Thursday, July 30, 2015

Cape Verde Heritage in RI "Working the Boats: Masters of the Craft"

Claire Andrade-Watkins is a Rhode Island filmmaker who has brought us some insightful films that celebrate her Cape Verdean heritage and uplift and enrich our cultural spirits by watching them.

One such film is Some Kind of Funny Porto Rican? A Cape Verdean American Story - a feature-length look at what it was like to grow up in the close-knit Fox Point neighborhood, where neighbors were family who looked out for each other, creating a hard working and resourceful enclave. It also documents the loss of that neighborhood in the name of urban renewal.

On Saturday evening, August 1, at 11 p.m., before we encore Some Kind of Funny Porto Rican? we share another of Claire's insightful pieces. This one is about 10 minutes long and is called, Working the Boats" Masters of the Crafts, the story of the Cape Verdean longshoremen on the Providence waterfront.

Working the Boats will repeat between shows on Rhode Island PBS throughout our schedule, but we want to note the first airing so you can enjoy it with us.

For more information about the filmmaker and the fascinating history of Cape Verde, a group of islands off the coast of West Africa, click here.



Pundits Review Deep Water, Deep Secrets, Dem Positioning, and Boston's Bid (July 31 2015)



Panel
Dyana Koelsch – moderator
Maureen Moakley - Professor of Political Science, University of Rhode Island
Kate Nagle - News Editor, GoLocalProv.com
Ian Donnis - Reporter, RI Public Radio
Dave Layman - Corporate Communications Consultant; former television news anchor

Topics
  • Deep Water Wind Project 
  • Mayor Fung's alleged “secretive interference” 
  • South Street Nursing Project secures funding 
  • Chafee, Democratic hopefuls to address DNC members 
  • Boston cancels bid for 2024 Olympics
A Lively Experiment airs on WSBE Rhode Island PBS (36.1) Fridays at 7 p.m., with rebroadcasts on Saturdays at 7 p.m. on WSBE Learn (36.2), and Sundays at noon on WSBE Rhode Island PBS.

WSBE Rhode Island PBS transmits standard-definition (SD) and high-definition (HD) programming over the air on digital 36.1; on Rhode Island cable: Cox 08 / 1008HD, Verizon FiOS 08 / 508HD, and Full Channel 08; on Massachusetts cable: Comcast 819HD and Verizon FiOS 18 / 518HD; on satellite: DirecTV 36 / 3128HD, Dish Network 36 / 7776.

WSBE Learn transmits over the air on digital 36.2; in Rhode Island on Cox 808; Verizon FiOS 478; Full Channel 89; and in Massachusetts on Comcast 294 or 312.

Can't get to the TV? Watch the episode online anytime and anywhere on our YouTube channel. Episodes of A Lively Experiment are generally available to watch on the next business day. Subscribe to our YouTube channel, and YouTube will notify you when a new episode is uploaded.

On Facebook? So are we! "Like" A Lively Experiment on Facebook.

Local Filmmaker Premieres My Father's Vietnam at RIIFF


My Father’s Vietnam (79 min., USA, 2015), a new documentary film by Providence-based filmmaker Soren Sorensen, makes its world premiere at the 19th Annual FLICKERS: Rhode Island International Film Festival (RIIFF) on August 6, 2015 at 2:45 p.m. at URI’s Paff Theatre, 80 Washington Street in Downtown Providence. There is an admission charge of $10.00. Rhode Island PBS announces this screening because of our long-standing relationship and respect for Soren's excellent work. We celebrate his premiere at the RIIFF and hope to bring this important film to Rhode Island PBS later this year.

Production of My Father's Vietnam began with a 2006 conversation between the filmmaker and his father, Peter Sorensen, who enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1968, a year when American troop levels in Vietnam were growing at the same rate support for the War on the homefront was shrinking.

“For my generation, sons and daughters of the ‘baby boomers,’ enlisting in the military has always been a choice,” said Soren Sorensen. “So, 40 years later, the idea of enlisting during the Vietnam War, in a divisive political climate not unlike what we’re seeing now, seemed to me sort of inconsistent with common sense.”

He added, “I was a bit naïve."

