John Shea (5/96-6/11 Nantucket Film Festival)
Excerpt from Nantucket Film Festival 5/96: John Shea | Nantucket Film Festival
NANTUCKET FILM FESTIVAL PRESS RELEASE
The Nantucket Film Festival will have its premiere this June 1996. With its grand history and unparalleled beauty, Nantucket is the ideal setting for this unique festival. Nantucket has long been a creative haven to many notable writers and artists in the film community including: Jane Alexander, Russell Baker, Nathaniel Benchley, Peter Benchley, Frank Conroy, John Guare, David Halberstam, J. Seward Johnson, John Johnson, Larry Mannes, Herman Melville, John Shea and Edwin Sherin.
© Nantucket Film Festival
Excerpt from Boston Globe 6/20/96: John Shea
Nantucket's reel people
June 20, 1996 | Susan Bickelhaupt and Maureen Dezell, Globe Staff
Before the festival closes on Monday, Billy Baldwin, Winona Ryder, John Shea, "The Cable Guy" director Ben Stiller (son of longtime Nantucket homeowners Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara), "Lone Star" director John Sayles, actors Chris Cooper, Rob Morrow, Lee Grant, Fisher Stevens and Jace Alexander are expected to celebrate along with festival founders Jonathan Burkhardt and Jill Goode, Burkhardt's sister.
© Boston Globe
Excerpt from Cape Cod Online 6/14: John Shea
Miller: 'Death in Venice' on Nantucket
June 21, 2014 Tim Miller
The first time I attended the Nantucket Film Festival was 1996.
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I did wind up talking to several celebs: Leonard and John Shea, both briefly; a very quick exchange with Stiller; and I had a long, in-depth interview with the great Chris Cooper, who was there to introduce the John Sayles movie "Lone Star."
© Cape Cod Online
Excerpt from The Boston Herald 6/97: John Shea | Getty Images
Film Buffs Will Have a Whale of a Time on Nantucket
Nantucket will be the place to screen and be seen today when a slew of stars start landing on the island for six days of screenings, stage readings and schmoozing at the 2nd Annual Nantucket Film Festival.
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Then the artsy-fartsy stuff begins tomorrow with more movies and a seminar on independent film production hosted by "Lois & Clark" star John Shea and "Ransom" guy Donnie Wahlberg. The duo shot the low-budget "Brass Ring" in Southie last winter and want to tell all about it.
© The Boston Herald
Excerpt from IndieWire 6/26/97: John Shea
The Rabbi Reports: The Nantucket Film Festival, Part 2
by Mark Rabinowitz | June 26, 1997 at 2:0AM
There were five professionally cast readings of unproduced screenplays performed with actors such as Jace Alexander ("Eight Men Out"), Maddie Corman ("Seven Minutes in Heaven", John Shea (""Jerry Maguire""), Callie Thorne ("Ed's Next Move", TV's "Homicide"), Dana Wheeler-Nicholson ("The Pompatus of Love", "Fletch"), Chris Noth (TV's "Law & Order"), and Mary McCormack ("Private Parts", TV's "Murder One").
&Copy; IndieWire
Excerpt from Filmmaker Fall 1997: John Shea
FESTIVAL ROUNDUP: The Nantucket Film Festival
But Nantucket also featured five professionally cast readings of unproduced screenplays like Warren Leight's (The Night We Never Met) Love-40, and Pete Nelson's Peace, Love & War, performed with actors such as John Shea, Callie Thorne, Dana Wheeler-Nicholson, Chris Noth, and Mary McCormack.
&Copy; Filmmaker Magazine
Excerpt from Indie Wire 5/14/98: John Shea
"Next Stop" Kicking Off Third Nantucket Fest, Full Lineup Unveiled, Larder Jr. Feted
by Indiewire May 14, 1998 2:00 AM
The third annual Nantucket Film Festival (NFF) announced its lineup on Wednesday -- the event is set to kick off with the Boston-filmed Sundance pic "Next Stop Wonderland" by Brad Anderson.
