Conrad's university: parts of Blake Robbins' movie will be
shot on Wichita State's campus.
"A day that ends in tragedy begins as inauspiciously as any other. When Dave's young daughters are killed, what happens next is anything but expected."
So goes a teaser for the film based on a true story…, set to begin shooting in Wichita in early 2006. The brainchild of Blake Robbins '88, the film will center on an average Midwestern man whose life is suddenly and tragically turned upside-down.
"I'll be playing the lead role, Dave Conrad, a university professor," says Robbins. "I will also be a producer on the film, and I wrote it."
Though this will be the first production in which he's worn so many hats, he is far from a novice in the business. As an actor, he has appeared in more than 30 episodes of network television programs, including "Cold Case," "Medium," "Crossing Jordan" and "Law & Order," and has played recurring characters in HBO's gritty prison drama "Oz" and Fox's teen soap opera "The OC." He has also acted on Broadway, seen his own play The Dance featured in a reading series by the New York Stage and Film theater company, appeared in several independent films and authored the book Acting Qs: Conversations with Working Actors.
Interestingly, Robbins, who earned his degree from WSU in marketing, was not always so heavily involved in theatrical exploits. "I did seven or eight plays as a student at Independence Community College in Independence, Kansas," he explains, "which was my first experience onstage. Later, when I attended WSU, I took one acting class. Weeks before I graduated with my degree in business, I took inventory of my situation and decided I was going to become an actor." His longtime friend Jeff DeGraffenreid '88 remembers being puzzled when he heard the news. "When Blake said he was going to go back East and work on acting, we kind of scratched our heads."
Since then, though, Robbins' dogged determination — and the success following in its wake — has laid to rest any doubts his family and friends might have had. And the buzz being generated by based on a true story… may be an early indicator of bigger and better things to come. Robbins and two collaborators, his friends and fellow actors Matthew del Negro (a familiar face to viewers of "The West Wing" and "The Sopranos") and Chris Messina (of "Six Feet Under" and the star-studded Broadway production of Salome), have invested emotionally in the project, and now face the challenge of securing financial backing for the film.
"I began writing this film script for myself and my friends in December 2004, encouraged by Matt and Chris," Robbins says. "I have three different possible producing partnerships in play. However, we are still seeking funding; we would love to have someone — or a few someones — who would love to get involved in the world of independent filmmaking come on board."
Robbins chose to shoot the film in Wichita due to a number of factors, among them: "my personal familiarity with Wichita and my gut instinct that the community of Wichita would embrace the idea of someone trying to do an independent film there. Which, so far, has been the case!"
When asked what advice he might give aspiring screenwriters and actors, he advises, "Make it personal. Do what inspires you so that you can inspire others. You are only limited by your own thoughts and fears; acknowledge that and move forward one step at a time." Looking back over his own career, he adds, "It's been a long and winding road, but now here I am."
