The content below was submitted by Lee Stringer.
After a year of production requiring persistence and a constant eye toward its goal to "celebrate ordinary Mamaroneckers," the Village Arts Council and Friends of the Mamaroneck Library-produced mini-series will have its premiere screening, March 20th at 6:15 p.m. in the Mamaroneck Library Community Room.
The program's "show runner" and Village Arts Council Member and Friends President Lee Stringer feels that, "Celebrating people connected to the arts, the library, or both, is the best way to promote these vital institutions." The goal is to capitalize on the library as the repository of all the arts and a center of the community. Upon agreeing to co-produce the program, The Friends of the Mamaroneck Library Board and the Village Arts Council approached Larchmont and Mamaroneck's Public Access Station, LMC-TV.
As Stringer notes, "For a long time I've wanted to do something 'different' with LMC-TV. This was it."
The three organizations are the perfect fit for each other. Having had long-standing ties with one another, the organizations form the "perfect triangle," as all three are located within one block from each other.
On Jan. 9, the show taped its first three episodes in front of a live audience at the
Mamaroneck Library. Each episode consists of two major bio-pieces in which community members from varying fields have a "60 Minutes" style sequence.
"I like capturing sequences in the camera because then you can see behavior," says Stringer. "You're watching that person."
After the bio-piece, the guest is then introduced by host Helen Rafferty, who does a short interview and then invites them to review either a piece of art that has inspired them or something they took out from the library. Between guest segments, library employees introduce themselves and a calendar of upcoming events. Village Arts Council Chairwoman Phyllis Gutterman also discusses upcoming events in the arts community to raise awareness for the Village of Mamaroneck Council on the Arts.
One of "Word of Mouth's" the most engaging aspects is its wide array of guests; ranging from 9-year-old poet and singer Ella Chinn to local musician Chris Brown, the show aims to connect the wealth of local art within the Larchmont and Mamaroneck communities.
In the premiere episode, artist Laura Heiss even raises awareness of an initiative to paint the Metro North bridge over Mamaroneck Avenue. "Stories such as this one not only show the expanse of our artistic community, but they promote change," said Sullivan.
"Our concept is that everyone is a star and has their own story," said Stringer. "We wanted to celebrate ordinary people."
Now the show will celebrate its premiere. On Wednesday, March 20, "Word of Mouth" will screen its first episode at the Mamaroneck Library. All are welcome to join and light refreshments will be served. Following the screening, LMC-TV will air the show's first episode on Channel 75 Cablevision/36 Verizon on Friday, March 22 @ 8 p.m. with re-airings throughout the weekend at the following times:
Saturdays @ 2 a.m., 8 a.m., 2 p.m., 8 p.m.
Sundays @ 2 a.m., 8 a.m., 2 p.m., 8 p.m.
Mondays @ 2 a.m., 8 a.m., 2 p.m.
If you don't live in the Larchmont or Mamaroneck communities and don't receive LMC-TV through your cable provider, the show will be made available online at www.lmc-tv.org. You can view most programs shown on LMC-TV, including library related events on LMC-TV's "Video on Demand" section of its website.