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The festival's program boasts some notable films from recent festivals, in addition to some noteworthy premieres. Amos Poe's "Frogs For Snakes," starring Barbara Hershey, Robbie Coltrane and Debi Mazar will have its U.S. bow, and John Shea's "Southie," a film workshopped as a work-in-progress last year at the fest, will have its East Coast premiere.
© Indie Wire
Excerpt from New England Film 6/98: John Shea (See also Trigger Digest)
Nantucket Film Festival
The 1998 line-up includes the Boston-filmed Next Stop Wonderland, premieres of Nadia Tass’ Amy and Mr. Reliable; Tamara Jenkins’ Slums of Beverly Hills; Steve Klein’s Game Day featuring Richard Lewis; John Hamburg’s off-the-wall buddy picture Safe Men; Jez Butterworth’s adaptation of his stage play Mojo with a diabolical performance by Harold Pinter; Sherman Alexie’s Fish in the Bathtub starring Nantucket’s own Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara; Mary Cybulski and John Tintori’s gritty Chicago Cab; and the East Coast premiere of John Shea’s Southie.
© New England Film
Excerpt from Boston Herald 6/22/98: John Shea, on Only Donnie
"Southie" Pride Forces Extra Screening at Film Fest
Nantucket-The artsy-fartsy Nantucket Film Festival took on a rowdy Bruins game-like atmosphere the other night when the Donnie Wahlberg flick, "Southie", made its East Coast debut at the Dreamland Theatre. Proud locals of L Street-all of whom were related to the film or to one of the stars-raised their fists and chanted "Here We Go Southie" in front of the theatre while thousands of curious film freaks jostled for position in a line that snaked around the old movie house. In fact, soooo many people turned out to see "Southie", festival founder Jonathan Burkhart had to add another screening that evening!
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The ex-New Kid-turned-actor didn't sit through the screening, but after the 92-minute movie rolled credits, Wahlberg joined the 25 "Southie" cast and crew members at the front of the theatre to field questions and comments from the audience. "I've lived in Southie all my life," said one fan to Anne Meara, who played Donnie's mom. "You are everybody's mother" Director John Shea was there, along with cast members Amanda Peet, Amy Stiller, Steve Koslowski (whose claim to fame thus far was beating the tar out of Matt Damon in "Good Will Hunting") and Mary Flavin, who was mourning the editing out of her steamy sex scenes with Wahlberg.
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the "Southie" cast party out at the island's VFW Post that John Shea had hosted. Hmmmmmm... At the VFW, the vets sent the Southie people packing at 1:30am, but a plethora of partiers proceeded to Shea's summer digs in Sconset for more early morning movie madness.
© Boston Herald
Getty Images 6/18/99: John Shea at Nantucket Film Festival
Excerpt from Imagine News 6/00: John Shea
Stars Will Shine at the Nantucket Film Festival
by Susan Beaumont
When packing your bags for the Nantucket Film Festival (June 21-25) bring your wallet-Nantucket is expensive.
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For star gazers model Claudia Schiffer is rumored to be coming, Anne Meara, her husband Jerry Stiller and son Ben Stiller are all sure bets, along with Superman bad boy, John Shea.
© Imagine News
Excerpt from Indie Wire 7/12/00: John Shea
FESTIVALS: Quality Films, Damn Good Oysters, and Screenwriters Galore in Nantucket
by Mark Rabinowitz
(indieWIRE/7.12.2000) -- The Nantucket Film Festival (NFF) wrapped on June 25th, and featured it's customarily solid lineup of features and shorts, along with several staged readings, panel discussions and a wonderful tribute to writer/director Paul Schrader ("Taxi Driver," "Raging Bull").
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Once again the MC for the Screenwriter's Tribute at the 'Sconset Casino was NBC News' Brian Williams, who I hope will be the permanent MC of the event.
