Support Capri, Ken, and Thea's Short Film!!

GABLER is a film about fulfilment and what we owe ourselves. Cowritten by Ken Lumb and Capri Gehred-O'Connell and directed by Thea Ilic, all funds raised will go directly towards production costs to bring this dream to life.

Peter is a good actor and a good friend. People like him when he walks into a room. Easygoing, laid-back, goofball Peter. Katja is a great actor, it's unclear if she has any friends. People rise to attention when she enters the room. Intense, intimidating, ball-busting Katja.

During a rehearsal process for Ibsen's Hedda Gabler, two young actors grapple with the costs and rewards of unabashedly pursuing what they want.

Our film is the result of long conversations about the nature of creative obsession-- both the obsession artists have for their art, and the magnetic pull we feel towards those artists when they are most intently focused on their craft. As young artists ourselves, we kept asking: does creative obsession bring with it the fulfillment we crave?

(Lydia Tár isn't happy, exactly, but she is satisfied. Is that what we're looking for?)

VERY COOL, GUYS. SO HOW DID IT GET STARTED?

GABLER was born as a capstone project for Capri’s MFA in Acting at Northwestern University. A lifelong actor, she had spent years waiting for emails from other people about other people’s projects. A large part of her grad school journey sprung from an urge to start her own project. She wanted to send the email she was always waiting for, the one that said “I have an idea and I think you’d be perfect for it.”

So she sat down to write. And she sat down to write. And she sat down again and realized she hadn’t written at all. So she sent her first offer email.

"Dear Ken, I have an idea and I think you’d be perfect for it."

Ken, an opera prodigy and soft autumn, came aboard as co-writer, co-star and co-young-artist-in-bloom. Together they wrote GABLER and held it close to them. This thing they made.

In the fall of 2024, they splurged on industry tickets for the Chicago International Film Festival. Their networking strategy was to be fun and hot and wait for other people to approach. This largely did not work and they can not in good conscience recommend it. But what DID work was that Capri’s girlfriend/GABLER sound designer Alex Levatter had recently finished an internship at a post production studio and already knew some folks. Most importantly, Alex knew and introduced them to Thea Ilic.

Thea, in her matching gay little suit set, listened to their pitch and gave them her card. "You have something interesting," she said, "and I want to help you build it."

So, we had a team. But there are pieces we still need. So -

Dear family and friends, we have an idea and we think you’d be perfect for it.

I’M IN, HOW CAN I HELP?

Creating GABLER is a pure passion project. With your help and support, we will use these funds to rent equipment, pay our team and design the world of GABLER. Any extra funds raised will go directly towards marketing and submitting our film to festivals. Bringing stories to life is a shared dream of everyone on the team. We will do this forever and your funding helps us bring more people along on that dream.

Any amount you can offer helps! If a monetary offer isn’t possible for you right now, sharing our post and helping us make it to our goal is just as important!

Thank you for being here.

With love, care and a weird amount of intensity,

Capri, Ken and Thea <3

Gabler? I hardly know her!

MEET OUR TEAM

Cast

Peter - Ken Lumb

Katja - Capri Gehred-O'Connell

The Director - Stephanie Diaz

Judge Brack - Ramón Camin

Thea - Alex O'Shea

Run Crew - Kyle Ringley

Juliana - Jeannie Affelder

Crew

Director - Thea Ilic

DP - Andy G. Cat

Producer - Makenzie Beyer

Production Sound - Alex Levatter, Michael Turner

Production Designer - Margo O'Connell

Production Design Asst. - Ashleigh Deosaran

Costumes - Arden Kelley