Date: Fri 09-Feb-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: SHANNO

Illustration: C

Location: A-7

Quick Words:

Karyl-Evans-producer-Wharf

Full Text:

(feature on CT television producer Karyl K. Evans, 2/9/96)

Connecticut Produces A Television Talent

(with photos)

By Shannon Hicks

Karyl K. Evans may not live in Newtown these days - she and her husband moved

back to Connecticut in 1991 - but she says she feels very connected to our

town, and will always consider Connecticut her home. This is particularly

important for Connecticut's TV-viewing audience, because Karyl is a television

producer and director.

She has worked on projects that have been nominated for Emmy Awards (as a

producer of public service announcements in San Diego), Emmy-nominated PBS

specials while in Los Angeles, as an associate producer - a project she worked

on for two years, with Burt Lancaster as narrator; and at Taylor Hackford's

film company, where she worked on five feature films as director of

development and research, including The Long Walk Home .

Karyl also worked with Shelly Duvall for a year, developing Duvall's "Bedtime

Stories" series for Showtime, before deciding she wanted to return to the East

Coast. When she got here, Karyl immediately went to Connecticut Public

Television - and 18 months later she had her first job with CPTV. Karyl K.

Evans had returned to Connecticut.

The Kreizinger family moved to Newtown in 1970. Karyl graduated from Newtown

High School in 1975, then went off to college and grad school, but always

returned to Newtown. Her mother, Jean Kreizinger - a 25-year veteran professor

at Western Connecticut State University in Danbury - still lives in Newtown.

After she received her master's degree (telecommunications in film) in San

Diego, then moved to L.A., Karyl and her husband, Chris Evans, made their move

back to Connecticut, to their current home in New Haven.

"Basically, I really wanted to get back to the East Coast, back to

Connecticut, to be closer to my family," Karyl said last week. "So I made a

conscious effort to be back here."

New York City does not interest the meticulous television producer. She moved

back here, she says, to create productions that will highlight the Nutmeg

State.

"I'm not interested in working in New York," she stated. "I already did the

big city, Los Angeles-thing. I've worked on feature films and one-hour PBS

specials...

" This is where I want to be, in Connecticut doing Connecticut stories. I'm

interested in all kinds of things that happened here."

Karyl's first interest is in producing shows aimed at children, or subjects

educational for any age. After working as director of the Media Arts Center in

New Haven for 2« years, a project came up at CPTV where Karyl could produce

and direct a documentary on the landmark Amistad revolt and trial, which took

place off the coast of New England in 1839. The opportunity for this full-time

position came up just as the Center announced its impending sale, and Karyl

had just had her son, Owen.

"It was one of those perfect-timing things, so that's what I did," the

producer-director said. Karyl and her crew worked on "The Amistad Revolt: `All

We Want Is Make Us Free'" for nine months, shooting on the deck of the Pride

of Baltimore for a day at Mystic, and spending a lot of tedious time creating

the 165 visuals which were used in the show.

Because of the time period in which the revolt took place, there were no

motion visuals available, so Karyl, along with supervising producer Andie Haas

Hubbell of Southbury, had to research thoroughly for anything she could find.

The enterprising producer came up with everything from murals, drawings,

documents, sketches and photographs, to letters signed by some of the Africans

involved in the revolt.

The Amistad case is the story of a group of Africans who were captured in

their homeland and brought in chains to the Americas. They revolted, captured

the ship they were on, The Amistad , but were eventually seized off the coast

of New England.

With the help of their counsel - John Quincy Adams - the Africans won their

freedom in a famous Supreme Court case and ultimately sailed home. The fight

for the rights of the Amistad Africans not only gained the group its freedom,

but also helped build the movement against slavery in the United States. The

Africans' struggle, and the support they received - from black and white

Americans - are still referred to by scholars, but not widely remembered by

the general population. Which goes back to Karyl's desire to create

educational programs.

"I really didn't know much about the story when I started," Karyl admits, "and

I've always looked at that as a positive because most people have never heard

of the story. And it's quite complex, with the legal parts and the treaties

involved and there's some wonderful human drama elements.

"I figured, if I could understand it, then people who have never heard of the

story were going to be able to understand it. So I am really proud of it."

