet Robertson was joined for Q & A by Ms. Miller, who contributed research, commentary, poetry, and history-inspired works of art to the film. The poetry of Robin’s husband James W. Miller is also featured.

Journeys in the Light is produced by Janet Murphy Robertson of ArtistsAndMusicians.org in collaboration with Zion Union Heritage Museum. In addition to Robin Joyce Miller, the featured artists include Carl Lopes, Pamela Chatterton Purdy, Joe Diggs, Michael Alfano, Sean Cassidy, Vasco Pires, and many others. Artwork by Robin, Lee Roscoe's new book Wampanoag Art through the Ages, Traditional and Transitional, and other items will be available for purchase at the event.

Robin Joyce Miller

Robin Joyce Miller is a retired educator, artist, author, poet and public speaker, who taught for 30+ years in the NYC school system. She spent the first half of her career teaching learning-disabled students and the next half as an art teacher. Robin was also a NYC Blueprint for the Arts Facilitator, leading workshops at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Whitney Museum. She is a recipient of the NYC and NY State Region 8 Art Educator of the Year Award.

After retirement she and her husband have maintained two residences in NYC and Cape Cod. After George Floyd’s murder, Robin and her husband, James, began presenting a BLM series with the Cotuit Center for the Arts.  These programs are available to the public on Cotuit on Demand - YouTube. She is also on the Board of Directors at the Cotuit Center. Robin has served as a volunteer and resident artist at the Zion Union Heritage Museum, Hyannis since 2013. You can view more of Robin’s work on www.robinjoycemillerart.com.

Janet Murphy Robertson

Janet Murphy Robertson is the documentarian for Zion Union Heritage Museum where, in addition to Journeys in the Light, she produced the film documenting Pamela Chatterton-Purdy and Rev. Dr. David A. Purdy’s magnificent art and historical exhibition Icons of the Civil Rights Movement. Janet is also Executive Director of ArtistsAndMusicians.org, the producer of Shoestring Virtual Theater, as well as stage plays, concerts, and other cultural events. Shoestring’s 2022 film shorts titled Four Plays for a Planet in Peril (Filmmaker: Janet Murphy Robertson; Writer/Director: Lee Roscoe) have been recognized by the LA Independent Shorts Awards and the Chelsea Film Festival where Part IV: The Warninghad its New York premiere in October 2022. Janet works collaboratively with clients on the whole range of activities vital to successful productions— from photography, videography, sound effects, set design, editing, and scoring to marketing, PR, and business planning.

Janet's additional production credits include several highly successful runs of A Woman's Heart by Judith Partelow and the musical version by Judith Partelow and Dana McCoy; Three Viewings by Jeffrey Hatcher; Sorry Wrong Number by Lucille Fletcher; The House of Atreus: From Tantalus through the Trial of Orestes by Elsa Bastone; Mick Ryan's Lament by Robert Emmet Dunlap and Kathi Taylor, and many other plays and concerts.

Before coming to the Cape in 2007, Janet was a senior consultant with PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Vice President of two major retail companies, and President of the retail consulting firm Ogden Associates. She earned her BA at Vassar College, where she majored in Philosophy, and did graduate work at Drew University and the University of Paris (Nanterre).

THE WARNING was Screened at New York's Chelsea Film Festival, Friday, October 14!

 

THE WARNING by Lee Roscoe and Janet Murphy Robertson

 

 

The New York Premiere of THE WARNING by Lee Roscoe and Janet Murphy Robertson was held on  Friday, October 14, 1:30 PM at Regal Cinema, Union Square, New York, as part of the prestigious Chelsea Film Festival. #CFFBIG10. More about the film at http://www.ArtistsAndMusicians.org/theater.

 

The Chelsea Film Festival's Vision: “MAKING THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE”

The Chelsea Film Festival is an international film festival, highlighting the work of emerging filmmakers, producers and actors. It offers a wide range of content, such as shorts, documentaries, features, TV series and virtual reality experiences, focusing on the theme of “Global Issues”. It empowers the work of risk-taking storytellers and remains committed to its mission to discover and develop independent artists and audiences around the world." More about the Chelsea Film Festival.

 

 

FOUR PLAYS FOR A PLANET IN PERIL: A CAPE COD PREMIERE

FOUR PLAYS FOR A PLANET IN PERIL 
written and directed by Lee Roscoe,
filmed and produced by Janet Murphy Robertson
 
Cape Cod Premiere
Eastham Public Library, 190 Samoset Rd., Eastham, MA 02642

 
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WATER SPIRITS COLLOQUY

THE CAGE

REPRIEVE

THE WARNING

On Wednesday, July 20 a series of short films titled FOUR PLAYS FOR A PLANET IN PERIL was presented at the Eastham Public Library. Following the 80-minute screening, there was a brief Q & A with the writer/director, Lee Roscoe, and filmmaker/producer Janet Murphy Robertson.

Earth’s peril is portrayed differently in each piece. In the first—the poetic and dreamlike Water Spirits Colloquy—two Greek demigods and a legendary Native American spirit meet to share their torment over the ravaging of Earth’s waters by humans and ultimately conspire to exact revenge. They interact amidst spectacular underwater and terrestrial imagery and in scenes of environmental destruction that build to a dramatic ending.

