The Neon Man and Me filmed at PBS
a personal account of the event by playwright/performer, Slash Coleman
PBS 23 Sesame St Richmond, VA 23235 1.800.476.2357
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We started the shows at 3 & 5pm and super
promptly. The producer was worried about
having the microphones pick up the
extraneous noise of late-comers. I was told by
some of my friends who arrived late and were
disappointed to find the door locked that there
were about 25 people each show that got left
out. We ended up with about 120 per show,
which more than filled the studio.
My Dad,Mike Coleman, who is a
kick-ass genius sculptor, designed
and built the set out of old wood
pallets. We built the set two days
before in the PBS set-design room
and well... Let's just say my Dad and
I don't always see eye to eye. Being
that were both hot blooded Sicilians,
during one of our arguments I
thought someone would have surely
called the police.
We filmed some dressing room monologues off the cuff to add to
the beginning of the show, to give the viewers at home some
context to the show. It was my first time wearing make-up. I have
to admit, it feels really nice to have a make-up artist doting all
over you and explaining to you the merits of male skin care
products.
I usually wear a white t-shirt and jeans to convey the down home
quality of my story, but white is a "no-no" in the TV world. I spent
a day trying on t-shirts at American Apparel and got the go
ahead with a light blue one. I was hooked up with two lavaliere
microphones that weighed down my short in the front a bit
The contract says the show will air regionally 3-10 times during
prime time. After that we'll begin to look for a national
distributor. My plan now is to work on that other tiny little goal I
wrote down that same tiny piece of paper three years ago - The
Neon Man and Me on Broadway.
It's funny, the PBS filming started as a simple goal I wrote down
on a piece of paper. To see it through the world of
administrative decisions, doubters, fund raising and a lot of
"maybes" was quite gratifying, I raised all the money myself with
a documentary film I created and a Living Room Tour.