York Prep Scholars Program: One Senior's Journey

During senior year, Scholars Program students choose and develop their own projects under the guidance of a member of the Scholars faculty.  This faculty member guides them individually, positing lines of inquiry that might lead them to a deeper understanding of their subject.  The project culminates in an oral defense and presentation of their projects before a panel of two faculty members and one student evaluator, all in the final weeks of their senior year.
This year, Louise Wade, a senior with a passion for performing arts, chose to write a one-woman play about her grandfather, Abou.  Abou is not his real name.  His real name is Gil Wade and he currently resides in a nursing home on the West Side of Manhattan.  He is a vibrant character, with quirks and idioms, that often cause one to laugh or smile. But, also, leaves one wondering whether there is in fact some method to his madness. It was this very question that beguiled Louise.  It was also the reason she chose to portray him in a play, which in the true spirit of the scholars guiding principle evolved over months into a 19-minute film.

“He’s this whacko character who I feel is misunderstood and I wanted to see what it was like to be in his footsteps and get his point of view of the world," Louise muses. "He’s someone I’ve known my entire life, but I feel I never really knew him.”
 
The film took approximately four days to shoot in multiple locations in New York City and Coney Island.  The production crew was comprised of two faculty members:  history teacher and Scholars co-director, Dr. Charles Kaczynski doubling as an assistant camera man, location scout, Foley sound f/x artist, and actor in the film, as well as Performing Arts faculty member, John Viscardi, donning multiple hats as cameraman, director and editor.
 
 “We had to be very mobile”, Mr. Viscardi recalls, “because we had a lot to shoot in short period of time. So everything was shot on my iPhone, which in this day and age takes remarkable footage.  Chuck would help set up the shot, and Louise, God Bless her, was just a pro. We took her lead. She set the bar high and elevated the whole project. And she was so easy to work with. We’re really going to miss her”.
 
The last day of shooting was touching for all as Louise had worked it into the film that the real Abou would appear at the end of the film with her.  It was in many ways the perfect ending to an inspired and heartfelt project.
 
“He’s not this crazy man who lost his mind”, Louise says. “He knows exactly what he’s doing.  And he just wants to make people laugh. He’s carefree.  But there’s a serious side to him too.  He’s very diligent and determined.  Walking a mile in his shoes made me appreciate him even more. I appreciate the things he does more.”  Louise paused before finishing her thought. “I think everything Abou does comes from the heart. I honestly didn’t think when I started this project there was much to learn about him.  But the more I dove in, it just started opening up to me. He’s wonderfully complicated. And that’s something I’ll never forget.”
 
 
 
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