In The Cage, three characters—a boss, a middle manager, and a worker—argue with a mixture of stunning insight and staggering myopia in what might be described as a class war in nine minutes. The highly stylized acting verges on comedy as it highlights the societal conflicts that contribute to inaction on climate issues. 

The raw emotion and ultimate sweetness of Reprieve are a counterpoint to the power and intensity of the pieces that precede and follow it. An indigenous man in despair over the demise of his culture and the Earth is saved by the caring concern and common decency of people he barely knows. This work’s inclusion in the series gives a hint of what the films’ creators see as virtues that might help save the planet. 

According to Roscoe, a long-time environmentalist, as well as playwright, “Our goal is to draw attention to the uncomfortable reality that our whole way of life, in effect, creates the Earth’s climate, sometimes with catastrophic consequences. We employ a range of theatrical techniques—heightened language, humor, outrage, satire, hyperbole, melodrama—as well as exciting new film technologies to entertain and engage viewers and provoke awareness, discussion and, we hope, constructive action.”

In The Warning, the cycle ends with an explosion of imagery and over-the-top theatrics, noted by Roscoe as “inspired by 1930s German expressionist George Grosz.” In this hyperbolized eco-feminist cartoon, Roscoe herself, as Woman/Earth, takes to the stage and reacts viscerally to the assaults on her body by the heat and fire of fossil fuels and confronts the puppet politicians and corporate overlords responsible. The Warning is an official finalist in three categories for the Independent Short Film Awards in L.A.: Best Experimental Short, Best Original Story, and Best Ensemble Cast. 

 

In addition to Roscoe, the cast includes nine other beloved Massachusetts-based actors: Tom Wolfson, Judith Partelow (courtesy of SAG), Rod Owens, Karen McPherson, Constance Wilkinson, Cleo Zani, Geof Newton, Olivia Thompson, and LeVane Harrington.

The three experimental, non representational “shorts”—Water Spirits Colloquy, The Cage, and The Warning—were composed and filmed in a studio in Dennis during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic by Janet Murphy Robertson. She filmed the only “realistic” work of the four, Reprieve, on site in Dennis. All four films are produced by Shoestring Virtual Theater, a new venture (founded in 2021) of Robertson’s marketing and production firm ArtistsAndMusicians.org. The works employ a mix of techniques and technologies native to theater, film, and TV, including both traditional and green-screen filming/recording, cartooning, sound effects, special effects, musical scores, virtual video and photographic backgrounds, and black-and-white, as well as color, styling. The films will be available for online viewing at a later date and details will be posted at ArtistsAndMusicians.org and elsewhere.
 
FOUR PLAYS FOR A PLANET IN PERIL is supported in part by grants from the Massachusetts Cultural Council (Towns of Brewster and Dennis).

Lee Roscoe is an award-winning playwright, environmentalist and journalist and currently a correspondent for Artscope Magazine and Provincetown Magazine. She is a former Cape Cod and Massachusetts environmental activist and environmental educator. She has long-time ties to the environmental science and education community as a Woods Hole Ocean Science Journalism Fellow, a recipient of numerous WHSTEPS (Woods Hole Science, Technology and Education Partnership grants), an Eisenhower grant for creating nature/curriculum, a Massachusetts legislature commendation and EPA award and other awards and grants. As a journalist Lee Roscoe has covered many environmental stories, regionally and nationally (some cited in scientific journals) for publications such as Massachusetts Wildlife Magazine, New York Conservationist, Oceanus online (WHOI's magazine), Sierra, and Natural History Magazine. Her theater writing has been praised as “brilliant,” “powerful and important theater,” by such notables as the artistic director of Shakespeare Theatre Company, D.C., Michael Kahn; the founder of New York’s Living Theater, Judith Malina; playwright David Hare; and the late Howard Zinn, as well as other theater greats and public intellectuals. Early in her career, she worked as an Equity actress Off-Broadway and in indie films. 

Janet Murphy Robertson is a former New York executive and management consultant and the founder and executive director of ArtistsAndMusicians.org, a firm that spotlights creative and socially conscious people and produces plays, films, and musical events. Her earlier films about social issues include Journeys in the Light, Untold Stories of Cape Cod, produced with Zion Union Heritage Museum (Hyannis) and Icons of the Civil Rights Movement, based on Pamela Chatterton-Purdy and Rev. Dr. David A. Purdy’s landmark exhibition by this name.
 

New Documentaries from ArtistsAndMusicians!

ArtistsAndMusicians.org is releasing two documentaries focused on the historic struggle of America's people of color for civil rights: new/updated versions of both Journeys in the Light, Untold Stories of Cape Cod and Icons of the Civil Rights Movement, Past and Present. The latter film describes artist Pamela Chatterton-Purdy's magnificent series by this name. See here for more details!

Pamela Chatterton-Purdy's latest icon (at left) honors the nine African Americans murdered during a prayer service at Mother Emanuel Church, Charleston, SC, on June 17, 2015.