The documentary was originally intended for use by high school students around

the country. When CPTV saw it, however, Karyl was asked if she could develop

it into a one-hour special. Of course she could!

Being resourceful comes naturally to Karyl, who enlisted WFSB-TV (Ch 3) news

anchor Gayle King to host the special, then filmed a panel discussion by

expects across the country and high school students from Hartford, Farmington

and New Haven.

Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven approached WTHN-TV/Channel 8 for media

sponsorship last year, and in late November the station turned around with its

offer for a documentary, to be produced and directed by Karyl. It is the first

such program the station is attempting, and the first time WTNH has gone with

a freelance producer for a program sponsored by the station.

"Making A Joyful Noise: The Long Wharf's The Amen Corner ," being produced,

directed and written by Karyl, is in its final stages of preparation this

week. It will be aired on February 18.

Lisa Franco, WTNH's public affairs director, knew of Karyl's work when both

women were involved with the Media Arts Center; Lisa was a member of its

Advisory Committee. It was Lisa who suggested the station hire Karyl for its

Long Wharf project.

"I've known Karyl for a few years, but this is the first time we've worked on

a project together," Franco said. "She's a good person to work with. She's

very professional, very meticulous, which is great because that's how I am,

too.

"As a producer myself, I appreciate the way she works and I know I can depend

on her, especially in this kind of time frame."

With "Making A Joyful Noise" to be aired February 18, Franco says the program

itself should be ready on or about the 16th. The project is now into its

editing process, and Karyl is working 14 hours a day. From taping to airing,

the documentary had just a six week timespan in which to be completed.

"To put it into perspective, look at it like this: [the Amistad project] took

six months for a 30-minute piece," Karyl said. "This one, I have six weeks for

one hour."

Currently in production at New Haven's Long Wharf Theatre, The Amen Corner is

a play by one of the 20th Century's most eloquent black writers, James

Baldwin. Set in Harlem in the 1960s, The Amen Corner focuses on the life of

Sister Margaret, who has left her jazz musician husband to become a minister.

"Making Joyful Noise" will look at all facets of the production, from the life

of the playwright to bringing Baldwin's words to life on the stage. Along with

learning about the process of set and costume design, music composition,

props, lighting and the rehearsal process, "Making A Joyful Noise" will also

include interviews with James Baldwin's family, director Seret Scott and the

actors.

Long Wharf Theatre is one of the nation's foremost regional theatres. Unlike

most theatres, Long Wharf develops each production it stages. The theatre does

not host traveling companies. Instead, it develops an entire play, including

characters, costumes, background music.

"Everything starts from scratch here," said Jeff Fickes, Long Wharf's press

representative. "The sets are built here, the actors are housed here... it's

like an art piece that's here for five weeks, and then it's gone. But it isn't

going to another theatre."

Long Wharf has a very strong community outreach program, as well as various

ticket programs, an education department that produces study guides and forums

for its plays, workshops with area school children and actors' involvement in

the production and outreach programs. Long Wharf has become not just a

recognized theatre, but an interactive community offering.

"[The documentary] is not so much about one particular production," Mr Fickes

continued, "but what goes into each production."

Karyl did not have a lot of time for pre-production preparation work, Mr

Fickes said this week, but when she was handed the project, she "jumped in

with both feet," he recalled.

"She said we need to get stuff, and we need to get it now ," Mr Fickes said.

With just over one week left before the program's air date, Karyl and Jeff are

working closely.

"I'm trying to stay close to the project," said the Long Wharf rep, "but it's

Karyl's game. She really picked up the feeling of this theatre. I trust her, I

just want to make sure everything is presented correctly."

Producing and directing television programs has turned out to be the ideal job

for Karyl Evans, who first went to school to undergrad in landscape

horticulture thinking she would find a career in life sciences, but found it

"too dull." Her masters in communications, however, led to television, which

uses both sides of her brain: the thinking right side for the details research

requires, and the creative left for the artistic output viewers see on the

screen.

"This is the perfect job for me," Karyl said. "I live one mile away from the

station, I'm working on community TV. I really feel I'm making a difference.

"What else could I want? I just couldn't be happier."