Date: Fri 22-Dec-1995

Publication: Bee

Author: KAAREN

Quick Words:

cable-holiday-show-Sorrentino

Full Text:

Charter Cable Will Air Newtown Holiday Program

B Y K AAREN V ALENTA

"Newtown Christmas: Past and Present" will air on Charter Community

Television, Channel 21, twice this week.

Produced by Kathi Sorrentino of Plum Trees Road, the half-hour program

featuring holiday events around town will be shown at 4:30 pm on Thursday,

December 21, and 8:30 pm on Friday, December 22.

The mother of a three-year-old, Kathi said she was inspired to produce the

show because she knew that many people, particularly the elderly, often find

it difficult to attend holiday events, especially those held in the evening,

and unlike the Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York, the events aren't shown on

television.

"When I moved here, Samantha was only eight months old," she said. "I know

what it is like to be housebound."

New in town, not knowing many people, Kathi was intrigued when she saw a cable

television advertisement about classes for people who want to learn how to

produce television shows for the local access channel.

"It was a three-day class, two hours each day of seminars, with very basic

instruction on how to operate the video equipment," she explained. "The

biggest expense was $6 for a book on video production."

A graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology who spent 10 years as a

designer in the garment industry in New York City, Kathi originally thought

she wanted to produce a show about sewing or crafts. But as Samantha grew,

Kathy said she began to see that there weren't many shows on television that

appeal to both children and adults.

"As my first venture, I taped the Halloween parade at Dickinson Park," she

said. "Then I started talking to people like Barbara Kasbarian at the Park &

Rec Department and got the idea of doing the holiday show."

Eventually Kathi produced six hours of tape which she and Greg Van Antwerp,

the local access coordinator at Channel 21, edited down to a half-hour show.

The show opens with Town Historian Dan Cruson explaining the history of the

Ram Pasture and talking about Christmas traditions in Newtown.

"Dan is a wonderful speaker and what he has to say is very interesting," Kathi

said. "As he talks about the Ram Pasture, the camera pans across the scene."

Then former Chamber of Commerce President Diana Johnson and Booth Library

Director Janet Woycik are on camera explaining how the first tree lighting

ceremony came to take place in the Ram Pasture 11 years ago and how the

tradition of the luminaria began.

Background music during the credits and as a break between scenes was provided

by the Middle School band under the direction of Band Director Liz Cook.

"The students were very motivated to do a good job because they had known

since Halloween that they would be recorded and be seen on television," Kathi

said. "They all showed up for the practices, and I have to say they sounded

just as good as the high school band."

After the musical interlude, the show continues with a segment on the

Christmas tree bulb replacement project which is undertaken by volunteers each

year.

The tree-lighting ceremony itself, filmed on the evening of December 1,

features music by the high school band and chorus, and a solo by senior

Yeavonne Lamar.

"Greg O'Laskey, the high school video teacher, helped tremendously," Kathi

said. "He was there with two of his students, Jeremiah Carmichael and Kevin

Dunn, who spent the whole time videotaping. Because of them we have a

wonderful view of the tree reflecting in the pond."

The most difficult part of the entire project was editing the tape into a

half-hour show.

"Greg Van Antwerp said it was better to have a very tight, interesting

half-hour show than an hour show that might not hold your interest," Kathi

said. "There really wasn't enough footage for a good one-hour show, so we were

forced to cut a lot of scenes that I would have liked to use."

"But Greg explained that each production is a learning experience and the next

one will be better. I'm already making preparations for next Christmas's show,

in which I plan to use a lot more whimisical material."

But there will be other productions between now and then.

"I already know that I want to tape the Labor Day Parade," she said.