HPUMC special needs actors wow crowd with first-ever short film

This week marks the premiere of the first-ever production from the Jesters Academy of Theater and Film! The short film, “Cannoli,” first debuted Sunday, June 25 in Wesley Hall and was then broadcast to a live audience on Facebook.

The Academy of Theater and Film is a new program housed under HPUMC’s Special Needs Ministry, featuring a three-month film workshop, a three-month theater workshop, and the six-month Jesters program that our church and surrounding community have come to know and love. For years, many eager participants have patiently waited for their chance to take the stage as Jesters, but due to space limitations, not all of them were able to. Now, they will get that opportunity!

Liz Irwin, Coordinator of Theater and Special Needs Programs at HPUMC, says the move also enabled participants to expand their creativity to different mediums.

“We noticed through the brief uses of film in the Jesters performances that film is a great way to showcase the talents of some of our cast,” she says. “Film and Theater workshops were also times we felt we could invest deeper in cultivating the non-acting skills associated with the preforming arts, like set design, lighting, camera work, and costumes.”

"Cannoli" is an action-comedy that takes us from a pleasant evening at a cozy Italian restaurant to an all-out secret agent showdown. Will Connie Sticky Fingers get away? Will Chef Mike's recipe disappoint the waiter Mapache's refined taste buds? And what in the world is in that secret vault?

Don’t miss "Cannoli,” the debut film from HPUMC’s Special Needs Ministry to find out!