(upbeat music) - [Jade] Visit the studio of visual artist Ryan Parr, chat with acting coach Noelle Gentile, and catch a performance from Belle-Skinner.

It's all ahead on this episode of AHA, A House for Arts.

- [Announcer] Funding for AHA has been provided by your contribution and by contributions to the WMHT Venture Fund.

Contributors include the Leo Cox Beach Philanthropic Foundation, Chet and Karen Opalka, Robert and Doris Fischer Malesardi, and The Robison Family Foundation, - At M&T Bank, we understand that the vitality of our communities is crucial to our continued success.

That's why we take an active role in our community.

M&T Bank is pleased to support WMHT programming that highlights the arts, and we invite you to do the same.

(upbeat music) - Hi, I'm Jade Warrick, and this is AHA, A House for Arts, a place for all things creative.

Let's send it right over to Matt for today's field segment.

- I'm here in Albany New York to meet with painter Ryan Parr.

Follow me.

(cheerful music) - As a child, I always drew, and my neighbor was an artist.

We'd stay up all night and draw, Conan the Barbarian and Indiana Jones.

That's really where it started.

You had two options as a kid, you go outside and play or you draw a picture.

For the last, oh, I would say, 20 years, I've been painting still lifes making something first, and then transforming it into a two-dimensional picture.

(quirky music) In the early 2000s, I had this idea that I wanted to paint a picture of a puzzle and then make that a puzzle, and I painted this giant thing of a puzzle, and it was zoomed in to this swirl of puzzle pieces, and I started to look at it and I just thought, "Oh, this is really- Like, I love the going edge to edge aspect of it, and so that set me off on this almost micro, macro, whatever you wanna call it, view of things.

(gentle rhythmic music) At the same time, I was trying to figure out how you finish a painting.

I wanted there to be a finish line.

And so all those, I gridded out the canvas, and I would work from square to square, but I would cover up 99% of the canvas, and I'd just cut a hole in a giant piece of paper, and I would only paint that square.

And I just went down the line, and when I got to the last one, I would remove it, and the painting was finished, and I wouldn't allow myself to go back and work on them.

And so that evolved and I, you know, I made the square a little bit bigger so I could see how it connected to the other squares, and so the grids slowly disappeared, and over time, they got really detailed.

The last one, I remember, I got to the end, and it was almost photographic, and I was disappointed.

Like, I'd made it to the end, do you know what I mean?

Like I, like, I, yeah, for me, I fulfilled the, I fulfilled the mission, sort of, and I thought, "All right, I have to do something else."

I recently read a book, and the author was talking about, well, how do you find something that you love to do, or, you know, what is it that you're good at?

And it's when it's boring and you're still interested, that's the thing you should stick with.

And that's painting.

It's not always exciting, you know, every one of those squares got really old, but you just keep going back, you know, and there's something in the boredom that is peaceful.

So when Covid happened, I still had paintings I wanted to work on, and I was still working on those paintings.

As Covid drug on, I started to, like, question all of it, you know, like, why do any of this, you know?

And I sat on the deck and stared at the bushes for a long time, or on the couch or where, you know, and I drew, I just drew my in sketchbook.

Making big paintings seemed pointless, I guess.

And at some point, I started to draw kitchen towels.

Every morning, I'd try to put something out into the world before I consume it, which, consuming is just looking at your stupid phone, you know, so, and I do that to this day.

And what I was putting out was I would draw the kitchen towel, 'cause I was drinking my coffee, it's 5:00 in the morning, you know, quietly in the kitchen, and I would draw the kitchen towel, and I got really into fabric, and then the pattern on the fabric, and soon, those drawings became big drawings, and it just kind of snowballed from there, and those fabrics became flags.

For a lot of years, it was photography.

I used photography as the starting point, you know, setting up the diorama and then photographing it, and so then I would paint from these photographs.

The thing I liked about the fabric, and what I started to get excited about again, was drawing and painting from life, and so that's where it's been for the last year.

The newest series, I've just taken scenes from my home that already existed, still lifes that were set up, but not intentionally as still lifes.

I've always liked that idea of, you know, like a photographer would, go around and you photograph what exists, right?

