South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
Doc follows MSD students
HBO’s ‘Song of Parkland’ also chronicles drama teacher.
After last year’s shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High, crews from HBO descended on the Parkland school and began following its drama teacher and theater students.
A documentary called “Song of Parkland” that chronicles their efforts will debut 4 p.m. Feb. 7 on the cable network. The half-hour project shows the students returning to theater as a way of healing from the tragedy that killed 17 classmates and faculty members.
“This is our begin again,’’ drama teacher Melody Herzfeld tells the students in the documentary. “This is the most important show you’re going to do, ever.”
Said drama student Alex Athanasiou, “We want to bring happiness back to the school again. We want to shine a light.”
As the students rehearsed for their production, some of them and their classmates took part in the “March for Our Lives’’ movement for school safety and gun control.
The Parkland project also includes original songs by the students as well as scenes of the student activists marching and speaking at rallies nationwide. The drama students are also shown performing during the
72nd Annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall last June in New York City. At the show, Herzfeld was presented with an award that honors educators.
The documentary was directed and produced by Emmy-winner Amy Schatz who also known for 2002’s “Through A Child’s Eyes: September 11,
2001.”
The Stoneman Douglas project is the latest documentary about Parkland students and families.
In October, filmmaker Charlie Minn debuted his film, “Parkland: Inside Building 12” which showed raw footage from student cell phones from the day of the shooting.