***BIG EDIT PLEASE READ*** 

 We are raising the goal to $6,000 to meet unexpected location costs. Shit’s expensive. We are NOT filming at Juilliard, and we almost have a place locked down, but they are certainly more expensive than we previously anticipated. Thank you to everyone who has donated so far!!!

ABOUT THE FILM

Jail Yard is a dark comedy anthology web series, based on the real life conservatory experiences of trombonist and occasional comedian Jasim Perales. The episodes in general will follow a series of shifting perspectives, chronicling the daily trials and tribulations of your average conservatory student as they balance life, love, art, imposter syndrome, and finding your purpose, all in the heightened reality of the conservatory setting. This first episode, which will function as a short film to temper ambitions, tightly follows a student named Jasim’s POV as he barrels his way across campus to get to a difficult class on time. As he slips on the banana peels of life, and encounters increasingly ridiculous obstacles along the way, he discovers what it truly means to have and uphold artistic purpose.

FILMMAKER'S STATEMENT

I have been working on these episodes for the past few years. I have always had some version of this idea in the back of my mind throughout my undergraduate years at The Juilliard School. A few years ago, inspired by the lull of the pandemic, and reinvigorated by a virtual sketch comedy writing class, I decided to combine my love of sketch comedy, music, and film, into one cohesive project. I have made quite a few revisions to the script, shared it with a lot of people, and am now ready to present it to the world. I have assembled a crack team of Juilliard-trained performers, and a talented professional film crew, who have graciously lent their talents in order to realize this extremely personal project. This is 100% pulled from my own mind, and is indeed an accurate reflection of how I perceive the world. And I am so excited to share what I really want to say with my art.

MEET THE CAST/CREW:

Jasim Perales is a trombonist from Oakland, California who started playing trombone in the fourth grade, and was exposed to jazz while attending the Oakland Public Conservatory of Music Summer Program, under the tutelage of Angela Wellman. Jasim has played in various settings all over the world with a variety of esteemed professionals . Jasim Perales is currently a full-time member of the Grammy award-winning Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra. He is currently finishing his Master's degree at the Juilliard School under the tutelage of musicians such as Elliot Mason, Frank Kimbrough, Steve Turre, Jason Jackson, Charenee Wade, and Wynton Marsalis. Jasim is not exactly an actor, however he did study Theater at the Oakland School for the Arts' Theater Department for 1 year, he has appeared in plays throughout his youth, AND he was paid to do sketch comedy for the Oaktown Jazz Workshop! Those who know him well remember that he used to make parody videos about his time at Juilliard, as well as the jazz world in general. He has a real passion and knack for this stuff.

Griffin Deutsch is a cinematographer and director based in Brooklyn, NY. He has a background in narrative film and now mainly works in documentary and music video production. He approaches each shoot with an utter disregard for conventions and hopes to offer fresh perspectives through visual and directorial innovation. When not operating a camera or planning a music video, he’s probably skateboarding or biking.

Maggie Scrantom is a fourth-year MFA actor at The Juilliard School. She received her undergraduate degree from The University of Iowa where she studied literature and theatre arts. After graduating from the University of Iowa, Maggie built a robust acting and filmmaking career in Chicago and also worked as a social justice educator. She has performed in numerous plays, commercials, and network TV shows as well as written, directed, and designed for various short films, music videos, and theater pieces. After graduating in May 2023, she plans to stay in New York City creating and performing.

Chantae Miller is a New York-based actor, musician, and soon to be Juilliard Drama graduate. Originally from Wisconsin, Chantae is a former member of the Young Company at First Stage, the nation’s most acclaimed children’s theater and the second largest theater company in Milwaukee, where she performed countless times. Some of her favorite places to perform have been: Forward Theater Company (I and You, Fun Home) Next Act Theatre (Blood at the Root) and Milwaukee Repertory Theatre (The Color Purple); and in 2018 she received first-place (Ray Jones Award) in the Duo/Trio Scenes division of the 42nd annual Shakespeare Competition at the Utah Shakespeare Festival. 

Since 2020, Chantae has been working in NYC (and around the country) as a social justice and human rights activist, doing everything she can to meet her goal of blending her art and activism.

Nayib Felix is a New York born Dominican-American actor. He is finishing his MFA degree at The Juilliard School this Spring. Nayib has performed at the Public Theater’s Coriolanus at Shakespeare in the Park and understudied Belize in Angels in America Parts I & II at Actors theatre of Louisville. Most recently, Nayib could be seen in “Not Okay” on Hulu as well as “Jessica Jones.” He completed his apprenticeship at Actors Theatre of Louisville with the Professional Training Company and holds a B.A. in Psychology from Penn State University. Nayib is fluent in Spanish and conversationally fluent in French. When he isn't on stage or camera, Nayib is the Director of Lyricism at TOE, an organization that collaborates with nonprofits providing unique artistic support. Nayib is also a poet and a writer with a passion for hip-hop.

Athena Chin is not an actor… until NOW!! She grew up between Taoyuan City, Taiwan and Berkeley, California. Athena received her B.A. from Barnard College in biology and is currently a biotech equity research associate at TD Cowen. In her free time, she enjoys cycling, running, yoga, basically everything outdoors.

Ino Badanjak is a New York City based actor, dancer and improvisor. Born and raised in Athens, Greece, Ino moved to the US in 2010 to attend Emerson College where she explored process and performance as an actor and within other modalities such as dance, improvisation, devised work and performance art. Upon moving to New York, she has most notably performed and presented work at TheaterLab (NY), LaGuardia Performing Arts Center (NY), Pioneer Works (NY), Triskelion Arts (NY), Edinburgh Fringe Festival (UK), ART: Oberon (MA) and the Notafe Festival (Estonia). While at Emerson, she became fascinated with the practice of improvisation and the philosophy that surrounds it, particularly through the work of Action Theater. She is one of the accredited teachers for Action Theater and has performed with Ruth Zaporah, the creator of the form. For Ino, the stage is a space of integration, where the body, the voice and the imagination can dance and improvise together, as a means to explore the multifaceted experience of being human, and to further show us how to transform ourselves and our environments. She is currently in her fourth and final year of the MFA drama program at The Juilliard School.

THIS IS HOW WE'RE USING THE FUNDS!