The film features the stories of two men who served with Peter Sorensen and who were killed in Vietnam in 1970. For filmmaker Soren Sorensen, the production process—which included shoots in Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, and Washington, DC—was an educational experience and a chance to get to know his father better.

“I came to realize that guys like my father didn’t really have a choice,” he said. “The romantic hindsight fantasy of burning your draft card and going to Canada had consequences related to your family, community, and financial situation that made it all but impossible.

“Add to that, the World War II generation looming large in history and culture. I think people wanted to live up to their parents’ expectations.”

The filmmaker says the process gave him a deeper understanding of the military and strengthened his relationship with his father.

“How could it not?” he said. “When you fly across the country and interview a complete stranger in Arizona about his experiences in Vietnam and he says, as my father says, ‘I’ve never had a conversation like this before,’ you realize just how silently Vietnam veterans have carried the physical and psychological burdens of that war.”

He added, “Not only do you learn a tremendous amount, but you also gain an overwhelming sense of respect and gratitude.”

Peter Sorensen, the filmmaker’s father and one of the film’s primary subjects, said, “The film is more than the story of a father and a son. It's emblematic of the deleterious and ripple effect armed conflicts such as the Vietnam War have on entire families and ultimately the nation.”

Featuring never-before-seen photographs and 8mm footage of the era, My Father’s Vietnam sheds new light on a disturbing chapter of American history that continues to deeply impact those who lived through it.

The production turned out to be a multi-year odyssey for Soren Sorensen—who also produced, wrote, and edited the film—and director of photography Dan Akiba.

“Dan was the one who encouraged me to shoot the interview with my father in the first place,” said Soren Sorensen. “If it wasn’t for him, I might not have made the film at all.”  

Soren Sorensen specializes in documentary film, television, and web content with an emphasis on branded content, arts and culture, oral history, and advocacy for nonprofit organizations. His clients include Families First RI, Montessori Community School of Rhode Island, Part of the Oath, and The Picture of Children’s Health. Sorensen is a member of the adjunct faculty in Film Studies at Rhode Island College and Screen Studies at Clark University. He currently teaches directing, sound recording, and sound design at New York Film Academy’s summer program at Harvard University.

On August 6, 2015, My Father’s Vietnam will be screened after Neal Mercier’s 2015 short film Amaryllis (12 min., USA, 2015), another world premiere by a Rhode Island filmmaker.

For information about the Rhode Island International Film Festival, please visit www.riiff2015.sched.org.

updated August 6, 2015

Monday, July 27, 2015

RI Senators Grade 2015 GA Session This Week on A Lively Experiment (July 24 2015)



Panel
Dyana Koelsch – moderator
Sen. William J. Conley, Jr. (D) East Providence, Pawtucket; Vice Chairman, Senate Committee on Environment and Agriculture; Member, Senate Committee on Judiciary
Sen. Donna Nesselbush (D) Pawtucket, East Providence; Vice Chairwoman, Senate Committee on Health and Human Services; Member, Senate Committee on Judiciary
Sen. James Sheehan (D) Narragansett, North Kingstown; Chairman, Senate Committee on Government Oversight
Sen. Elaine Morgan (R) Charlestown, Exeter, Hopkinton, Richmond and West Greenwich; Member, Senate Committee on Commerce and Education

Topics
  • Reviewing this past legislative session 
  • Senate business for proposed Fall session 
  • Raises for Cabinet members
A Lively Experiment airs on WSBE Rhode Island PBS (36.1) Fridays at 7 p.m., with rebroadcasts on Saturdays at 7 p.m. on WSBE Learn (36.2), and Sundays at noon on WSBE Rhode Island PBS.

WSBE Rhode Island PBS transmits standard-definition (SD) and high-definition (HD) programming over the air on digital 36.1; on Rhode Island cable: Cox 08 / 1008HD, Verizon FiOS 08 / 508HD, and Full Channel 08; on Massachusetts cable: Comcast 819HD and Verizon FiOS 18 / 518HD; on satellite: DirecTV 36 / 3128HD, Dish Network 36 / 7776.

