Eugene weekly., July 29, 2021, Page 12, Image 12

movies
AMELIA BORGERDING AND
PARKER PASCOE-SHEPPARD
Periwinkle and Denim
TWO KIDS FROM EUGENE MAKE THEIR FILM DEBUT ALONGSIDE
HOLLYWOOD STARS
By Ella Hutcherson
O
ne afternoon in the summer of 2018,
a nervous Amelia Borgerding and
Parker Pascoe-Sheppard approached
writer and director Sabrina Doyle in
an ice cream shop in Eugene. They
had heard she was casting local kids
in her upcoming movie, and wanted
her to know that they were interested.
Three years later, their faces are about to appear on
the big screen in their own hometown.
Amelia, 12, and Parker, 10, are two Eugeneans starring
in the new independent film Lorelei, which will arrive in
select theaters on July 30. Siblings on-screen, they could
pass for relatives in real life, even if Amelia’s light brown
hair and blue eyes don’t quite match Parker’s strawberry
blond hair and hazel eyes.
Lorelei, written and directed by Doyle, centers on a
working-class family. Wayland, played by Pablo Schreiber
(Orange is the New Black), reconnects with his high school
girlfriend Dolores, played by Jena Malone (The Hunger
Games: Catching Fire), after his release from prison.
He quickly becomes a part of her family and a hesitant
father figure to her three children: Dodger Blue, played
by Vancouver-based actor Chancellor Perry; Periwinkle
Blue, played by Amelia; and Denim Blue, played by Parker.
Parker, who uses they/them pronouns, had attended
a couple of local theater camps prior to filming Lorelei.
Megan Sheppard, Parker’s mom, says that they have
been putting on skits and performing in the house since
they were a toddler.
Amelia is entirely new to acting. Parker told her about a
director looking for local talent, and she was immediately
willing to give it a try. She now loves to act and says, if
given the opportunity, she would definitely do it again.
Doyle auditioned hundreds of children for the roles
of Dodger, Periwinkle and Denim. The summer before
shooting, she traveled to Oregon several times and
attended multitudes of children’s plays to scout for
young actors. It was after one of these plays that Amelia
and Parker approached her at Vanilla Jill’s Scoops &
Soups. From there, they auditioned for Periwinkle and
Denim three times.
Doyle was struck by the emotional intelligence and
sensitivity Amelia and Parker both demonstrated during
the casting process.
“There was a moment in their auditions where it
didn’t feel like they were just reciting lines,” Doyle says.
“It really felt like they believed, in that moment, that they
were experiencing this, and having a genuine emotional
response to it.”
Shooting began at the end of October 2018. Lorelei was
filmed for 21 days in Oregon in Clackamas, Multnomah
and Washington counties. The cast and crew also shot
for two days in Sacramento and two days in Los Angeles.
Amelia recalls feeling primarily excitement when
shooting began. A vivacious reader, she studied the script
over and over again prior to filming, and had memorized
the entire thing before she even showed up on set.
Parker says they were very nervous on their first day.
But Doyle, Perry, Schreiber and Malone all helped both
Parker and Amelia to become comfortable in the on-set
environment. Amelia says that Perry took on the role of
big brother even off-camera, and Doyle says that Malone,
a former child actor herself, knew how to turn shooting
difficult scenes into fun games.
As the film is released more widely and made available
to more people, Amelia and Parker are experiencing the
broiling excitement that comes with a yearslong wait to
share one’s hard work with the world.
“I’m very excited because it’s finally happening,”
Parker says. “But it also hasn’t set in that everyone can
see my face whenever they want.” ■
Lorelei appeared in the Tribeca Film Festival on June 19. Its U.S.
theatrical and on-demand release is July 30. In Oregon, it will appear
at the Broadway Metro in Eugene, the Living Room Theaters in
Portland, the Salem Cinema, the McMinnville Cinema and the Pony
Village Cinema in North Bend. Other theaters may be added, and a full
list can be found at Lorelei.love.
music
Back to the Woodshed
INAUGURAL JAZZ WORKSHOP IS A WAY FOR MUSICIANS TO REGAIN
CHOPS AFTER A YEAR-PLUS OF SHUTDOWN MUSIC SCENE
By Henry Houston
F
or nearly a year and a half, performance
venues have been shut down. It’s been a
boring period for music fans, but for young
musicians, it’s a big setback.
To help kickstart local jazz musicians’
chops, Portland- and Eugene-based
professional jazz artists are holding the
inaugural Oregon Jazz Workshop. It’s a weeklong program
that runs Aug. 9-13 for musicians 12 years old and up to
study jazz from professional musicians and teachers and
improve their musical skills.
The idea for the workshop is to give back to the
community after the music scene was shut down for
so long, says jazz saxophonist and workshop director
Joe Manis. “Kids aren’t in school in person or, if they
are, they don’t have band. If they do, it’s in a reduced
capacity,” he says.
The workshop is at First United Methodist Church,
located at 1376 Olive Street, and is open for ages 12
12
J U LY
2 9 ,
2 0 2 1
through adult, the age group which can be vaccinated
as attendees must be fully vaccinated. Workshop faculty
members include pianist Wes Georgiev, pianist Kerry
Politzer, multi-instrumentalist George Cooligan and
saxophonist and clarinetist Roger Woods. Manis says
he hasn’t counted the years of teaching experience that
the faculty has, but it’s a lot.
About half of the admitted musicians are adults, he
adds, but in jazz, the stage is often shared with musicians
who range in age. “I play with people who are 45 years
older,” he says. “I play with people who are younger. It’s
often been that way.”
The workshop is designed as a jazz crash-course, a way
to dive in and find areas to improve on. The workshop
schedule includes rehearsals, theory and ear training,
studying jazz recordings and jamming with professional
musicians. And at the end of the week, workshop attendees
and the faculty will have a concert.
“I think about jazz as a family tree,” Manis says. “The
way that I’ve learned the history of it is that someone
recommends one player or one record to you and you
look at other people on the record and it goes forever
and ever.”
After the workshop, Manis says, he hopes attendees
will have more knowledge about jazz and techniques that
they can work on — and listen closer to performances.
“That’s really important to me,” he says. “Listening to a
recording is great, watching a YouTube concert can be
cool and all these livestreams from last year, but being
there is a different thing.”
The pandemic didn’t just affect stage time and live
music viewing for musicians. They weren't able to meet
and network with the larger community. The workshop
is designed to help musicians meet each other, he says.
“Students can meet like minded people from other
schools or people throughout the community,” Manis
says. “Hopefully the connections they’ll make will continue
beyond the workshop. They’ll get together and play
together at their houses, book gigs and support each
other.”
And jazz and its element of improvisation is all about
community, Manis adds.
“All music is about community, but with improvisation
it’s not just ego. It’s not just ‘pay attention to me, I’m
playing the solo,’” he says. “There’s give and take. People
are supporting each other. The rhythm section is listening
and reacting to each other.” ■
For more information about the workshop and how to apply, visit
OregonJazzWorkshop.com.
E U G E N E W E E K LY . C O M