‘Adina’s Deck’: A series of lessons that click

Thanks to everyone who came out and auditioned on Day 1! We will be notifying our first group’s Callbacks no later than this Thursday.

Parents- we really appreciate those of you who drove or flew up to Walnut Creek. We were overwhelmed with your dedication and generosity! If you were from Santa Monica, Burbank, Nevada or Sacramento, I’m talking about you!

We can’t wait to meet the rest of you, auditioning for the first time on Sat. May 17th.

Already this is going to be challenging… with so  many talented people who came out already… we have had over 800 submissions so far & auditioned a total of 50 already.

THANKS AGAIN!

Megan, Debbie and Jason (as well as Zoe, Katie, Kristen, Katherine and Michael)

Auditions for Episodes 2 & 3, start this upcoming Sat. May 10th in Walnut Creek, CA.

If you are between the ages of 12-16 and would like to be considered, please email: adinacasting@gmail.com with your picture, age and any acting experience. We have a lead role for the part of “Michael” a black (or black-mixed) male ages 13-16; as well as many other supporting roles.

To download our audition flier for your school, family and friends, click here flyer11.pdf

We cannot wait to see you on Sat.!

We are excited to welcome Emily, our new Intern on Adina’s Deck. Many of you will be talking to her at some point. Here’s more about Emily!

Emily Bronstein is the new intern at Adina’s Deck. She is a third year
Political Science Major at UC Berkeley. This San Diego native is also very
involved in her sorority and even facilitates a student taught class at
Berkeley. In another vein, she simply cannot stand wooden pencils (this
last sentence is just a joke).

Amelia Varni, “Adina,” Kelcie Stranahan “Skye,” Cristina Delvalle “Haley” and Donald Lett II “The Counselor” made an appearance at the SF Film Festival at Wondercon along with directors Debbie and Jason. Nick Myggen from the camera department was there too. Here are some pictures from the event:

Debbie and Jason with Gumby

Thanks to all of you who came to the event!

NEA Today’s writer Cindy Long posted a fabulous article about Cyber Bullying. We were interviewed for the story and Adina’s Deck is one of the links. The story is below; and you can read the entire article here.

Silencing Cyberbullies

Digital sticks and stones can’t break bones—but they can hurt even more. What educators can do to curb bullying in cyberspace.

by Cindy Long

Ryan Halligan was bullied so relentlessly at school, he finally learned kickboxing to defend himself from the physical assaults. But when the attacks moved online, he had no way to fight back, and no refuge. Day and night, he received e-mails and instant messages from classmates ridiculing him and calling him a loser. When a pretty girl at school pretended to like him online but later revealed she was only joking, the taunting e-mails and instant messages increased, only with even more venom. A few weeks later, in October 2003, Ryan hanged himself in his family’s bathroom. He was 13 years old.

Now, Ryan’s father travels to schools around the country to share the events that led up to his son’s suicide and to warn educators and students about the dangers of cyberbullying. “Please don’t ever forget Ryan’s story,” he says, “or the fragility of adolescence.”

Cyberbullying is the use of electronic technology to deliberately harass or intimidate. Unlike the schoolyard bully of yesteryear, the cyberbully can hide behind online anonymity and attack around the clock, invading the privacy of a teen’s home. With young people spending most of their free time online or texting their friends, digital bullies not only have ready access to victims, but also an audience—because without witnesses, virtual bullying loses its punch.

According to Pew Research, about one third (32 percent) of all teenagers who use the Internet say they have been targets of some form of cyberbullying that ranged from receiving threatening messages and having their private e-mails or text messages forwarded to having an embarrassing picture posted or rumors about them spread online.

Starting today, Jan 28, 2008, Lighthouse Christian Store in Dublin, CA will be carrying copies of Adina’s Deck for Parents, Church Group Leaders, Teachers and more. If you go into their store there is $5 off the DVD  for an additional 20% off in Jan. and Feb.! 

We’ve had many requests and purchases from religious groups, who use Adina’s Deck for lessons about Internet Safety, cyber bullying, relational aggression, decision making,  and technology. If you aren’t local to Dublin, CA you can still purchase Adina’s Deck. *please note: Adina’s Deck is not affiliated with any religious party, nor are there any references to religion in the film.