WSBE Learn transmits over the air on digital 36.2; in Rhode Island on Cox 808; Verizon FiOS 478; Full Channel 89; and in Massachusetts on Comcast 294 or 312.

Can't get to the TV? Watch the episode online anytime and anywhere on our YouTube channel. Episodes of A Lively Experiment are generally available to watch on the next business day. Subscribe to our YouTube channel, and YouTube will notify you when a new episode is uploaded.

On Facebook? So are we! "Like" A Lively Experiment on Facebook.

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Inside Claridge's Offers Exciting Look into Exclusive Londond Hotel of the Rich and Famous


Inside Claridge's is a three-part series documenting a year behind the scenes at Claridge's, the five star luxury hotel in the heart of Mayfair renowned for catering to the rich, the royal, and the famous.

Claridge's, in the heart of London's Mayfair, is a five star luxury hotel favored by royalty and celebrities. For the first time in its long history, this famously discreet institution has opened its doors to documentary cameras. Director Jane Treays has spent a year behind the scenes, upstairs and downstairs, following staff and their guests, some of whom are prepared to pay the price of a small family car for one night's stay.


EPISODE 1
Cameras are with the chambermaids and housekeepers as they spend days transforming the entire third floor into a palace for foreign royalty who could cancel at a moment's notice. Also in the episode, viewers observe the annual two week stay of the Melchors from California, who have been coming for more than 40 years, re-kindling their relationship with personal butler Michael Lynch; the episode also follows the energetic general manager Thomas Kochs as he travels to New York to drum up new business from the top U.S. travel agents.



EPISODE 2
Opened in 1854, Claridge's is famed for its art deco interiors and traditional service. Many staff, such as Roman the doorman, have worked there for more than 30 years, giving guests continuity and the sense they might be living in a different century.

The Crown Prince of Yugoslavia is a regular guest, and he returns to stay in the suite where he was born in 1945. Joan Collins, Stephen Fry and the Emperor of Japan also come to visit, as well as 85-year-old Gerry Parker, an ex-East End bookmaker who has breakfasted at Claridge's for the last 40 years.

Given this weight of tradition and expectation, general manager Thomas Kochs takes any change very seriously, and no decision - from new alarm clocks to a £10 million renovation plan - escapes his obsessive attention to detail.

EPISODE 3
It is mid-summer madness at Claridge's, and it appears the whole world is coming through its doors.

Thirty delegations from around the world are arriving for the Olympics. The red carpet is rolled out five times a day for heads of state and Noma, ranked the world's number one restaurant, is setting up as a pop-up in the Ballroom. With the kitchen stuffed with hay and wood sorrel, Claridge's chefs are faced with turning their back on the traditional fare to provide Nordic foraged food to thousands of guests who have paid £195 per head to sample - among other delights - live ants.

Bill and Laura fly in from Atlanta for the wedding of their dreams, and Stephen the butler prepares a suite for one of the hotel's most regular guests by bringing his furniture, hat boxes and 20 suits out of storage, all for one night's stay.

Life on the Reef on Rhode Island PBS in August


The three-part series Life on the Reef examines the breathtaking beauty of one of the richest and most complex natural ecosystems on earth, the Great Barrier Reef. Rhode Island PBS presents this three-part series on consecutive Mondays at 8 p.m., beginning August 3.

Covering 214,000 miles (344,400 km) and stretching along 1.430 miles (2,300 km) of coastline, the Great Barrier Reef is one of the richest and most complex natural ecosystems on Earth. Home to a stunning array of animals, from microscopic plankton to 100-ton whales, it is one of the Seven Wonders of the Natural World. 

Along the idyllic coastline, Queensland Parks and Wildlife Rangers work together with Traditional Owners, police, border protection, search and rescue crews, lifeguards and scientists to safeguard the fragile reef and protect the millions of residents, tourists, divers and fishermen that visit each year. It’s a monumental task - the reef and its hundreds of islands and quays covers an area bigger than the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Holland combined. 

Life on the Reef will combine the strongest elements of observational documentary story telling with blue chip natural history, presenting unique, fresh and authentic stories of Australia’s greatest natural icon through the eyes, actions, challenges and adventures of the people who live there. 