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Attendees at the tribute included Oscar winner James Coburn ("Affliction") on hand to honor Schrader; actors Molly Shannon (SNL); John Shea ("Missing," "The Adventures of Sebastian Cole"); Schrader's wife, actress Mary Beth Hurt ("The World According to Garp"); Jerry Stiller; Grant Show ("Melrose Place"); Chris Matthews (CNBC's "Hardball"), actress Maddie Corman ("Mickey Blue Eyes") and husband director Jace Alexander ("Law & Order"), and October Films Co-Founder Bingham Ray.
© IndiWire
Film Magic 6/19/03: John Shea
Nantucket Film Festival 8
Jun 19 2003
Jace Alexander and John Shea during Nantucket Film Festival 8 - Kick-Off Luncheon with Seventh Annual Tony Cox Award For Screenwriting Presented By Showtime at The Wauwinnet Inn in Nantucket, Massachusetts, United States
© Film Magic
Excerpt from Cape Cod Times 6/22/03: John Shea
Stars shine and play at island festival
By Tim Miller June 22, 2003
At the eighth annual Nantucket Film Festival, the stars seemed to be having as much fun as the movie buffs.
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Another hot ticket yesterday afternoon was a staged reading of "A Confederacy of Dunces" featuring former "Saturday Night Live" regular Will Ferrell leading a cast including Rudd, Perez, Cumming, Dukakis, Johnston, John Shea, Mos Def and Dan Hedeya before a packed auditorium at Nantucket Community School.
© Cape Cod Times
IGN 6/25/03: John Shea
Photos: Staged Reading of A Confederacy of Dunces Will Ferrell, Paul Rudd, Mos Def and company put Soderbergh's screenplay to the test
by Steve Head June 25, 2003
This past weekend, at the 8th Annual Nantucket Film Festival, Will Ferrell and a cadre of actors performed a staged reading of Steven Soderbergh and Scott Kramer's script adaptation of A Confederacy of Dunces, based on the book by John Kennedy Toole. The reading - a rarity for a major production still in development - was directed by the film's director, David Gordon Green (All the Real Girls), with Garret Savage (The Young American) propelling the presentation as the narrator. The actors gathered on stage at the Nantucket High School before an audience of 800.
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The reading assignments were as follows: Will Ferrell as Ignatius Reilly, of course; Anne Meara as Mrs. Reilly; Paul Rudd as Officer Mancuso; Alan Cumming as Dorian Green; Mos Def as Burma Jones; Rosie Perez as Darlene; Olympia Dukakis as Santa Battaglia and Miss Trixie; Natasha Lyonne as Myrna; Kristen Johnston as Lana Lee; Jesse Eisenberg as George; John Shea as Gonzales; Celia Weston as Mrs. Levy, Miss Annie and Miss Inez; John Conlon as Robichaux and Mr. Clyde; Jace Alexander as Bartender Ben; and Dan Hedaya as Mr. Levy.
© IGN
Excerpt from Indiewire 6/26/03: John Shea
In Nantucket, A Focus on "Telling Good Stories"
By Indiewire | June 26, 2003 at 2:0AM
Among the high profile events at the 2003 Nantucket Film Festival was the highly anticipated reading of "Confederacy of Dunces." The project which will be directed by David Gordon Green, from a script by Steven Soderbergh and Scott Kramer, was read before a sold-out crowd of 800 in a local school auditorium. The star-studded performance included performers Will Ferrell as lead Ignatius J. Reilly, Anne Meara as his mother Mrs. Reilly, and Paul Rudd as Mancuso. Other performers included Jace Alexander, John Conlon, Alan Cumming, Olympiz Dukakis, Jesse Eisenberg, Dan Hedaya, Kristen Johnston, Natasha Lyonne, Mos Def, Rosie Perez, John Shea, Celia Weston and Garret Savage.
