The Summerland Project is a stage play and subsequent movie adaptation written by Rob Merritt about a dying woman whose mind is placed into an artificial body.
Plot
Amelia and Carter Summerland are a newly married couple. Amelia has an aneurysm and becomes locked in. Carter is approached by a corporation who would like to use Amelia as a test subject for a procedure where they will copy her personality and memories into an android body.
The themes of The Summerland Project have been compared to Pygmalion, Blade Runner (and its source material Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?), Frankenstein, and The Monkey's Paw. The story raises questions about the nature of humanity.
Play
The play was initially produced as part of the Theatre Cedar Rapids Underground New Play Festival in 2011. It then again appeared as a TCR mainstage production in 2013. Subsequently, the play was performed at the Olathe Civic Theatre in Kansas City, Kansas.
Film
Film| The Summerland Project | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Adam Orton |
| Written by | Rob Merritt |
| Based on | The Summerland Project by Rob Merritt |
| Produced by | Alex Levine, Enrico Natale |
| Starring | Ben Whitehair Ed Begley Jr. Chris Ellis Eddie Jemison Kate Vernon Debra Wilson Kamar de los Reyes Angela Billman |
| Cinematography | Camrin Petramale |
| Edited by | Izaak Levison-Share |
| Music by | Michael A. Levine |
| Production company | More Productions |
Filming for the movie version, entitled Amelia 2.0 began on September 16, 2014 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The film version features Ben Whitehair, Ed Begley Jr., Chris Ellis, Eddie Jemison, Kate Vernon, Debra Wilson, Kamar de los Reyes, Malorie Mackey, John Livingston, as well as Angela Billman reprising the role of Amelia Summerland that she performed in the 2013 stage version. The film version is being directed by Adam Orton. The film is targeted for release for the 2016 film festival season. The film had a budget of $1.2 million.
External links
References
- "Iowa Theatre: Summerland is riveting and thought provoking". iowatheatre.blogspot.com. 13 November 2011.
- "REVIEW: Flawless 'Summerland Project' takes viewers into brave new world". Hoopla.
- "Iowa Theatre: Powerful Summerland Project asks tough questions". iowatheatre.blogspot.com. 15 January 2013.
- "Iowa Theatre: Summerland Project Promises to be Visually and Emotionally Stunning". iowatheatre.blogspot.com. 8 January 2013.
- "The Summerland Project - the Olathe Civic Theatre Association". Archived from the original on 2014-12-20. Retrieved 2014-09-24.
- Bob Evans. "Computer, medical technology collide with sci-fi, 'The Summerland Project'". AXS. Archived from the original on 8 June 2015.
- "Summerland Project Begins Filming in CR - KGAN-TV CBS 2 Iowa - Top Stories". Archived from the original on 2014-09-24. Retrieved 2014-09-24.
- "Iowa resets efforts to attract media productions". kcrg. Archived from the original on 2015-09-19. Retrieved 2014-09-24.
- "Independent film crew seeks Iowa actors". KCCI. 9 November 2015.
- "Newstrack: 'Summerland' film, nurtured in Cedar Rapids, almost ready for its close-up". The Gazette.