Film

Tangles in Time

I wonder now, how do we lose a language so quickly.

The ‘Tangles in Time’ live performances and films were created in collaboration with Thomas Jefferson University and performed in 2019 by people living with dementia, care partners, and healthcare professionals. Created by: Artistic Director Teya Sepinuck, with Thomas Jefferson University. Filmed by Third Eye Productions and edited by Dax Mackenzie Roggio.

Sunny’s Ancestor Story
As I watched the scene unfold, I felt a deep sense of belonging, of returning to somewhere I had never been. Where will I be in a blink of an eye?

Sunny tells of her yearning to learn more about her extended Chinese family and her ancestors. This five-minute film explores Sunny’s trip to China with her grandma and family and the feeling of belonging that comes with returning to a home you barely know. Sunny is one of the healthcare professionals who performed in the 2019 Tangles in Time production.

Mike and Mary Anne’s Story
Sometimes I feel like I’m the guy spinning those plates on a stick doing everything in my power to keep them up, but then one or two crash to the ground.

In this poignant short, we see the love between Mike and Mary Anne, a husband caring for his wife who is living with frontotemporal dementia. Even while dealing with the cruel losses of the disease, they still feel each other’s true nature and love. This film featured in the live performance of ‘Tangles in Time’.

To view the rest of the Tangles in Time films go to tanglesintime.org.

Walk in my Shoes

These divided times didn’t just start now. They were embedded in the founding of our country.

The ‘Walk in Shoes’ production was created and performed in 2017 with four Philadelphia police officers and three community members sharing their personal stories and visions for the future. It was created in response to the murder of Philando Castile by police officer Jeronimo Yanez,and the subsequent assassinations of 5 police in Dallas.  The film is a recording of the live performance.

Created by: Artistic Director Teya Sepinuck, with Philadelphia Police Inspector Altovise Love-Craighead. Music by Jay Fluellen. Filmed by Third Eye Productions and edited by Dax Mackenzie Roggio.

We Carried Your Secrets

Do we all hear with different histories coursing through our genes?
The Playhouse in Derry Northern Ireland Theatre of Witness’s first original production was “We Carried Your Secrets” (2009). This video follows the performers from early rehearsal through the tour of the production as they collectively journey through grief, understanding, healing and connection, showing how theatre can be used as a powerful tool for peace and reconciliation in a post-conflict society.
Artistic Director: Teya Sepinuck. Music: Brian Irvine. Filmmaker: Declan Keeney

I Once Knew a Girl

Everybody is ordinary. We just end up in extraordinary circumstances.

This original multi-media Theatre of Witness production (2010) was performed and created with women whose lives were affected by the Troubles and other social issues of the times. Based on their true stories, the production explores the lives and roles of women who were active participants, behind the scenes partners, witnesses, survivors, mothers, grandmothers, daughters and wives. What are these untold stories?

Artistic Director: Teya Sepinuck. Music: Brian Irvine. Filmmaker: Margo Harkin, Bessom Productions

Anne and Kathleen

I wanted to write on his headstone, ‘Murdered by the IRA’. Instead I had them engrave the words ‘Lord, may he be an instrument of thy peace.’

‘Anne and Kathleen’ is 13 minutes of excerpts and highlights from Kathleen and Anne’s parts from the original Theatre of Witness production, ‘I Once Knew a Girl’, produced by The Playhouse in Derry Northern Ireland in 2010. These excerpts were filmed as part of Margo Harkin’s award winning documentary film “The Far Side of Revenge, available through Besom Productions. 

Release

Sometimes I feel ancient. Sometimes I feel a thousand years old.

A documentary directed by Declan Keeney. ‘Release’ was a highly acclaimed original Theatre of Witness production created in 2012 by Teya Sepinuck with six men who were greatly impacted by the legacy of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. A former British Soldier, prison governor, detective, two prisoners and a man who was caught in a car bomb as a child share their own stories publicly. This documentary, directed by Declan Keeney further explores the idea that everyone has a past; but should they be defined by it? The film models how those who in other circumstances would be considered ‘enemies’, come together in the name of peace and brotherhood.

Artistic Director: Teya Sepinuck. Music: Brian Irvine. Film Director: Declan Keeney, Echo Gate Productions

Living with Life

One ordinary moment in time, and everything has changed.

Living with Life is a unique and emotionally powerful video based on an original, live theater piece (2002) featuring eight men serving life sentences at the State Correctional Institution in Chester, PA. This video illuminates their true stories about their lives before incarceration and during their more than 177 cumulative years behind bars. The video documents the performance in spoken word and song, enhanced by interviews with the men and with their families. The video speaks to issues of remorse, forgiveness, patience, strength and spirit.

Artistic Director: Teya Sepinuck. Music: Greg Scott & the Performers.

Beyond The Walls

There are a thousand miles on the Road to Redemption. You never have to walk alone.

This film by Rachel Libert is based on the original TOVA production (2007) portraying the true stories of families affected by violence. Created with and performed by former offenders and family members who have lost loved ones to murder or prison, the video examines the affects of violence on the entire community and speaks to the power for forgiveness and healing. Rachel Libert’s documentary expands the live theater production with additional portraits of the performers, both in their every day lives and in reflection about their own healing. The streets, neighborhoods, courts and prisons of Philadelphia provide a rich backdrop for the film.

Raising Our Voice

I sweat strength. Even my tears are strong.

Based on an original, live Theater of Witness production (2003), this video breaks the silence that often shrouds domestic abuse. It does so by weaving the stories of eight performers, who come from different countries, cultures and backgrounds but share the common experience of having been victims, perpetrators or witnesses of domestic abuse, into a collective cry for understanding, action and healing.The film serves as a powerful catalyst for dialogue about abuse, violence, trauma, survival, resiliency, recovery, and individual/collective responsibility.The production was designed to educate communities about domestic violence and underscore the reality that there is hope for healing and transformation.

Artistic Direction: Teya Sepinuck. Music: Niyonu Spann, Greg Scott and Marcella Woodridge.

Shadows

You’re a deadbeat dad. Missing in action. Erased from my heart.

Shadows was created with fathers, sons and husbands incarcerated at the State Correctional Institution at Graterford PA., and mothers, wives and children who have struggled to maintain family and community in the absence of their loved ones. The original Theater of Witness production (2008) was performed by recently released prisoners and family members who play the parts of the still incarcerated men, and women and children who portray their own life stories.

Based on an original Theater of Witness production conceived and written by Teya Sepinuck. Music by Dan Kleiman. Film Director: Rachel Libert

Some Life on These Bones

If I can help one woman know she is not alone, then this path would have been worth the pain.

“Some Life on These Bones” is a celebration of strength and sisterhood of eight women who transformed their lives after struggling with homelessness, addiction, domestic violence, sexual abuse, disability, and/or poverty. This video, which weaves live performance excerpts from the original theater production (1999) with interviews and backstage clips, tells the story of these women’s individual and collective journeys of recovery and transformation.