"Peninsula Backstage" a new TV series on local theater

Jaime Tuttle as Virginia Dashiell Hillman as Vagabond in production of "Tavern"

What happens when you combine an improv actor with some background in video production with a Media Center volunteer director who dabbles in theatre? You get Peninsula Backstage, a new TV show at the Media Center that “looks inside local live theatre” in order to promote attendance at plays, musicals, and operas at the many live venues within a short drive of the Media Center.
Despite one crew member’s car breakdown, another crew member’s wild goose chase to try and rescue him, a left hand and a right hand, each of which thought that the other was going to put together the graphics, and a guest who almost fell off her stool during the taping, Peninsula Backstage’s first episode aired in April. Guests Diane Tasca and Troy Johnson discussed The Pear Avenue Theatre’s then upcoming production of Pear Slices 2011. The second episode, taped without pratfalls on May 14, highlighted Foothill College’s theatre conservatory and their upcoming production of The Tavern. The set for the show evokes an (unrealistically messy) backstage, with items from Goodwill and dusty closets and Media Center scenery pieces that haven’t been used since the Nixon administration.
Co-producer and host Nina G. Perry was exposed to live theatre at a young age and has been hooked ever since. Currently she is a member of Spontaneous Combustion, an improvisational theatre group that performs in San Francisco and Palo Alto. Co-producer and Director David Simon participates in musical theatre, being more of a singer than an actor. They met through the video classes at Foothill College.
Each episode of Peninsula Backstage highlights a local theatre production that is about to open, interviewing directors, actors, and others from the show. Episodes include a roll-in capturing a fragment of a rehearsal or other preparation for the production. Guests talk about their production and about general aspects of the theatre business.

This blog was contributed by the director of "Peninsula Backstage", David Simon. You can see the playback schedule for the next episode here.

Media Center Gets a Grant for Greenlight Festival

Annie Folger and Elliot Margolies pose with San Jose Councilman, Sam Liccardo, for hordes of papparazzi.



The Greenlight Environmental Film Festival is about to get bigger and better than ever before, thanks to a San Jose Community Energy Champions Grant. The Media Center was one of 18 groups in Santa Clara County who received a grant. A total of $335,500 was awarded for projects that promote energy conservation and efficiency including about $20,000 for the Greenlight Festival project. The Media Center will beef up its outreach to students countywide to enter the video festival, offering more technical support as well. After next year's festival in April 2012, the Media Center will create a DVD featuring the winning programs and create a package of contextual handouts along with a discussion guide that will be distributed to 65 teachers for classroom presentations.

Do you know of any Santa Clara county middle school or high school teachers that you think might want the package? Any leads will help us with our outreach.

The Community Energy Champions Grant program was created by the City of San Jose and the Silicon Valley Energy Watch, a partnership between the City of San Jose and Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) serving most of Santa Clara County. The grant supports innovative projects that include energy efficiency as an integral component of targeted climate action and environmental education. The projects are being fully funded through PG&E's Innovator Pilots program.

The other funded organizations include: Acterra (also from Palo Alto), Alviso Neighborhood Group, Asian American Center of Santa Clara County, Boys & Girls Club of Silicon Valley, Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County, Center for Training and Careers, City of Cupertino, San Jose Community Media Access Corporation (CreaTV), De Anza Community College, Enlighten Culture and Education Foundation, Green Energy Agents, Rebuilding Together Silicon Valley, Sacred Heart Community Service, San Jose State University Research Foundation, SJB Child Development Center, and ZERO1: The Art & Technology Network.

"Stanford Hospital Health Notes" Debuts Tonight - Channel 28 - 8:30 pm

I had no ideas that therapeutic dogs trawl the halls of the Stanford Hospital.  Sometimes, however, seeing a friendly pooch is just what a patient needs to motivate him to get better.  I would never have known that, if I hadn't connected into this fascinating new program debuting tonight. Read on!

The Media Center and Stanford Hospital and Clinics are pleased to roll out a new 1/2 hour program covering health topics and news from Stanford Hospital and Clinics.  The series debuts tonight and will run each week all month, with a new episode debuting the first Monday of the month.  Each half hour program will include a series of short videos which profile faculty physicians, patient stories, special programs and other topics of relevance to the Hospital and to our community.

Watch here for a sample video:



If you can't watch tonight, check out the schedule:

Monday, Channel 28 8:30 pm
Tuesday, Channel 28, 3:30 pm
Friday, Channel 28, 8:30 am
Saturday, Channel 30. 10:30 pm
(AT&T U-verse Channel 99, same dates and time!)

And remember, anytime it's on TV, it's streaming off our website at midpenmedia.org/stream.