EPISODE 1 (Monday, August 3 at 8 p.m.)
Tourists flock to the reef as humpback whales arrive to give birth; fire destroys a luxury yacht and a critical salvage mission is launched; and 20,000 green sea turtles arrive to nest at the biggest turtle rookery on Earth. 

EPISODE 2 (Monday, August 10 at 8 p.m.)
Spring brings an explosion of life to the reef as corals spawn, sea birds nest, and turtle hatchlings erupt over the beaches in tens of thousands. Manta rays swoop in to feed on the nutrient rich seas. 

EPISODE 3 (Monday, August 17 at 8 p.m.)
It's summer, the change of season. Animal and human residents prepare as a Category 5 cyclone threatens the coast. How will the reef respond to threats that challenge its delicate balance?

For more information, click here.

Rhode Island PBS Comes to Middlesex and Worcester Counties in MA


The fix is in. And for residents of central Massachusetts, it’s a welcome fix indeed. In an inspiring  example of persistence paying off, one woman’s crusade to get her cable company to carry her favorite public television station in her community is about to come to fruition. Starting July 30, Comcast will carry Rhode Island PBS into 25 towns in Middlesex and Worcester counties, from Framingham north and west to Winchendon at the New Hampshire border.

Leslie Fleischer of Framingham, Massachusetts, could not understand why Comcast carried Rhode Island PBS in surrounding communities but not in her town. The electronic program guide on her television screen promised the programming “soon,” but months passed with the same message and no service.

After several calls to Comcast and to Rhode Island PBS, Leslie enlisted the local assistance of Annabel Dodd, chair of Framingham’s Cable Advisory Committee, and Bill Rabkin, Access Framingham (AF-TV) board president. Together, their requests for upgrades, fixes, and adjustments to technical services and programming caught the attention of the Philadelphia-based cable giant, who coincidentally is currently in negotiations with town officials over renewing its cable services contract.

“This is great news,” Ms. Fleischer said in a recent telephone interview. “I give much of the credit for this victory to Annabel and Bill for their efforts. I’m thrilled to hear I will be able to watch my favorite shows on Rhode Island PBS.”

“We’re happy to have such enthusiastic support in central Massachusetts,” said David W. Piccerelli, president of WSBE Rhode Island PBS. “Changes in service areas as well as changes in the way consumers are viewing television content all play a role in the speed of rolling out services. We’re glad to see Comcast’s cable services extended, and we welcome this opportunity to share our schedule and to expand viewing choices for residents in Middlesex and Worcester counties.”

Fleischer said what she finds so appealing about Rhode Island PBS is that its schedule is different from other PBS stations in the area, and she prefers the programs Rhode Island PBS offers.

“Next, we’ll work on getting [Learn and Vme] on Comcast, too,” Fleischer said.

WSBE Learn is the station’s second channel, featuring an expanded schedule of children’s programming, national programs and series from PBS, APT, NETA, as well as local independent films and original programming by Rhode Island PBS. Although there are similarities, Learn’s schedule is different from the Rhode Island PBS schedule. WSBE Vme transmits Spanish-language programming over the air on 36.3 and over select cable channels.

WSBE Rhode Island PBS will be found on different channel numbers in the Comcast system, depending on ZIP code. Residents in the following newly added towns are advised to check local listings for the actual channel number:

Ashby
Ayer
Boxborough
Carlisle
Concord
Devens
Fitchburg
Framingham
Gardner
Hudson
Leominster
Lincoln
Littleton
Lunenburg
Maynard
Phillipston
Shirley
Southborough
Stow
Sudbury
Templeton
Townsend
Westford
Westminster
Winchendon



A Beautiful Sound: RI Philharmonic Orchestrates Inspiration on Rhode Island PBS

Music Director Larry Rachleff conducts the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra at The VETS in Providence
Photo credit: Ray Larson

The new documentary A Beautiful Sound: RI Philharmonic introduces and showcases the Rhode Island Philharmonic and Music School as a unique and valuable asset to the state of Rhode Island. A Beautiful Sound: RI Philharmonic describes the complexities and the accomplishments of the orchestra and school through interviews with members of the organization. The film premieres on Rhode Island PBS on Sunday, August 2 at 6 p.m. as part of the station's ongoing weekly series, Rhode Island Stories, which features documentaries about local people, places, and events.

