Technology has dramatically changed the way we live, work, play and communicate. That’s especially true for the LGBT community (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender).
Although the Internet has the ability to connect millions of people all over the world, there’s nothing like good old face to face conversation. Much of that chatter takes place at coffee houses, and some of the most interesting conversations (and relationships) have begun there.
The new anthology web series COFFEE HOUSE CHRONICLES takes a close look at different people who make contact with each other in a variety of ways – and how their relationships grow and evolve over time. Different stories are presented in each episode, with a diverse set of characters, and with a strong emphasis on the important social issues that face the LGBT community each day.
Created, written, directed and produced by Stewart Wade (director of the films COFFEE DATE, TRU LOVED and SUCH GOOD PEOPLE), and with a new cast of talented actors in each episode, COFFEE HOUSE CHRONICLES premiered its first of 8 episodes last October on its official web site and Youtube pages.
Episode 2 is now streaming via those platforms, and an IndieGoGo crowd funding campaign is underway to fund production of the show’s 6 remaining episodes.
The first episode, titled SECRET ASIAN MAN (which can be viewed at the end of this article), focuses on a chance meeting between two men who couldn’t be any more different from each other: Darrin (Mykee Steen) and Matthew (Cesar Cipriano).
Darrin is instantly smitten with Matthew, but he soon finds out that the man he first encountered isn’t who he expected. Although humorous, this episode also tackles the constant issue of racism within the LGBT community through both characters.
Episode 2 (titled AN EXCEPTION) features Darryl Stephens (NOAH’S ARC) as Jeff, a man who struggles to put his love life back together after the death of his seemingly ‘perfect’ ex-boyfriend (Chris Salvatore, EATING OUT: ALL YOU CAN EAT). With the help of his decidedly imperfect best friend Anthony (Drew Droege), Jeff tries to overcome both the loss of his ex, and his perception of what an ideal love interest should be.
The concept for COFFEE HOUSE CHRONICLES evolved out of Wade’s first foray into filmmaking: COFFEE DATE, an award-winning short film (later a feature) that took place, obviously, in a coffee house. The film’s successful run at various worldwide film festivals, and its compact production approach, gave Wade the impetus to develop COFFEE HOUSE CHRONICLES.
“It (COFFEE DATE) is really what gave me the confidence to go on and do features,” he says. “It also showed me that a piece largely set in one location (a coffee house) could still have a great emotional impact on people. “
With a desire to expand the possibilities that such a setting provided, and with the potential for storytelling and characters that came along with it, Wade immediately began to develop COFFEE HOUSE CHRONICLES into a web series. “I’ve always loved the short format and in thinking about possible projects, it occurred to me that so much of our social lives now revolves around coffee houses — so why not set a series there?”
Those factors, combined with the memorable stories and people that COFFEE HOUSE CHRONICLES presents in each episode, may be what makes Wade’s series unique from other popular web series that are targeted toward the LGBT community. The incredible reaction from its viewers says as much.
“There are a lot of funny and sexy LGBT series on the web — and I consider COFFEE HOUSE CHRONICLES to be both — but I don’t think most affect viewers much on an emotional level. Ours does,” Wade says. “Read some of the YouTube comments for the episodes.”
Along with the compelling stories and interesting characters in each episode, Wade feels that the show’s outstanding production quality is another key element that contributes to COFFE HOUSE CHRONICLES’ success.
“We’re exploring relevant issues in the LGBT community with humor. I think we have an usually high quality level (including great cast) in each of our episodes,” says Wade, who also believes that COFFEE HOUSE CHRONICLES will definitely appeal to gay male viewers. “We’ve got cute guys, funny situations, thought-provoking themes — who could ask for anything more?”
Even though production of any web series can be a long and often stressful process, Wade and his talented cast and crew have managed to rise above whatever challenges they’ve faced on-set. “So far, we’ve had great luck and have managed to stay on budget and on schedule! I’m trying to keep each episode down to a one-day shoot, so that definitely makes for a long and challenging day. But so far, so good!”
Through each episode of COFFEE HOUSE CHRONICLES, Wade seeks to bring viewers stories that both entertain, and perhaps most importantly, make people think about the true nature of people and the problems we face in our society. In fact, he says, the series could also make people take a close look at who they are, and how better they can be.
Says Wade: “I don’t know that the show has an overarching message, except perhaps that people can surprise themselves — and each other — in a good way. We all need to strive to be our best selves.”
(Note: Wade says that the series is not currently closed-captioned, but that he’s planning to add that feature to each episode in the future.)
Episode 1 of COFFEE HOUSE CHRONICLES can be viewed here:
To contribute to the show’s IndieGoGo campaign, visit:
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/coffee-house-chronicles-web-series
ON THE WEB: http://stewartnla.wordpress.com
YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkIUBaj5PrtiEObW-e4P39w
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/coffeehousechronicles
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/CHCWebseries