© Indiewire
Excerpt from The Guardian 7/18/03: John Shea
Thar she blows! What makes the Nantucket film festival so great? Its setting - and its love of screenwriters
Molly Haskell The Guardian, Thursday 17 July 2003
On Saturday afternoon a standing-room-only crowd packed into the high school auditorium to hear a roster of first class actors reading the adaptation-in-progress of John Kennedy Toole's cult novel, A Confederacy of Dunces. We were treated to an embarrassment of riches: Cumming, Perez, Olympia Dukakis, Paul Rudd, Anne Meara, Celia Weston, Dan Hedaya, Kristen Johnston, Natasha Lyonne, Will Ferrell and John Shea all lent their convincingly southern-accented voices to this picaresque tale of New Orleans eccentrics, but it was frustrating not to hear more from each of them, or see them actually engage with one another.
© The Guardian
Excerpt from Imagine News 8/03: John Shea
Nantucket Film Festival draws sell-out crowds with star-studded "Confederacy of Dunces" reading.
By: Holly Madden
Tragically, because Toole took his life eleven years before "Confederacy" was published, he was never able to experience the amazing reception and success of his work. If he had lived, he might have had the opportunity to attend the Nantucket Film Festival's staged reading of the "Confederacy of Dunces" script. Held on June 21st, this high-anticipated, sold-out event was the Festival's first attempt at bringing such a star-studded consortium of actors together and allowing audience members to experience a cinematic "work-in-progress."
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Also filling out the cast were indie-film regulars Natasha Lyonne (of AMERICAN PIE and SLUMS OF BEVERLY HILLS fame), Alan Cumming (ANNIVERSARY PARTY), as well as NFF regular John Shea (SOUTHIE writer/director/actor), Kristen Johnston (THIRD ROCK FROM THE SUN), Jace Alexander, and several others.
© Imagine News
Excerpt from Inquirer and Mirror 6/16/05: John Shea | Pictures from Getty Images
Film festival packs a full house on opening night of 10th year
By Joel Silverstein
For some it was a matter of stamina to make it to the opening night of the 10th anniversary Nantucket Film Festival. “What it is - it’s a miracle of endurance, and it’s a miracle of perseverance,” said film and TV actor John Shea on the bricks in front of the Dreamland Theatre before the opening night film: the North American premiere of Jim Jarmusch’s “Broken Flowers.” Shea, who spends a good portion of the year on Nantucket, has been a fixture at the festival since its inception. What the festival proves is that Nantucket hasn’t lost its identity as a community in which an artist can work, he said.
© Inquirer and Mirror
Excerpt from Boston.com 6/20/05: John Shea
Red carpet rolled out on the rock
June 20, 2005
Unlike the celeb-happy hordes on that other island, Nantucketers keep their cool in the face of the famous -- no small feat considering the Nantucket Film Festival's red-carpet status these days.
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In a staged reading directed by Stiller of a piece called ''Spectacle," Macaulay Culkin and Amy Sedaris impressed as a flamboyant lawyer and a drunken office drone, and John Shea was winning in a reading of ''9/11 Kevin."
© Boston.com
Excerpt from Trigger Digest 7/5/05: John Shea
George and Steve’s Excellent Nantucket Adventure
Posted July 5, 2005 by by Stephen Garvey (read and approved by the much busier George Bradshaw)
Our minds, hearts and spirits are still a couple hundred miles east, where for five days, we were treated like absolute royalty at the Nantucket Film Festival.
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We met up with Beth Emelson, who was running both the reading for 9/11 Kevin and Spectacle - the script being produced by Red Hour Films (Ben Stiller’s company). Beth gave us a list of the cast. We had…
• Jim Gaffigan (The Great New Wonderful, a slew of TV shows/commercials)
• John Shea (Lois & Clark, Missing, a ton of TV)
• Jace Alexander, who also directed (Rescue Me, Law & Order, Homicide)
• Heather Burns (Miss Congeniality I & II, Bewitched,)
• Maddie Corman (Some Kind of Wonderful, Swingers)
• Michael Galston (Blind Justice)
• Anne Meara (Everything You’ve Ever Seen)
Plus a host of actors from Naked Angels and the NY stage.