The history of the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra dates back to 1945 and the film includes an interview with founder Francis Madeira. The Philharmonic's program continues to be a model for orchestras around the country, not only for its fine professional performances but as one of the only programs in the country that provides its own music school.

Weaving history with contemporary mission and future vision, A Beautiful Sound: RI Philharmonic delivers a new and different musical experience, illustrating the ageless inspiration and dedication of its musical members of all ages, from toddlers to seniors, students and instructors, board members and musicians. The film is imbued with their passionate expression of the importance of music and music education.

In the words of Philharmonic's Music Director Larry Rachleff, "[Music] can teach you how to feel. It can teach you how to express. It gives you an opportunity to say things without word that you always wanted to say but, because of whatever reason, you can't."

Although the emotional response to music is largely an individual experience - even in large concert halls surrounded by thousands - the performance experience is interactive and interdependent, uniting musicians with each other and with the conductor, and with the audience.

"[Music] gives you purpose and creates a social fabric for you," Rachleff continues. "Rarely is there an instrument that you don't do with others."

"The Philharmonic Orchestra is a public treasure and source of pride for our state," said David W. Piccerelli, president of WSBE Rhode Island PBS. "And the Music School allows new generations of musicians to learn from seasoned professional performers. Rhode Island PBS is pleased to share this continuity of music appreciation with the community."

After its premiere on August 2, A Beautiful Sound: RI Philharmonic will encore on Tuesday, August 4 at 8 p.m. on WSBE Learn, and on Saturday, August 8 at 11 p.m. on WSBE Rhode Island PBS.



Monday, July 20, 2015

Rhode Island PBS Encores Its Production "Living with Dignity: Exploring Palliative Care"

Living with Dignity takes an intimate look at how palliative care is helping one Rhode Island man live with dignity after the blow of a serious diagnosis. Produced by WSBE Rhode Island PBS, Living with Dignity encores Tuesday, July 28 at 9 p.m. on WSBE Learn (digital 36.2 over the air; Cox 808, Verizon FiOS 478, and Full Channel 109 in RI; Comcast 294 or 312 in MA).

Palliative care is specialized medical care for people with serious illnesses. It focuses on providing patients with relief from the symptoms and stress of a serious illness. A specially-trained team of doctors, nurses and other specialists work together with a patient’s other doctors to provide an extra layer of support. Palliative care is appropriate at any age and at any stage in a serious illness and can be provided along with curative treatment. The goal of palliative care is to improve quality of life for both the patient and the family.

In-studio conversations with local professionals from The Miriam Hospital, Home and Hospice Care of Rhode Island, and Visiting Nurse Home Care (formerly Visiting Nurse Service of Greater Rhode Island) are interwoven with the pre-taped personal story segments. Throughout, doctors, nurses, therapists, and social workers reveal how they formulate a plan to ward off side effects of treatments and deal with symptoms, allowing patients to live more comfortably and at home.

  • Doctors stress that they continue to search for the cure while working alongside the patients, attempting to improve their quality of life.
  • Nurses share why it’s important for patients to remain in their own home: patients stay healthier, have less frequent visits to Emergency Room, have less chance of acquiring “new germs” that could compromise a weakened immune system – and patients are just happier at home.
  • Therapists talk about the day to day visits, the struggles, the challenges, the victories.

“Personal stories like this one connect each of us,” said David W. Piccerelli, president of WSBE Rhode Island PBS. “We’re pleased to make these unifying connections in the community, and to advance awareness and understanding through our series of health education specials this past year.”

Thursday, July 16, 2015

Representatives Grade the Legislative Session (Week of July 17, 2015)



Panel
Dyana Koelsch – moderator
Rep. K. Joseph Shekarchi (D) Warwick
Rep. Joseph Solomon, Jr. (D) Warwick 
Rep. Daniel Reilly (R) Middletown and Portsmouth
Rep. Patricia Morgan (R) Coventry, Warwick and West Warwick

Topics
  • Grading the Legislative Session 
  • Working relationship with Administration/Senate 
  • Unfinished business 
  • Looking forward to 2016

A Lively Experiment airs on WSBE Rhode Island PBS (36.1) Fridays at 7 p.m., with rebroadcasts on Saturdays at 7 p.m. on WSBE Learn (36.2), and Sundays at noon on WSBE Rhode Island PBS.

