Short ‘mockumentary’ to feature all-star cast of locally based actors

By Jim Flint for Ashland.news

What? You’ve never heard of Moishe Schmendrick, Jesus’s forgotten fifth cousin and the elusive “Thirteenth Disciple”?

Don’t be too hard on yourself. History has a way of glossing over its more, ahem, mischievous characters. But thanks to two filmmakers — one real, one fictional — that’s about to change.

Ashland’s Richard Seidman, a screenwriter turned filmmaker, decided to take matters into his own hands after years of unproduced scripts, hoping a crowd-funded short film will bring his vision to life: “Schmendrick: The Thirteenth Disciple.”

Archibald Sneed is the lead character. An amateur historian and president of the Schmendrick Society, he has a passion for forgotten lore. Armed with a script packed with slapstick, Sneed decides to produce a live-action documentary to resurrect the legend of the “historical” biblical prankster whose name has been erased from biblical history.

The inspiration

What led Seidman to launch the project?

“I’m inspired by films featuring what might be called ‘holy fools,’” Seidman said. “Characters like Peter Sellers’ Inspector Clouseau, the three friends in ‘The Big Lebowski,’ the guys in ‘O Brother, Where Art Thou?’ and Charlie Chaplin — lovable misfits who somehow manage to foil the establishment figures, despite their ineptitude.”

Seidman originally envisioned it as a feature-length film.

“I showed the beginning of a longer script to my friend and colleague, Barret O’Brien, and he suggested I end it right there and make it a short film.”

And so here they are.

Seidman has assembled some notable collaborators for the project.

The team

Peter Alzado will direct and play Professor Zerner, a champion of Schmendrick. Alzado is an actor, teacher, and former artistic director with experience on Broadway, in regional theater, and on television. He was the founder and artistic director of Oregon Stage Works.

Tony-nominated Anthony Heald will play Sneed. Besides his roles on Broadway, Heald is known for his work in film, television, and regional theater, including several seasons acting with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

Other actors slated to portray characters in the film include O’Brien, Tyrone Wilson and Monica Cortez.

Seidman says the humor in the film remains respectful while also pushing the boundaries.

“This film does not make fun of Jesus,” Seidman said. “It’s much less irreverent than, say, Monty Python’s ‘Life of Brian.’ It focuses more on Sneed than on Schmendrick himself. And in this story, Jesus appreciates Schmendrick’s trickster energy.”

Crowd funding

Seidman hasn’t started filming yet. He’s running a crowd funding campaign on Seed and Spark, a platform similar to Kickstarter that focuses solely on film projects. It’s running through Nov. 1 and has a goal of $6,000. As of Saturday, Oct. 19, the fund drive was just over half way toward its goal.

“I’m confident we’ll meet the goal,” he said. “However, if we don’t, I will subsidize it on my already overloaded credit card.”

Seidman plans to submit the movie to film festivals and competitions, including the Ashland Independent Film Festival.

“I’m also hoping that the project might attract the interest of other producers who would be interested in creating a feature-length version of the story.”

Seidman, the former executive director of Southern Oregon Repertory Singers, has also worked as a teacher, grant writer, planner and development director. He has authored numerous books for children and adults.

Seidman’s previous screenwriting efforts, although unproduced, were not without their rewards. He has won or been a finalist in several competitions.

“But contests do not necessarily consider what is producible for an unknown writer,” he said. “Budget is not a hindrance to contest judges in the same way it is to producers.”

A long journey

Seidman is not new to the art. He has studied screenwriting for the past 20 years, getting feedback from many mentors.

Another friend and former teacher, Paul Richards, suggested several years ago that he make his own film. O’Brien’s recent encouragement along the same lines sealed the deal for Seidman.

“I finally decided to come up with a project that would be feasible to produce on a super-low budget,” Seidman said. “A ‘mockumentary’ style film is perfect for that.”

Freelance writer Jim Flint is a retired newspaper publisher and editor. Email him at [email protected].