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Before the show began, John Shea, playing the role of Kevin, sat with us to go over a bunch of his lines. He really wanted to make sure he had his character down and that he was doing it justice. We were blown away by his dedication and professionalism. Just before we went on, Anne Meara announced, “Act your hearts out. This isn’t about you, this is about getting this script sold.” What can you say? Just awesome.
© Trigger Digest
Excerpt from Boston Globe 6/16/06: John Shea
Bringing stars to Nantucket is a ‘Coup’
The Nantucket film fest folks announced who'll be taking part in tomorrow's staged reading of ``Coup De Tat" by Lisa Addario and Joe Syracuse.
. . .
Spied at Wednesday's opening-night party were ``Entertainment Tonight" critic Leonard Maltin and actor John Shea.
© Boston Globe
Excerpt from Inquirer & Mirror 6/7/07: John Shea
Fewer venues mean film festival will show more movies a day early
By Gabriella Burnham
That’s not to say the 2007 Nantucket Film Festival - which opens Wednesday and runs through next Sunday - will not come with its own special surprises: one such gem is this year’s NBC Universal Screenwriter’s Tribute to Robert Benton, the Academy Award-winning screenwriter/director/producer whose repertoire consists of such films as “Kramer vs. Kramer,” “Superman,” “Bonnie and Clyde,” and “What’s Up, Doc?,” while his newest film, “The Feast of Love,” comes out this fall.
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“In past years, we’ve decided to cast the stage reading with some actors from New York and (Los Angeles), and sprinkle in the local actors. But we were pleased to find such great acting talent on-island, that we’ve decided we’re going to cast all local actors this year. Mind you, they’re very strong actors, like John Shea, Anne Meara and Susan McGinnis,” said Brabbée. The Staged Reading, Saturday, June 16 at 2 p.m. in Bennett Hall, will be a screenplay by Steven Weber, who read in last year’s play “Coup de Tat,” entitled “Filthy, Dirty, Twisted Lust.”
© Inquirer and Mirror
Excerpt from Inquirer and Mirror 6/21/07: John Shea
Film Festival promise: “We’ll be back!”
By Gabriella Burnham I&M Staff Writer
The churlish giggles seeped into the following afternoon a special staged reading of Steven Weber’s screenplay “Filthy Dirty Twisted Lust.” The mostly island cast included Jace Alexander, John Shea, Anne Meara, Susan McGinness, Greg Bourbeau, David McCandless, Ben Parrillo, Heather Peroni, Randy Ryan, Adam Skogen, and a special appearance by Allison Williams, Brian Williams’ daughter.
© Inquirer and Mirror
Excerpt from Film Journal International: John Shea
CATCH OF THE DAY: Nantucket Film Festival Reels in New Filmmakers
July 02, 2007 -By Kevin Lally
It's also a tradition at Nantucket to showcase a movie not quite ready for the cameras, with an annual staged reading of an unproduced screenplay. This year's selection was Filthy, Dirty, Twisted Lust, a satire about sexual compulsives written by actor Steven Weber of TV's "Wings" and "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip." Actor and TV director Jace Alexander read the lead role, joined by John Shea, Anne Meara and a number of capable local actors.
© Film Journal International
Excerpt from Inquirer and Mirror 6/19/08: John Shea |
Nantucket Plum TV 6/22/08: John Shea at the Nantucket Screenwriters Tribute | Pics
"Some Like It Hot" takes the stage
By Joshua B. Gray
Since its inception, the Nantucket Film Festival’s staged reading has almost always represented the undeveloped work of young or unknown screenwriters. That will change this year when the audience will be treated to a reading of Billy Wilder’s classic “Some Like It Hot.”