WSBE Rhode Island PBS transmits standard-definition (SD) and high-definition (HD) programming over the air on digital 36.1; on Rhode Island cable: Cox 08 / 1008HD, Verizon FiOS 08 / 508HD, and Full Channel 08; on Massachusetts cable: Comcast 819HD and Verizon FiOS 18 / 518HD; on satellite: DirecTV 36 / 3128HD, Dish Network 36 / 7776.

WSBE Learn transmits over the air on digital 36.2; in Rhode Island on Cox 808; Verizon FiOS 478; Full Channel 89; and in Massachusetts on Comcast 294 or 312.

Can't get to the TV? Watch the episode online anytime and anywhere on our YouTube channel. Episodes of A Lively Experiment are generally available to watch on the next business day. Subscribe to our YouTube channel, and YouTube will notify you when a new episode is uploaded.

On Facebook? So are we! "Like" A Lively Experiment on Facebook.

Rhode Island PBS Encores The Newport Effect: Newport Folk Festival


Just in time for the 2015 Newport Folk Festival next weekend (July 24-26) at Fort Adams, Rhode Island PBS encores The Newport Effect: Newport Folk Festival on Sunday, July 19 at 6 p.m., as part of Rhode Island Stories.

Read more about the documentary in our original post here.


Thursday, July 9, 2015

This Week on A Lively Experiment (July 10, 2015)



Panel
Dyana Koelsch – moderator
Jim Hummel, Lead Investigator, The Hummel Report
Mark Curtis, Political Analyst,  MarkCurtisMedia.com
Kate Nagle, News Editor, GoLocalProv.com
Dave Layman, Former TV News Anchor, Corporate Communications Consultant

Topics
  • Review of the state budget session
  • RI’s new Education Commissioner 
  • PawSox “Listening Tour” 
  • Governor’s aim to reform criminal justice system 
  • Waterfront development planned in Pawtucket

A Lively Experiment airs on WSBE Rhode Island PBS (36.1) Fridays at 7 p.m., with rebroadcasts on Saturdays at 7 p.m. on WSBE Learn (36.2), and Sundays at noon on WSBE Rhode Island PBS.

WSBE Rhode Island PBS transmits standard-definition (SD) and high-definition (HD) programming over the air on digital 36.1; on Rhode Island cable: Cox 08 / 1008HD, Verizon FiOS 08 / 508HD, and Full Channel 08; on Massachusetts cable: Comcast 819HD and Verizon FiOS 18 / 518HD; on satellite: DirecTV 36 / 3128HD, Dish Network 36 / 7776.

WSBE Learn transmits over the air on digital 36.2; in Rhode Island on Cox 808; Verizon FiOS 478; Full Channel 89; and in Massachusetts on Comcast 294 or 312.

Can't get to the TV? Watch the episode online anytime and anywhere on our YouTube channel. Episodes of A Lively Experiment are generally available to watch on the next business day. Subscribe to our YouTube channel, and YouTube will notify you when a new episode is uploaded.

On Facebook? So are we! "Like" A Lively Experiment on Facebook.

Thursday, July 2, 2015

Tourism's the Topic on This Week's A Lively Experiment



Panel
Dyana Koelsch – moderator
Evan Smith, Director, Discover Newport
Stefan Pryor, RI Commerce Secretary
Laurie White, President, Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce
Martha Sheridan, President and CEO, Providence, Warwick Convention and Visitors Bureau

Topics
  • Tourism in Rhode Island 
  • Multi-million dollar statewide tourism campaign 
  • Wage increase for wait staff 
  • Minimum wage increase – will it help? 
  • PawSox Stadium 
  • Neighboring casinos 



A Lively Experiment airs on WSBE Rhode Island PBS (36.1) Fridays at 7 p.m., with rebroadcasts on Saturdays at 7 p.m. on WSBE Learn (36.2), and Sundays at noon on WSBE Rhode Island PBS.