And so I was thinking about things in my home that already existed that could function as a still life, sculptures that my daughter did, a sculpture that an old friend did, a photograph of me proposing to my wife, things that exist in your family home, or in my case, my studio.

I've always just wanted to get better, you know, like, and that's hard to quantify in the arts.

How do you get better at something?

I think, as an artist, you figure out your own way to quantify it, but for me, it's been some of just the basics, like, can I render a piece of fabric, you know, and can I get better at rendering that piece of fabric?

When you're 18 years old, you get to see the improvements quickly, you know.

When you're 47 years old, they're slower, you know, but it is happening.

And I, you know, I draw every day, and so, you know, the achievements are smaller and less noticeable, but yes, I am getting better, I can proudly say, yes (chuckles).

(serene music) - Noelle Gentile is a director, producer, acting coach, and educator, with over 20 years of experience in the entertainment industry.

She was recently the acting coach in a Netflix film starring Adam Sandler and Queen Latifa.

So what's Noelle working on now?

I sat with her to find out.

Hi, Noelle, welcome to AHA.

I'm super happy to talk to you today.

- Same, thanks so much for having me.

- Yeah, of course.

I'm ready to talk about all things film, so I wanna begin with how did you get into the film industry?

Like, what brought you to it?

- I made my first film when I was living and teaching in Brooklyn, and it was just a short experimental film that I made with friends that my friend actually directed, but it was about a sort of traumatic experience that I had had, and it was the first time that I created something that I realized that I could use film as a medium to transform something that was really painful.

and when I moved home to Albany, I very quickly got connected with Youth FX, and I had an incredible experience with Youth FX, and worked with them for about 10 years as a teaching artist and a program assistant, and I loved the process of filmmaking.

My background, primarily, was in theater and working as a theater teacher.

There's a lot of similarities, but something very different about the experience of being on set.

- What about that experience being on set brings you joy?

- I love this idea that people come together for this finite period of time to create something, and how just the energy of what that does when you bring artists together to work on a very specific project that you know is just a moment in time.

- Yeah, you get those creative wheels spinning it's really exciting!

- Totally, absolutely!

And it's, like, it's amazing, every time I'm on set, I feel like I'm always learning, because there's so many people that are so specialized in their craft, and it's incredible to watch how those pieces work together.

- Yeah, it's kind of like a giant puzzle.

- Exactly.

- So I know you're a producer, a director, an acting coach, and an artistic educator, an arts educator.

Out of all those fields that you play a role in.

do you have a favorite?

And if so, why is that?

- I think the thing that overlaps in all of the things that I've done is this idea of, like, building community with people and being in community with people, and particularly artistic spaces.

My time at Albany High School, as a theater teacher there with my colleagues and the students was one of probably the most fulfilling artistic experiences I've ever had, because we came together every day and continued to develop new works, and we also worked in collaboration with Youth FX, and there was this space that we created together in which we could be vulnerable and explore, and in which I also felt very much like an artist, creating.

It's not very often that you get to create intentional spaces where people can show up fully as themselves and feel seen and respected by everybody in the space, and people keep feeding into that because the feeling is so good.

So it's like I want you to feel that way, and I wanna feel that way, and so we kept kind of, the best way I could say it is co-creating that space together, and it's kind of a through line to my work, and something that's really important for me.

You know, when I was younger and working in theater, I had experiences that did not feel like that, and I don't know, kind of, maybe, like more fear-based experiences of, like, making a mistake, and I know what that did to me as an artist and how much that constricted me and limited me, and so when I'm working on sets with actors, either as an acting coach or a director, or I'm working as a teacher, that's like a primary goal of mine is to create space where I'm working from a vulnerable space with the person who also has to be vulnerable to explore and create a character, or try something, and, you know, so I think that's...

I don't know that there's one thing that I love more, but that community art piece.

- Yeah, that kind of like just supporting and making sure the other person feels safe, 'cause it can be a grueling industry sometimes, so it is really nice that, you know, you're there for support, and, like, hey, we're just in this all together, we're a team, you know, - It's no one - Totally!

- against the other - Completely, and the best work, I feel like the best work comes, is born of that, right?

