The Phoenicia Playhouse, as part of its 50th Season, presents a Weekend of Films - starting with an award-winning documentary about children, education, and the arts… Man on a Mission!

Friday, September 11th - Film Screening @ 7:00 pm
(doors open at 6:30 pm)

Post-Show Q&A with Director Robert Albrecht

& Community Sing-Along with Free Range Singers

Popcorn will be served!

Run Time: 41 Minutes

The Phoenicia Playhouse
10 Church Street
Phoenicia, NY 12464

Check out the Film Trailer here:

Tickets available at the door or in advance here:

About the Film:

Man on a Mission focuses its lens on the remarkable story of community artist Carmine Tabone and his innovative work with children for 50 years in Jersey City. Beginning in the mid-1970s until his retirement in 2023, Tabone’s work focused on exploring innovative ways of using the arts as a means of engaging children, teaching literacy and creating community.

The documentary is the co-creation of local artists and educators - the late Dina Bruno Ciborowski and Dr. Robert Albrecht, with the able assistance of veteran filmmaker Harry Kafka who did the editing and offered important assistance throughout the project.

The film has been the recipient of numerous awards including “Best Documentary” in the Helsinki Education Film Festival International in Finland and the Golden Door International Film Festival in Jersey City, as well as a Merit Award given by Impact Docs in La Jolla, California. The film has also been screened at international media conferences in Mexico City (Universidad Panamericana) and New York (Fordham University at Lincoln Center).

Man on a Mission was made possible by a grant from the Jersey City Arts and Culture Trust Fund. The Media Arts Department at New Jersey City University provided important technical guidance as well as allowing use of its equipment and its facilities.

DIRECTOR BIOS

Robert Albrecht is the current President of the Media Ecology Association and served briefly at Arts Editor of ETC. Albrecht began his work with Carmine Tabone and the Educational Arts Team/Camp Liberty at the same time he began his doctoral work in Media Ecology at New York University with Neil Postman. “Neil’s ideas obviously influenced my work with children and the arts just as my work with Carmine influenced all my subsequent media ecology scholarship.” For 40 years, Albrecht worked as a musician and workshop leader in Jersey City schools and at the Camp. He is also the author of numerous children’s plays that were produced on stage at Camp Liberty. Along with Mr. Tabone, Albrecht is the author of The Arts and Play as Educational Media in the Digital Age (2020), winner of the Media Ecology Association’s prestigious Susanne Langer Award.

“Children need the arts, not as a special activity but as a daily experience. The arts open portals where children can work and play together, explore their creativity, have face- to-face interactive experiences and not be constantly distracted by digital gadgets.” - Robert Albrecht

Dina Bruno Ciborowski began her professional life doing improvisation theater in New York City but came to the realization that her background with improv, acting games and role play could be used more profitably to work magic in the primary school classroom. Suddenly students who were bored and detached from schooling were engaged and active participants in the learning experience. Over the past two decades, her creative work with children in Jersey City has included supervising a teen arts program, the co-creation of a number of plays, skits and puppet shows, and continued work with the art and drama techniques that act as powerful tools cultivating literacy, teaching life lessons and supporting social and emotional learning. Dina died in October of 2023 shortly after completing this film. She is missed by everyone who knew her smile, laughter, dedication and insight.

“The film is a shout out to local artists to get more involved with their communities. It’s a joy to see young people come to life! We felt this was a story we had to share with others.” - Dina Bruno