[Keri]

From the Boston Herald
May 2006

Watertown homegal Eliza Dushku of Tru Calling fame has joined the cast of "On Broadway", an indie being shot this month in and around Boston. She read the script and loved it reported screenwriter Dave McLaughlin, whose project has been shooting in Roslindale this week. I'm psyched. It's such a great group of people who are great at what they do.

The flick, starring Joey McIntyre, is about a fledgling playwright staging his production in a local bar. Dushku, who will shoot for two weeks, will play a gal from Maine who moves to Boston and ends up in Joey's play. "Yes, Dear" co-star Mike O'Malley is coming in next week to film his role. And at the end of the month, Hollywood marrieds Will Arnett and Amy Poehler are headed in for a two-day shoot. The "Arrested Development" doofus will play a mortician while his "SNL" funnygal wife has a role as an over-the-top set designer.

From Daily News Tribune

The neon lights are bright on Moody
By Galen Moore/ Daily News Tribune
Wednesday, May 10, 2006

WALTHAM -- If they shoot any more film here, the phrase will become "On Moody Street." Until then the indie flick under production in the back of the Skellig is called "On Broadway."

Anyone eager for a glimpse of Joey McIntyre, of News Kids on the Block fame, Amy Poehler, star of "Saturday Night Live" or Eliza Dushku, co-star in "Bring it On," might want to drop in for a pint at the local pub.

"This is a dream come true for all of us," said producer Kris Meyer, who flew from Los Angeles, where he works for the Farrelly Brothers’ film company. "It’s a family affair here in Boston, and pretty much everyone here is a native."

McIntyre was born in Needham, Poehler in Burlington, Dushku in Boston proper, and writer/director David McLaughlin hails from Cambridge.

In the movie, a young man writes a play about his godfather’s funeral. He can’t find any place to perform it, except a neighborhood pub. In 1997, McLaughlin did the same thing. He put up a play called "God Willing," on a stage in the back room of the Burren, a Somerville pub also owned by Skellig owner Tommy McCarthy.

"That experience of putting on that play in the Burren was such a meaningful, personal experience," said McLaughlin, whose writing credits also include "Southie," starring Donnie Wahlberg and Amanda Peet. "Nobody was making any money. Everyone was in it for the work. There was this great camaraderie, and the play worked."

Yesterday, McLaughlin’s first day shooting in the Waltham pub, he experienced a kind of deja vu. The pub’s large back room was filled with wheeled stacks of video equipment. In the basement, cables snaked next to beer lines, around kegs and over stacked boxes of empty bottles.

A small army of producers and crew watched the progress of a basement scene unfold on tiny monitors all around the pub.

Producer Lance Greene, who also acts in the film, said shooting on location in Boston is easy, because actors, crew and producers from the area are high quality. "They’re committed and they’re good at what they do," he said.

Greene also credited Mayor Jeannette A. McCarthy, Police Capt. William Stanton and Transportation Director Franklin G. Ching with smoothing the way for the Waltham project.

Good producers and film crew will keep "On Broadway" within its $1 million budget, McLaughlin hopes. Myriad details require skilled, careful attention to keep things from running into overtime.

The film-shooting environment may look like "choreographed chaos," he said, but, "It’s more choreographed than chaos."

If everything continues to go smoothly, the shooting will be done by May 26. Greene said the producers hope to give the finished product its debut at the Sundance Film Festival, this fall.

But for bartender Desi Rushe, this is all old hat. Two years ago, producers picked the Skellig to film another independent production, called "American Wake."

"It’s the high ceilings in that back room," he said. "Everybody loves that. They all say this is the perfect place for the movie."

Boston Globe
11 May 2006

Waltham location lures local actors

Shooting for ''On Broadway" continued yesterday at the Waltham pub The Skellig, with Watertown native Eliza Dushku joining the cast of the low-budget film that includes former New Kid Joey McIntyre, Jill Flint, and Bob Wahlberg. McIntyre plays Jack O'Toole, an Irish-American playwright who's trying to stage a production in the back of the pub. The story is loosely based on writer-director Dave McLaughlin's own experiences while producing ''God Willing" nine years ago in the back of the Burren in Somerville. Local actors joining the cast include three award-winning stage actresses: Nancy E. Carroll plays Joey Mac's mom; Dossy Peabody portrays an actress in the pub production; and Annette Miller is Aunt Grace. Also on the set was Dave Farrell, lead singer for Rubyhorse. And Joey Mac's sister Judy McIntyre has a cameo in the film, as does filmmaker Bobby Farrelly's wife, Nancy.

From Daily News
May 17 2006

Hollywood lights shine on city church
By Christopher Rocchio/ Daily News Staff
Wednesday, May 17, 2006 - Updated: 05:44 AM EST

WALTHAM -- The Skellig on Moody Street won’t be the only recognizable site for Waltham residents when "On Broadway" hits the big screen, as the film was once again on location in the city yesterday at Christ Church Episcopal on Main Street.

Crew members set up tents in the rain as those involved with the film descended on the church to film three scenes. The film stars Eliza Dushku, Amy Poehler and Joey McIntyre, and is about a young man that writes a play about his godfather’s funeral and can’t find a place to perform it except a neighborhood pub.

"Yesterday was the only day they’re shooting here, and there’s been a lot of activity," said the Rev. Sara Irwin, priest in residence at Christ Church Episcopal. "It’s a beautiful church, and we’d love for all of Waltham to know about it, much less all of the country."

Jill Risk, co-producer of "On Broadway," said the first scene shot yesterday took place in the church’s basement, where the playwright receives an encouraging pep talk from his brother, who is a priest. There was also a scene where one of the actors auditioning for the play is nervous about trying out for a role, and another scene of random auditions, according to Risk.

"We’re basically filming all of the audition stuff at the church," she said. "The playwright’s brother is a priest, so he allows him to use his church to do all of the rehearsals and auditions."

Irwin said she was contacted by the producers of "On Broadway" last fall about the possibility of using the church as a location to shoot a few scenes. Prior to being contacted, she said parishioners at Christ Church Episcopal had already discussed making the building where they worship more available to the community, providing worship space for other church groups as well as a meeting place for various labor unions.

"We want to use the building as its own ministry to reach out to the community," said Irwin. "The fact that there is a movie being filmed here is an added novelty."

Parishioners did have some reservations about "On Broadway" being shot at Christ Church Episcopal, according to Irwin. She said the main concern was that scenes would be filmed in the building’s sanctuary. However, an agreement was struck with producers, and though a scene was filmed in the sanctuary, as little equipment and personnel as possible was used.

"It went great," said Risk. "The church really opened itself up to us."

In the coming days, "On Broadway" will continue to be filmed at The Skellig, and several scenes will also be shot at Copley Square and a few other locations in Boston, according to Risk.

Source


From Boston.com
20 May 2006

Dushku reads her lines at the library


Actress Eliza Dushku managed to finish her scenes at the Boston Public Library in Copley Square for the independent film ''On Broadway" yesterday morning before it started pouring -- again. But the film's star, former New Kid Joey McIntyre, wasn't so lucky as he continued working along the library's steps on Dartmouth Street and later on Boylston Street with veteran stage actor Vincent Dowling. The movie, written and directed by Dave McLaughlin, continues filming into next week but will have a wrap party tonight to avoid conflicts with Memorial Day travel. While on the set yesterday morning, producer Mark Hankey said the trickiest part of making the movie was getting everyone's scenes shot while they were available. ''Arrested Development" costar Will Arnett was in town two days last week, but his wife, ''Saturday Night Live" cast member Amy Poehler, will film next week. ''We're moving pretty fast," said Hankey.