City, College Leaders to Star in 'West Side Story' Spoof

By Amber Lester Kennedy Tuesday, November 01, 2011

Williamsburg Mayor Clyde Haulman, Colonial Williamsburg President Colin Campbell and the College of William and Mary President Taylor Reveley will all be snapping their fingers this weekend as cast members of a short film to be produced Saturday.

The local leaders will star in “SouthEast Side Story: A Williamsburg Community Musical,” a spoof of “West Side Story,” with residents and college students replacing the warring Jets and Sharks. The project, which will start filming at noon on Saturday at the Kimball Theatre, is for William and Mary Professor Timothy Barnard’s film festival production class. The film is their contribution to the college’s Global Film Festival theme of “Film and the City.”

The project was originally set to film on Oct. 29, but inclement weather pushed it back to this coming weekend.

The movie will have the local leaders join extras to lip-sync songs from the 1961 musical. Instead of pitting working-class whites against Puerto Rican immigrants, “SouthEast Side Story” will show the tension between “townies” and “gownies.” The three-minute film is intended to communicate the aspiration of the Global Film Festival: to unite the community through film.

Barnard’s students aim to fill the 400-seat Kimball Theatre with extras ready to lip-sync; they would like to have individuals and community groups represented in the film. The final movie will launch online after premiering at a 50th anniversary screening of “West Side Story” at 7 p.m. on Nov. 12 at the Kimball Theatre. Tickets for the pre-screening party and film are $5.

To register as an extra for “SouthEast Side Story,” click here or click “attending” on the event’s Facebook page.

The Global Film Festival will take place Feb. 16-19 at the Kimball Theater.