PRODUCTION UPDATE



 

Tim Kirkman (Dear Jesse) spent May in Baltimore directing David Drake in a film version of The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me, the award-winning one-man show Drake debuted off-Broadway in 1993 and later took to eight cities in the U.S., the U.K. and Australia. Night chronicles key events in one gay man’s sexual and political coming of age from his first kiss on his 16th birthday to an elegaic vigil to dead lovers 20 years later. The piece unfolds as a series of spare vignettes alternately hilarious, lyrical and brutally soul-searching; its title comes from the self-awakening Drake traces to the night he saw "The Normal Heart," gay activist Larry Kramer’s benchmark drama, on his 22nd birthday in 1985.

"[With the film adaptation] all we’re trying to do is make it as poetic as possible, evoking memories rather than specific events," says Kirkman. Kirkman, who has held a day job in graphic design for seven years, came to attention as a director with Dear Jesse, his 1998 documentary examining North Carolina senator Jesse Helms’ political longevity and overt homophobia. Drake’s accolades for "Night" include a Village Voice Obie and two L.A. Dramalogue awards; one of the longest running solo shows in New York theatre history, it’s since had over a hundred productions in a dozen countries. Drake’s most recently appeared on stage starring in the off-Broadway revival of "The Boys in the Band" and "A Language of Their Own" (opposite playwright B.D. Wong) at the Public Theatre; feature films include Philadelphia, Longtime Companion and Peoria Babylon.

Night was shot in 35mm, with and without a live audience, at the Theater Project in Baltimore (Drake’s home town). A two-week commercial run before cameras rolled doubled as both tech and text rehearsals. All rights are available.

Cast: David Drake. Crew: Producers, Michael Caplan, Kirkland Tibbels; Co-Producer, Gill Holland; Associate Producer, Jennifer Schaefer; Screenwriter, David Drake; Director, Tim Kirkman; Cinematographer, James Carman; Production Design, Tim Hunter; Sets, Anna Louyez; Editor, Caitlan Dixon. Contact: Kirkland Tibbels, FilmNext, 8489 West Third Street, Suite 1056, Los Angeles, CA 90048. Tel: (323) 801-2200, Fax: (323) 801-2242; website: www.filmnext.com




 
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