Like, when we feel liberated to try something, you know, I just can speak for myself, I guess, you know, when I feel at ease with the people that I'm collaborating with, I'm gonna try something, I'm gonna take a risk that I might not have taken in another situation, you know.

- Yeah, oh, that's so cool.

(both laugh) So do you have any projects you're working on right now?

- Yeah, currently I am working on my own short, which is based on my family's experience.

My oldest daughter, Isla, has epilepsy, and for a period of time, her seizures were really terrible and life-threatening, and so it was a really hard period of our life for about three years, where she was hospitalized a lot, and when the doctor told us that she was at risk for SUDEP, which is sudden an unexpected death in a person with epilepsy, my husband and I went to see a grief counselor, and the experience with her was very transformative, and helped us sort of navigate the uncertainty of her health and also be really present with her and continue to make joyful memories and just sort of, like, be with the unknown of what our experience was at that period of time.

And so the short film is based on that.

And so it's been... Like, when you ask, say, what is your favorite, like, I loved directing that movie so much, I loved the experience.

I worked with people that I was just thrilled to be in space with.

I felt like a little kid, you know, just, like, super excited, and I was so nervous leading up to it, but as soon as, like, the first day came and we started filming, I was just in it, and just felt it was, it was everything, it was - That's beautiful.

- everything - Very organic feeling, too.

- Totally.

- Now ,is it a more documentary style?

What type of style is this film?

- Well, so it's based on our life, and I suppose, in some ways, like, I'm really drawn to very natural performances.

Like, the first feature that I worked on is "We the Animals."

I worked as the acting coach on that film and worked with three first-time young actors.

And, you know, the style of those performances is very, it's so natural that it could feel like a documentary, right?

And so the performances in my film are similar in that way, that you want to feel like you're really in the room with them.

But it is a narrative just based on our story.

- I know you've worked in the past on another movie, I think it was "Hustle", a Netflix movie by the name of "Hustle."

I think you worked side-by-side with Adam Sandler on this.

Would you give us a little bit more detail on what this film was about and how is it different from other projects you've done in the past.

- Sure, so the first feature, the only feature I'd worked on before that was "We The Animals", which was a super indie film experience in upstate New York, and beautiful experience, and after I worked on that film, I just, I went back to teaching, and was kind of like, oh, I loved doing it, but I just didn't know how realistic it was with, you know, the needs that were happening within my family, and it, you know, it's not, it's not the most family-friendly industry to try and, you know, work on these long-term projects, and so when the pandemic happened, Jeremiah Zagar, who is the director of "We The Animals", got tapped by Adam Sandler to work on "Hustle."

He had seen "We The Animals" and loved it, which is a huge, you know, different move for Jeremiah, 'cause the films are quite different.

But the film stars a bunch of NBA players, basketball players, who, many of whom were first-time actors, and so I got to work with them, and, you know, we did a bunch over Zoom.

I worked with Juancho Hernangomez, Dr. J., which was an incredible honor, and it was just an- It was, like, an incredible experience.

I grew up watching basketball with my dad.

I hadn't watched in a really long time.

I love basketball, I love the pace of basketball, the energy of it.

It was one of those experiences where I got on set one of the first days and I was like, how did I wind up here?

You know what I mean?

(both laugh) Like, what is happening?

And, you know, I was, like, on set one day, and Queen Latifa was in a scene with Juancho, and it was just incredible to be that close to her, and to watch her work, and to feel her joy on set, and it was just an incredible learning experience, and yeah, it was awesome.

- Ah, was there anything particular that made it more awesome than any other projects in the past?

- I just think, like, the energy that the basketball players that I got to work with brought was, like, it's hard to express, it's just this, like, this absolute dedication to their work as athletes, and then the joy that they, like, it was just like they were just excited to be on set, and it was, like, contagious, like, positivity.

And it was also really incredible to watch Adam create his character.

Like, that was kind of like a masterclass, 'cause I think he's really quite brilliant at dropping into sort of like the experience of being human.

- I love that.

Well, I'm excited to see all your future films.

And again, Noelle, thank you for taking the time to talk to us today, and stay creative, as always.

Please welcome Belle-Skinner.

