{"id":371482,"date":"2025-08-22T21:52:44","date_gmt":"2025-08-23T01:52:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/?p=371482"},"modified":"2025-08-22T21:52:44","modified_gmt":"2025-08-23T01:52:44","slug":"new-indie-streaming-series-deep-end-offers-light-in-dark-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/2025\/08\/22\/new-indie-streaming-series-deep-end-offers-light-in-dark-times\/","title":{"rendered":"New indie streaming series ‘Deep End’ offers light in dark times"},"content":{"rendered":"

By John Becker<\/strong><\/p>\n

Standing in the darkness of a field at 1 a.m. \u2014 my key light dead, a bug in my eye \u2014 I asked the questions we all ask in times of darkness: Why are we here? How did we get here?<\/em><\/p>\n

In the 1950s, Arthur Miller answered those questions by writing The Crucible<\/em>, transforming the fears of his time into art that still resonates today. Watching the absurdities of my own era, I started writing Deep End<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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Veronica Del Cerro, Christopher C. Holbert, Alyssa Sanders, and Gerrad Alex Taylor in ‘Deep End.’ Photo courtesy of Jouska Productions.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The narrative TV series follows strangers in a campground who discover they\u2019re surrounded by a mysterious group of conspiracy theorists in the woods. Despite this, it\u2019s mostly a comedy to reflect the absurdity of our age. As one of our cast, Vince Eisenson, put it: \u201cWearing a non-functioning headlamp in scenes of near total darkness gave me a feeling of delusional optimism.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Note to self: Contact manufacturers about merch \u2014 hats, T-shirts, car magnets \u2014 saying \u201cDeep End: Delusional Optimists Only.\u201d)<\/p>\n

But Deep End<\/em> isn\u2019t just about what happens on screen; it\u2019s about how we\u2019re making it.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve built a creative space that brings together some of the DC area\u2019s most talented actors, who I maintain are as skilled as any in the country. Part of the fun of the series is finding your favorite DC actors in any given episode. We\u2019ve partnered with local businesses like DC Pretzels, Honey Acres Farm, and Rockland Winery. Thanks to a grant from the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County, we were even able to support a young woman in crisis \u2014 someone who lost both parents as a teen, cares for her younger brother with Down syndrome, and is living with PTSD.<\/p>\n

Our 1st AD, Kellie Scott Reed, put it best: \u201cIt\u2019s been cathartic to work in a space where you can express the ridiculousness of the human experience when all seems deadly serious right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the mission of Deep End<\/em>: to offer light in a time of darkness. We want audiences to laugh, to think, and to feel hope. Or, as cast member Veronica Del Cerro described, to simply \u201cbe together as a group in the dark and sing and just feel like teenagers again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Actress Beth Hylton said, \u201cI had more fun working on this project than should be legal: it was one of the most joy-filled projects I have ever worked on! The only real challenge was trying to get through all the scenes with enough usable takes \u2014 because we kept breaking (or corpsing) to laugh!\u201d<\/p>\n

You can watch Deep End<\/em> now on Fawesome TV and YouTube. By subscribing and sharing, you\u2019re helping show that art \u2014 and its power to create joy and resilience \u2014 still matters.<\/p>\n

Surrendering to fear brings greater fear. Confronting fear brings healing. Laughing at it brings not only joy, but change.<\/p>\n

America may feel like one big dysfunctional family, where fear and blame dominate. But through comedy, community, and creativity, we\u2019re proving there\u2019s another way forward. Join us in the deep end. In Beth Hylton\u2019s words: \u201cI am so grateful and proud to be part of the Deep End<\/em> cast and community and maybe help forge a path of resistance through laughter.\u201d<\/p>\n

Watch Deep End<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0now on Fawesome TV. <\/a><\/strong>Subscribe on YouTube.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n