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When Good Isn’t Good Enough, What Does It Take To Be Great
Detroit area residents are becoming very familiar with the unique energy that Mosaic Youth Theatre actors, singers and technicians bring to the stage at every Mosaic performance. This nationally-renowned company has performed extensively around the country and throughout the world, having traveled to Europe, Asia and Africa. What generally goes unseen by most are the long months of arduous preparation that precede every new show.
Filmmakers Katherine Weider and Felicia Jamieson spent over a year following the lives of the Mosaic ensemble, documenting the creation of HeartBEAT, one of Mosaic’s most challenging and personal pieces of theatre to date. Blending classic Greek drama with real life stories drawn from the cast’s lives, HeartBEAT tells the story of the ever present battle between love and hate through rhythm, music and acting.
The filmmakers’ efforts culminated with And They Flew...The Story of Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit an hour-long documentary that goes behind the footlights and into the lives of the cast and crew. From the grueling audition process, where literally hundreds don’t make the cut, to the opening night at Detroit’s Music Hall, the young people in the ensemble must write the show, build the sets, compose the music, design the costumes and lights.
And their goal is nothing less than to blow the audience away.
And They Flew... is a window into a universal experience of striving and giving everything and risking everything you’ve got in order to succeed. It’s about the small, personal and intimate dramas of youth; hope, expectation, fear of failure and disappointment, combined with the thrill of self-expression and the manic peaks of exhilarating performances.
And They Flew... asks a question rarely asked of so-called “inner city youth” but one which applies to anyone who has ever been driven by a passion or a dream, “When good isn’t good enough, what does it take to be great?”
The project is made possible by a grant from Masco Corporation, with additional funding provided by ArtServe Michigan in conjunction with the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, and by the Detroit Public Benefit Corporation.
AND THEY FLEW...THE STORY OF MOSAIC YOUTH THEATRE OF DETROIT is a film by Katherine Weider and Felicia Jamieson, in association with HKO Media and a Co-Production of Michigan Television.
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Station Name Takes You Inside the Mosaic Youth Theatre
CITY, State – Station Name, the public television station (of the University of XXXXX / for the greater XXX area / for the XXX area), will be premiering the new documentary, And They Flew.…The Story of Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit, on Day, Month Date at Time.
And They Flew… is a window into the universal experience of striving and giving everything, risking everything you’ve got in order to succeed. It’s about the small, personal, and intimate dramas of youth; hope, expectation, fear of failure, and disappointment, combined with the thrill of self-expression and the manic peaks of exhilarating performances.
Following a year in the life of Mosaic, this behind-the-scenes documentary examines the Detroit-based arts organization’s humble beginnings, its lofty achievements, and its stellar performances. This inspiring program includes special insight into the devoted artists and staff members who have, over the past twelve years, brought a unique artistic experience to young people in Detroit. It poses a question rarely asked of so-called “inner city youth”, but one which applies to anyone who has ever been driven by a passion or a dream: “When good isn’t good enough, what does it take to be great?”
“Parents, philanthropists, and educators may take special interest in And They Flew…., but this film is truly a find for any theatre enthusiast, and certainly anyone who may appreciate an uplifting story and a bit of insight into the lives of Detroit’s most talented youth,” says Rick Sperling, Founder and CEO of Mosaic.
And They Flew…. is a co-production of Michigan Television and Detroit-area filmmakers Katherine Weider and Felicia Jamieson, along with renown Executive Producer Harvey Ovshinsky. This project is made possible by a grant from Masco Corporation, with additional funding provided by ArtServe Michigan in conjunction with the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, and by Detroit’s Public Benefit Corporation.
For more information on this program, visit our website at Station Website.
This program is distributed to public television stations nationwide by American Public Television. For 45 years, APT has been a prime source of programming for the nation¹s public television stations. APT is known for its leadership in identifying innovative, worthwhile and viewer-friendly programming. For more information about APT's visit APTonline.org.
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 And They Flew...The Story of Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit
This hour-long documentary spends a grueling year with Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit as they work to bring their original play, HeartBEAT, to the stage. The story we witness is not one of inner-city kids who are ‘saved’ by an endearing theatre experience. It’s a window into a universal experience of striving and giving everything and risking everything you’ve got in order to succeed.
It’s the story of an ambitious, young director, Rick Sperling, who founded the company in 1992 not to change kid’s lives but to make great theatre. It’s also a story of the small, personal and intimate dramas of youth: hope, fear of failure and disappointment, combined with the thrill of self-expression and the manic peaks of exhilarating performances.
This youth theatre company is so relentlessly demanding and has such high standards that it attracts kids who, in addition to having a burning desire to perform, are tired of called “at-risk” simply because they live in Detroit. The culture of Mosaic is unique, partly because it does not assume anything about these kids, except that they will be entirely professional, dedicated and ambitious artists.