WSBE Rhode Island PBS transmits standard-definition (SD) and high-definition (HD) programming over the air on digital 36.1; on Rhode Island cable: Cox 08 / 1008HD, Verizon FiOS 08 / 508HD, and Full Channel 08; on Massachusetts cable: Comcast 819HD and Verizon FiOS 18 / 518HD; on satellite: DirecTV 36 / 3128HD, Dish Network 36 / 7776.

WSBE Learn transmits over the air on digital 36.2; in Rhode Island on Cox 808; Verizon FiOS 478; Full Channel 89; and in Massachusetts on Comcast 294 or 312.

Can't get to the TV? Watch the episode online anytime and anywhere on our YouTube channel. Episodes of A Lively Experiment are generally available to watch on the next business day. Subscribe to our YouTube channel, and YouTube will notify you when a new episode is uploaded.

On Facebook? So are we! "Like" A Lively Experiment on Facebook.

Wednesday, July 1, 2015

World War I Field Hospital Setting for 'The Crimson Field'



In a tented field hospital on the coast of France, a team of doctors, nurses and women volunteers work together to heal the bodies and souls of men wounded in the trenches. In The Crimson Field, the hospital is a frontier: between the battlefield and homefront, but also between the old rules, hierarchies, class distinctions and a new way of thinking.

Kitty (Oona Chaplin), Rosalie (Marianne Oldham) and Flora (Alice St Clair) arrive as the hospital's first volunteer nurses and struggle to be accepted by the established medical team. The girls are flung head first into a world for which nothing and no one could have prepared them, but it is also an opportunity to break free of the constraints and limitations of their lives back home.

Sarah Phelps, one of British television's most exciting and original writers, tells this story of World War I's front line medics - their hopes, fears, triumphs and tragedies.

The Crimson Field will air at 10 p.m. on Fridays immediately following Poldark, starting July 3.


About the Episodes NOTE - THESE DESCRIPTIONS MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS

Episode 1 (July 3)
In the first episode, Kitty Trevelyan tries to put the troubles of her past behind her as she joins two other girls, Flora Marshall and Rosalie Berwick, to volunteer at one of the busiest war hospitals in Northern France.

For the hospital workers, it’s a daily battle to patch the men up and keep the war machine churning. Staff numbers are low and the volunteers are desperately needed, yet there are some who see these women as a threat.

As the volunteer nurses settle into their first day, it soon becomes clear that no training could have prepared them for the reality of working near the Front Line. Before the day ends, the hospital sees the arrival of Sister Joan Livesey, but it remains to be seen whether her modern approach will be welcomed.

Episode 2 (July 10, 2015)
The volunteer nurses settle into life at the hospital. Despite struggling with some personal problems, Kitty throws herself into her work, helping new patients Major Crecy and Private Byeford. Crecy awakens from the brink of death to find his troops have been decimated. Traumatised by war Crecy fears he will never be able to return to his old life. Beside Crecy lies Private Shoemaker and his Jamaican father who grapples with the heart-breaking reality that his son who defied the odds by enlisting may soon pay the ultimate price.

Meanwhile, the hospital readies for a convoy of new patients. With resources stretched, Joan views it as a chance for the volunteers’ skills to be put to good use, but Margaret doesn’t think they are ready to take on these new responsibilities. Will the girls live up to Joan’s expectations?

Episode 3 (July 17, 2015)
Thomas wrestles with a growing attraction to Kitty, and Joan reveals a dark secret to one of her patients.

While Thomas may not be prevailing with Kitty, he is having success on the wards with a pioneering wound irrigation system. Thomas’s test subject is doing well, but a fellow surgeon of the old-school, Major Yelland, is dismissive of his techniques. Will Miles be able to placate his increasingly riled friend?

A terrified patient faces court martial. There’s little anyone can do, and yet, his presence unnerves the staff and patients, a constant reminder of the perils of overstepping the rules. This warning is particularly pertinent for some, as a proud Irish non-commissioned officer faces rebellion from his young protégé.

