A Reimagined "Neighborhood."

Hello Neighbor!

My name is Madeline Bugeau-Heartt and I am thrilled to present to you Neighborhood— a tender and expansive reimagining of the beloved Mr. Roger’s program, a new vision which looks at life's joys and challenges in a way that privileges the lens of love, kindness, and imagination. 

Neighborhood is a personal, televised invitation to the viewer, wherein the goal is not to impose answers, but to wrestle with the more challenging aspects of life together; and to gently experiment with new ways of being, in hopes of ushering in a suppler world in which it is easier to love. In times that feel so broken and strained, Neighborhood is an offering to anyone in need of something honest, beautiful, and good. 

Neighborhood will draw from the original formula of Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood, with for example, the inclusion of a “land of make-believe,” the singing of songs, explorations with guests, and visits from reoccurring characters (including puppets!) Tonally and aesthetically, we are excited to make this piece our own. Where the original program addressed children, Neighborhood will address that spirit within each of us, adults and children alike, capable of great love and imagination.

We are shooting this pilot of Neighborhood across two weekends in March 2024 to produce an under-thirty-minute, public-access program to pitch to PBS and other interested networks. We need your help to make this a reality! We will use these funds to cover expenses such as equipment rentals, transportation, space, stipends, insurance, craft services, props, and set design.

What started off as a project for my senior thesis at the Harvard Divinity School has now grown into a fully-realized pilot! I have the privilege of working with an exceptional, experienced, and local cast and crew from the Boston area, including Jaina Cipriano, Mike Sun, Adriane Moreno, Mel Nestruk, Joe Penny, Gianluca Avanzato, Dylan Castora, Jordan Potasch, Noah Schachter, James Cherico, Ellison Schueller, and many more. All of these folks are not only great at what they do, but also kind people who feel passionately about getting this message into the world.

As the world continues to speed up, and we seemingly face one violent-filled, historical event after the next, we need media that speaks directly to us; that encourages us with the message that inspired this program in the first place: “the greatest thing you can do is to let others know they are loved, and capable of loving.” We need media that helps us return to our best selves so that we might feel empowered to enact positive change and loving ways of being in life beyond the program itself. 

We are so excited to craft Neighborhood with the utmost care and with each and every one of you in mind. Thank you for your support, dear neighbor.