Mosaic has a history of startling audiences when it takes its unique brand of high-energy, kid-produced performances on the road. This documentary does the same.
And They Flew... asks a question rarely asked of so called “inner city youth” but one which applies to anyone who has ever been driven by a passion or a dream, “When good isn’t good enough, what does it take to be great?”
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 Harvey Ovshinsky, Executive Producer
Harvey Ovshinsky has been awarded broadcasting's highest honors including a national Emmy, a Peabody, a duPont - Columbia University Award, an Iris Award from the National Association of Television Programming Executives, and the American Film Institute's Robert M. Bennett Award for Excellence. In 2004, The Detroit Docs International Film Festival honored Harvey with its first-ever Career Achievement Award.
The Detroit News has described producer and story consultant Harvey Ovshinsky as "one of this country's finest storytellers." Harvey's work, which spans the universe of print, broadcast television and radio, digital storytelling, as well as primary, secondary, and university education, began in the turbulent '60s and continues full force today.
Katherine Weider, Producer/Director
 Katherine Weider is a freelance writer/producer specializing in arts and education issues. Katherine began her career as a segment producer for Detroit Public Television’s weekly show, Backstage Pass, and quickly moved on to become Show Producer, winning a regional EMMY award for her work in 1998. She went on to produce smART TV (Southeast Michigan ART Television), an educational series bringing arts and culture programming to middle school students in Southeast Michigan.
In 2000, she was Writer/Producer for Mahler’s Beethoven, a nationally broadcast program featuring the Detroit Symphony, and Co-Producer for the highly acclaimed documentary, Sprawling of America. In 2001, Katherine received an EMMY award in the category of culture feature for her piece, “Visionary States and the Artist.” Most recently, she produced The Sphinx Competition: Breaking the Sound Barrier, an hour-long documentary about diversity in classical music, as well as a multi-camera production of the 2004 Sphinx Competition both of which were broadcast nationally in 2003 and 2004 respectively.
In addition to three regional EMMYs and eleven EMMY nominations for her production work over the years, Katherine was awarded a Producers’ Academy fellowship by PBS and CPB in 2001 as part of their effort to locate and nurture up and coming talent and received a Creative Artist Grant from ArtServe Michigan in 2003. She has won three Telly Awards.
Felicia Jamieson, Producer/Director of Photography
Felicia has been involved with Mosaic Youth Theatre for several years now, documenting their productions and Mosaic’s recent trip to Denmark for the World Youth Theatre Festival 2000. Felicia has been a part of the independent film community in Detroit and Chicago, having worked on several independent feature film projects as an associate producer, grip, camera operator, car prep, video assist, floor manager, location scout and product dressing. Her film credits include Yasmine Jaffrey's Get the Hell Out of Hamtown, winner of the Milos Forman Award for Directing, Planet Ant's production of the musical Garage: A Rock Saga, featuring George Wendt and Ron West of "Third Rock from the Sun." Her credits also include Casting Judgment, 23 Man and Killzone.
In addition, Felicia freelances in local video productions, ranging from corporate and commercials to television programs. Past clients include NBA, GM, House of Denmark, Gail & Rice, Local Emmy Awards, among others. She currently is the technical director for the "Dialogue" series, produced by the Catholic Television Network of Detroit.
Felicia is a graduate of Eastern Michigan University where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Telecommunications and Film as well as a Bachelor of Science in Theatre Arts.
Matthew Zacharias, Editor/Producer
 Zacharias has been a filmmaker and editor for 13 years. His work was nominated twice for regional EMMYs, and in 2003 he won an EMMY for editing From Concept to the Open Road (PBS; 2002).
Zacharias' films have been featured at national film festivals such as Slamdance, South by Southwest and ResFest. His multimedia projects are exhibited in leading contemporary art galleries.He is now at work on a feature-length film, which has is producing, directing, writing and editing.
His other credit include Bus Tripping (1998); Smart TV (PBS; 1999-2000); Mahler’s Beethoven (PBS; 2001); Contemporary Ceramics (Cranbrook Academy of Art; 2003); Sphinx (2003;PBS); Governor’s Arts Awards (PBS; 2003), and an upcoming PBS production; Michigan Football Memories (2004).
Zacharias' short films include Kim (AWOL; 1990), Max (AWOL; 1997), AWOL After School Special (AWOL; 1998), Ace’s High (AWOL; 2002), and Good, Brother (AWOL; 2002), which were selected for the South by Southwest and Slamdance Film Festivals, respectively.
Zacharias works on AVID and Final Cut Pro. systems. He is a graduate of Film Studies department at the University of Michigan.
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