http://www.soapnewsandscoops.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=5980
Road Trip for Redemption on ATWT
by Michael Logan
What's a guy do when he accidentally shoots his brother dead? Go on a soul-searching road trip! As the World Turns' Jack Snyder (Michael Park) will depart Oakdale next week after the burial of his bro Brad (Austin Peck) and hit the highway for Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Manhattan and Greenville, South Carolina. This won't be faked on a soundstage. ATWT shot on location in all four spots, holding local casting calls in Pennsylvania and South Carolina to fill the supporting roles that were needed there. During Jack's trip, fans will get a chance to see some popular ATWT alumni, including Peter Parros as Ben (November 6), Mark Collier as Mike (November 11), Lesli Kay as Molly (November 17) and Paul Leyden as Simon (November 20). Jack's troubled ex-wife Carly (Maura West) will also join him along the way, fresh from her stint in rehab. ATWT executive producer Chris Goutman gave us the lowdown on Jack's sad search for redemption.
In this time of severe budget cuts, why go to the expense and hassle to take the show on the road?
Listen, if I had my druthers we'd be on the road a whole lot. Years ago there used to be soap opera festivals across the country every weekend and our talent was out there all the time. We miss that contact with our audience. That firsthand experience of getting their feedback live is really valuable and I think we lose a lot by not doing that anymore. Sure, we could have done all this at our studio, but by taking it out to the fans we're saying this is a big and important and very special story.
It's hard to imagine Jack ever being able to shake what happened.
This is about death and the stages of grief, but it's also ultimately about healing. Jack is in an emotional tailspin, he's in crisis, and Michael Park is doing fabulous work in this story. The first place Jack shows up is Philadelphia because he knows Brad once lived there. He goes to this bar-one of Brad's old hangouts-and he runs into Ben. This leads him into a journey to look for someone to take Brad's place in Katie's life. He goes to see Mike in Greenville, and then to Pittsburgh, where he finds Simon. Meanwhile, Carly learns what Jack is up to and she goes in pursuit of him.
Jack thinks he can dig up two of Katie's ex-husbands hoping one of them can be a Brad replacement-and so soon after the funeral? Does he really think this a workable plan?
He's not thinking straight. It's a misguided attempt to fix things. Jack's desperate, clutching at straws. He's filled with guilt and he does not know what to do with it but he's got to do something. He's not a person who just sits on his duff. This is not just about the death of his brother. Katie has lost a husband. Liberty has lost a father. He feels that he's failed on a massive scale. Simon will eventually come to Oakdale for a couple of months but it's clear to everyone that he's just a band-aid.
Talk about the choice to have Jack split Oakdale right after the funeral, as opposed to him hanging around a bit and witnessing the full emotional fallout.
He sees more than enough. Katie names her newborn Jacob, after Jack, and it just absolutely levels him and he can't handle that. Also Brad once wrote in a little notebook that Jack was his hero his entire life. It's just all too much for him to deal with. Hopefully, we'll break a few hearts in the audience with all this. It's a very emotional time for the show.
Soul-searching tends to be done solo. Why have Carly come along?
This is a romance story, as well. We're listening to the fans. They've been clamoring to see Jack and Carly get back together. It's a soul-searching mission for him but she's the one who brings him back to Oakdale. In fact, she's really the only one who can bring him back. It's like a reversal of the guy going to save the damsel-in-distress. But if we are to bring them back together they've got to come from new and different places. Jack can't be judgmental anymore. Carly can't be so devil-may-care. They have a lot of wear and tear and it won't be an instantaneous getting together. They will have many obstacles to overcome. This is going to be a new incarnation of Jack and Carly, not the same-old same-old.
Road Trip for Redemption on ATWT
by Michael Logan
What's a guy do when he accidentally shoots his brother dead? Go on a soul-searching road trip! As the World Turns' Jack Snyder (Michael Park) will depart Oakdale next week after the burial of his bro Brad (Austin Peck) and hit the highway for Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Manhattan and Greenville, South Carolina. This won't be faked on a soundstage. ATWT shot on location in all four spots, holding local casting calls in Pennsylvania and South Carolina to fill the supporting roles that were needed there. During Jack's trip, fans will get a chance to see some popular ATWT alumni, including Peter Parros as Ben (November 6), Mark Collier as Mike (November 11), Lesli Kay as Molly (November 17) and Paul Leyden as Simon (November 20). Jack's troubled ex-wife Carly (Maura West) will also join him along the way, fresh from her stint in rehab. ATWT executive producer Chris Goutman gave us the lowdown on Jack's sad search for redemption.
In this time of severe budget cuts, why go to the expense and hassle to take the show on the road?
Listen, if I had my druthers we'd be on the road a whole lot. Years ago there used to be soap opera festivals across the country every weekend and our talent was out there all the time. We miss that contact with our audience. That firsthand experience of getting their feedback live is really valuable and I think we lose a lot by not doing that anymore. Sure, we could have done all this at our studio, but by taking it out to the fans we're saying this is a big and important and very special story.
It's hard to imagine Jack ever being able to shake what happened.
This is about death and the stages of grief, but it's also ultimately about healing. Jack is in an emotional tailspin, he's in crisis, and Michael Park is doing fabulous work in this story. The first place Jack shows up is Philadelphia because he knows Brad once lived there. He goes to this bar-one of Brad's old hangouts-and he runs into Ben. This leads him into a journey to look for someone to take Brad's place in Katie's life. He goes to see Mike in Greenville, and then to Pittsburgh, where he finds Simon. Meanwhile, Carly learns what Jack is up to and she goes in pursuit of him.
Jack thinks he can dig up two of Katie's ex-husbands hoping one of them can be a Brad replacement-and so soon after the funeral? Does he really think this a workable plan?
He's not thinking straight. It's a misguided attempt to fix things. Jack's desperate, clutching at straws. He's filled with guilt and he does not know what to do with it but he's got to do something. He's not a person who just sits on his duff. This is not just about the death of his brother. Katie has lost a husband. Liberty has lost a father. He feels that he's failed on a massive scale. Simon will eventually come to Oakdale for a couple of months but it's clear to everyone that he's just a band-aid.
Talk about the choice to have Jack split Oakdale right after the funeral, as opposed to him hanging around a bit and witnessing the full emotional fallout.
He sees more than enough. Katie names her newborn Jacob, after Jack, and it just absolutely levels him and he can't handle that. Also Brad once wrote in a little notebook that Jack was his hero his entire life. It's just all too much for him to deal with. Hopefully, we'll break a few hearts in the audience with all this. It's a very emotional time for the show.
Soul-searching tends to be done solo. Why have Carly come along?
This is a romance story, as well. We're listening to the fans. They've been clamoring to see Jack and Carly get back together. It's a soul-searching mission for him but she's the one who brings him back to Oakdale. In fact, she's really the only one who can bring him back. It's like a reversal of the guy going to save the damsel-in-distress. But if we are to bring them back together they've got to come from new and different places. Jack can't be judgmental anymore. Carly can't be so devil-may-care. They have a lot of wear and tear and it won't be an instantaneous getting together. They will have many obstacles to overcome. This is going to be a new incarnation of Jack and Carly, not the same-old same-old.