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Actors and frequent Nantucket visitors Anne Meara, John Shea, Amy Stiller and Kevin Flynn will be joined by an array of Nantucket locals who have auditioned for various roles over the past weeks. This year’s event is being produced by Seaside Shakespeare and will take the stage of the Unitarian Church on Saturday.
© The Inquirer and Mirror
Excerpt from New England Film 7/08: John Shea
Nantucket ‘08: A breezy recap of a festival famed for focusing primarily on the screenwriter's contribution.
By Sandy MacDonald
With islanders Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara kibbitzing and frat-humor genius Judd Apatow (The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up) as the honoree, scatological humor ruled at the NBC Universal Screenwriters Tribute.
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Mom (Anne Meara) portrayed Sweet Sue, bandleader of the Society Syncopators; Kevin Flynn (originator of the upcoming Nantucket Comedy Festival) and New York actor Louis Butelli aced the Curtis/Lemmon leads; and John Shea -- who got his start in Nantucket community theatre -- killed as Osgood Fielding III. The biggest challenge facing the cast was not cracking one another up.
© New England Film
Excerpt from Inquirer & Mirror 7/10/08: John Shea
The Bard’s influence far-reaching even today
By Joshua B. Gray
Susan McGinnis has spent her entire life under the lights, from school plays as a child and later as a college student, to off-Broadway productions and professional theater troupes.
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Long-time island resident and film, television and theater actor John Shea said that during the 1970s he also tried to bring such a festival to the shores of Nantucket. With his production of “The Tempest,” Shakespeare’s last play and one that was set on an island, Shea said staging the play proved to be no easy task. “As someone who tried to bring Shakespeare to the island, I learned how difficult a process it was,” he said. “I cast using only my friends at the time. Drunken sailors were played by real drunken sailors out of the Bosun’s Locker (a former Main Street bar). I know how hard it is to do Shakespeare, but especially on the island. How lucky the island is to have someone with her vision.”
Shea, who also has worked with McGinnis over the past few years in staged readings at the annual Nantucket Film Festival, was complimentary about her acting ability and her skills as a producer. “I worked with Susan during the readings at the film festival,” said Shea. “She just produced ‘Some Like It Hot’ and I have really come to admire her. She whirled that reading into existence. She has proved herself as a really good producer and actress. Last year we did the reading of ‘Filthy Dirty Twisted Lust’ (Steven Weber’s original screenplay at NFF 12) and she did all of the stage direction. She was really articulate and clear.”
© Inquirer & Mirror
Excerpt from Mahon About Town 6/1/09: John Shea
Nantucket Film Festival Update
Jace Alexander will not be able to make it to host the Morning Coffees this year, so the home-town line-up will be Jonathan Burkhart on Friday, John Shea on Saturday, and Will Conroy on Sunday. That’s at 9 am at the Rose & Crown each day.
© Mahon About Town
Excerpt from Boston.com 6/22/09: John Shea
Nantucket laugh lines
Funny famous people who flocked to the Nantucket Film Festival this past weekend turned the event into a celebration of dirty secrets.
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Other guests at the four-day celebration included Chris Matthews, “Meet the Parents’’ and “I Love You, Man’’ screenwriter John Hamburg, Jerry Stiller, Paul Giamatti, Peter Farrelly, actor Fisher Stevens, and festival regular John Shea.
© Boston.com
Excerpt from Current Vintage 6/29/11: John Shea
The 16th Nantucket Film Festival
Posted by admin | Posted on 29-06-2011
“Morning Coffee With…” is a series I love-a one hour opportunity to begin each day eavesdropping on an honest discussion between writers (and filmmakers/producers) about how their films came to be and where they’re going. Each day is a different moderator (Will Conroy, John Shea, Jonathan Burkhart) and a different panel.
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John Shea, noting that only 6 out of 5400 film submissions to Sundance got distribution, suggested filmmakers be hearded into “the cove”.
© Current Vintage