Episode 4 (July 24, 2015)
As the hospital staff gather at a funeral for some of the patients, Joan is in agony not knowing whether her fiancé is alive or dead. Rosalie has seen Joan's ring and now watches her intently. Is the truth about to come to light?

Joan’s spirits are lifted by the arrival of 13 Tommies from her home town of Liverpool — known as "The Lucky 13." However, Joan discovers that one of them is much sicker than she thought, and finds herself the victim of blackmail.

Thomas seizes his opportunity to pursue Kitty, but when she gets a shocking summons to meet with a mysterious figure from home, it’s Miles who comes to her aid. Will Kitty face up to her past, and where will that leave her budding romance with Thomas?

Episode 5 (July 31, 2015)
It seems Colonel Ballard would rather be with his men than at rest within the calm sanctuary of the wards. Yet, when Grace reveals knowledge of Punjabi and an upbringing in India, the Colonel is temporarily calmed. As Grace tries to discover what’s made him so heated, another soldier, Private Gorman, seems focused on riling him further. Will Grace be able to unlock Ballard’s secret before Gorman provokes him into a very dangerous game?

Flora decides the volunteers should put on some entertainment to raise spirits, but as the pressure mounts, so do Flora’s nerves. MeanwhileJoan is still waiting for news from her fiancé, and Jaco calls her to an illicit meeting, sparking a series of events which draws Joan into danger, risking her profession and potentially her life.

Episode 6 (August 7, 2015)
Joan is hauled up on a charge of aiding the enemy and faces a possible lifetime in prison, and her actions send ripples through the hospital.

Kitty’s wracked with guilt that she knew about Joan but didn’t stop her. She’s desperate for someone to trust, but will she turn to Thomas or Miles?

Elsewhere, Flora discovers Peter’s brother, Jimmy, on one of the wards and happily reunites the siblings, but when it becomes clear that Jimmy is scared of war, Peter has a difficult decision to make. Rosalie, too, is feeling conflicted, unsure how to deal with her discovery of Kitty’s divorce.

As night falls some rules will be broken, others upheld and as the war machine grinds on faith, hope and love are put to the test.


Updated July 3, 2015

Dashing Captain Ross Poldark Returns to Masterpiece



Almost 40 years ago, Captain Ross Poldark galloped across the TV screens of millions of PBS viewers, vexing villains and winning female hearts in one of MASTERPIECE's earliest hit series, Poldark. Now the gallant captain rides again, allowing a new generation to delight in the exploits of an unconventional romantic hero.

Aidan Turner (The Hobbit) stars as Ross Poldark, a redcoat who returns to Cornwall after the American Revolutionary War to discover that his father is dead, his lands are ruined, and his true love is about to marry his first cousin. Also starring is Eleanor Tomlinson (Death Comes to Pemberley) as the fiery servant Demelza, a strong-willed miner's daughter who runs away from home and finds refuge in Poldark's enlightened household.

In a special appearance, Robin Ellis, who starred as Ross Poldark in MASTERPIECE's original adaptation, plays Reverend Halse, the village's sin-obsessed parson.

Poldark is based on a beloved series of novels by Winston Graham. The first, Ross Poldark, was published in 1945; the last, Bella Poldark, appeared in 2002, the year before Graham's death. All twelve are subtitled A Novel of Cornwall and trace the fortunes of a landed, mine-owning family in windswept Cornwall.

The new Poldark airs in eight exciting episodes starting Friday, July 3 at 9 p.m. on MASTERPIECE.

It's 'Liberty or Death' for Independence Day


Patrick Henry's impassioned plea at the second Virginia Convention of 1775, "Give me liberty or give me death," defined the American Revolution. 

The one-hour docu-drama LIBERTY OR DEATH captures this seminal moment in American history by balancing experts' commentary on the events preceding the second Virginia Convention with dramatic re-enactments of the historic moments that followed. Rhode Island PBS airs LIBERTY OR DEATH Thursday, July 2 at 8 p.m.

Actors portraying founding fathers George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry and other delegates bring the convention to life as another character, convention clerk John Tazwell, narrates the unfolding action. Historians also explain the lasting significance of the convention and Henry's stirring speech.