It’s not a stretch to say Cole Moyer has been as much a part of youth theater in Iola as anybody.
He grew up attending Children’s Summer Theatre Workshop sessions, first as a student, then as a high-school volunteer and now one of the instructors.
He played regular starring and supporting roles in Iola High School, Iola Community Theatre and now Allen Community College productions.
But his dream all along was for a different medium: the cinema.
It was only natural for Moyer to step forward in his first year at Allen’s Film and Theatre Department to create his piece of art, “Kent, Addicks,” a 23-minute short film that premiered earlier this month.
The show premiered, first for his fellow students at ACC, followed by a special showing at his old stomping grounds at IHS, and finally with a series of shows last weekend at Iola’s Sterling Six Cinemas.
If you missed it, fear not.
Moyer has since posted the film on his YouTube page, Moyer Industries.
“It’s kind of an experiment, a learning experience, not just for me, but fellow actors and people who got to be on set,” he explained. “We very much accomplished what we were going for. We all had this new experience. Now, it’s something the town can share.”
“KENT, ADDICKS” is a light-hearted tale based on the short story, “The $25,000 Jaw” by Richard Cronnell.
“I thought I could write an original story, but nothing was coming to me, so I went back to the drawing board,” Moyer said. “So then I thought I’d adapt something.”
He found Connell’s short story, about a box-er whose jaw becomes the centerpiece in an unusual insurance case, an enjoyable read, compelling and funny, with a touch of absurdity.
Moyer’s plot, which differs wildly from Con-nell’s, still stresses the same principles.
“It’s about a down-on-his luck guy who sees himself as a nobody,” Moyer explained. “And he has to believe in him-self in order to become somebody.”
Moyer began writing his adaptation in late October — about the time he performed one of the lead characters in Allen’s “True West” stage production at the ACC Theatre.
He submitted his first draft to instructors Tricia Stogsdill and John Leahy, originally in-tending the film to be included in the Art At Allen expo held earlier this month.