(guitar music) ♪ I walked into a coffee shop ♪ ♪ The day when all the music stopped ♪ ♪ I couldn't hear the songs ♪ ♪ That they were playing ♪ ♪ 'Cause sitting there across the room ♪ ♪ You saw me, and I saw you ♪ ♪ And all the world went quiet ♪ ♪ Like it was praying ♪ ♪ You cast a spell, and soon I fell ♪ ♪ So helpless and so tragic ♪ ♪ But suddenly I do believe in magic ♪ ♪ There's nothing that I wouldn't do ♪ ♪ To try to get close to you ♪ ♪ To get a smile ♪ ♪ A bit of your attention ♪ ♪ Well, looks like it all was meant to be ♪ ♪ Because you came right up to me ♪ ♪ And said hello, ♪ ♪ Right there, I was in heaven ♪ ♪ The stars aligned for you and me ♪ ♪ Oh, isn't it romantic ♪ ♪ Because of you ♪ ♪ I do believe in magic ♪ ♪ No algorithmic dating site ♪ ♪ Compares to love that you may find ♪ ♪ In places where you least expect ♪ ♪ Or plan it ♪ ♪ Oh, oh, oh, ♪ ♪ Love immortal, love divine ♪ ♪ For you, I'd gladly lay my life ♪ ♪ Upon the altar of your sweet devotion ♪ ♪ 'Cause it's hopeless to resist your charms ♪ ♪ And I'm helpless when I'm in your arms ♪ ♪ And when we kiss, it hits just like a potion ♪ ♪ And my love for you will never die ♪ ♪ Will never fade, how can it ♪ ♪ Because it's true ♪ ♪ And I do believe in magic ♪ ♪ Because I love you ♪ ♪ I do believe in magic ♪ ♪ In magic ♪ ♪ In magic ♪ (guitar music) ♪ I'm never alone ♪ ♪ With her I was born ♪ ♪ She's always by my side ♪ ♪ Here in my room ♪ ♪ She makes herself right at home ♪ ♪ And we talk through the night ♪ ♪ Her face is a mirror ♪ ♪ Her song is a sigh ♪ ♪ And I know well the tune ♪ ♪ I'm never alone ♪ ♪ With my solitude ♪ ♪ Millions of people all at once ♪ ♪ Talking too loud ♪ ♪ Yet they don't say a thing ♪ ♪ From her, I've learned much more ♪ ♪ Than I could learn from any crowd ♪ ♪ She takes me under her wing ♪ ♪ Sometimes she's my best friend ♪ ♪ Sometimes she's my worst enemy ♪ ♪ But I always come back to ♪ ♪ The one that I know, my solitude ♪ ♪ And I could never write a word ♪ ♪ Never write a song ♪ ♪ Without her guiding me ♪ ♪ Though these days, it's getting harder ♪ ♪ Just to breathe ♪ ♪ Through her eyes, I try to see ♪ ♪ Make sense of everything the world has shown ♪ ♪ I couldn't do it on my own ♪ ♪ I'm never alone ♪ ♪ With her, I have grown ♪ ♪ Though many tears I've cried ♪ ♪ And if I don't notice her ♪ ♪ I still know she's around ♪ ♪ She'll be with me all my life ♪ ♪ And if at times I forget her ♪ ♪ Well, she doesn't mind ♪ ♪ 'Cause she's loyal and she's true ♪ ♪ I'm never alone with my solitude ♪ ♪ I'm never alone ♪ ♪ With my solitude ♪ ♪ Ah, ah ♪ ♪ With my solitude ♪ - Thanks for joining us.

For more arts, visit wmht.org/aha and be sure to connect with us on social media.

I'm Jade Warrick.

Thanks for watching.

(upbeat music) - [Announcer] Funding for AHA has been provided by your contribution and by contributions to the WMHT Venture Fund.

Contributors include the Leo Cox Beach Philanthropic Foundation, Chet and Karen Opalka, Robert and Doris Fischer Malesardi, and The Robison Family Foundation, - At M&T Bank, we understand that the vitality of our communities is crucial to our continued success.

That's why we take an active role in our community.

M&T Bank is pleased to support WMHT programming that highlights the arts, and we invite you to do the same.