“Sneak Peek” Screening of PRE FAB! includes Post-Show Filmmaker Q&A
For the first time, local audiences can see the completed film which now includes Sir Paul McCartney in the cast and a 70-song score
ORLANDO, Fla. (Sept. 19, 2023) – The Garden Theatre in historic Winter Garden is proud to present a “sneak peek” of the new, feature-length documentary PRE FAB! at 2 p.m. on Sunday, October 1.
Based on the book of the same name by English-born drummer Colin Hanton and co-author Colin Hall — custodian of John Lennon’s childhood home — PRE FAB! is considered to be the last Beatles story to tell about how it all began. The film chronicles the story of how John Lennon rounded up his friends in 1950s Liverpool to form The Quarrymen, a group that would evolve in just a few years into the biggest and most influential band in music history – The Beatles.
After more than four years in production, this hometown sneak peek for Orlando audiences is meaningful to writer / director / producer Todd Thompson and his Stars North production company. While a rough cut of the film opened the Florida Film Festival in April 2022, this will be the first time local audiences can see the final, completed film which now includes Sir Paul McCartney in the cast and a musical score featuring a playlist of over 70 skiffle and early rock-n-roll classics.
PRE FAB! was a co-production between Thompson and Tampa-based attorney-turned-producer, Mark Bentley. Executive producer Greg Galloway, the film’s editor Dave Harrison, composer Colin O’Malley, and sound designer Rob Hill all live in central Florida and call Orlando home. The film takes viewers back to the early days before The Beatles to tell their origin story. Hanton serves as a jovial tour guide through this history-in-the-making narrative about the rise of “Skiffle” music (an acoustic blend of folk, blues, and jazz) and its impact — along with American rock ‘n’ roll — on post-World War II British youth. The film skillfully combines archival footage and music of the period, along with interviews with the surviving Quarrymen, family, friends, Liverpool residents and many others… including Sir Paul McCartney himself.
“Peter Jackson’s Get Back was the epic and surprising conclusion to the Beatles story,” Bentley says. “PRE FAB! shows us the origins of the Fab Four before they were ‘fab.’ It is my hope that viewers leave the theater with both a clearer understanding of how The Beatles evolved, as well as a sweet reminder that life may sometimes seem unfair, but eventually works out just the way it’s supposed to.”
“Having this opportunity to give Orlando a sneak peek of our film in a theater as historic and beautiful as The Garden is a great honor” says director Todd Thompson, who is also known for his award-winning Nichelle Nichols documentary Woman in Motion on Paramount+. “This is the first time we are showing the actual finished film on the big screen, so it’s going to be a very special event for us.”
The Garden Theatre’s, Brian Fallon, agrees: “I am excited to share this amazing film with Central Florida. The Garden Theatre strives to have diverse offerings on our stage including live plays, concerts, comedians, and films. PRE FAB! combines the art of film storytelling, and music so it seems perfect for the Garden Theatre.”
Tickets are $10.50 plus tax and fees and are available online by clicking here.
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About Stars North™
Stars North™ is an award-winning, Emmy-nominated, independent motion picture production company based in Orlando, Florida. Over the last decade, Stars North™ has been committed to creating emotionally gripping stories that have real meaning and impact. The company’s writers, directors and producers are anchored by a culture of creative thinking and unrivaled storytelling that has proven to delight audiences time and time again.
Stars North™ actively pursues the development and production of original digital content and short and feature-length films, leveraging state legislative incentives that help support growth in the local economy and generate a continuous flow of work for cast and crew.
About The Garden Theatre
Garden Theatre of Winter Garden celebrates its 16th anniversary during the 2023 – 2024 performance season. Originally built in 1935 as a single-screen cinema, the theatre was the first in Central Florida built for “talkies” and was a gathering place for locals to watch the latest newsreels and films of the day. The building was restored to its former glory in 2008, and the 299-seat Garden Theatre, with a current annual budget of $1.5 million, has grown to a performing arts center with extensive programming that includes professional live theatre, concerts, dance, special events, movies and a thriving summer camp and arts education program. Visit gardentheatre.org or contact 407-877-4736 for details about the 2023 to 2024 season.
Media can download film clips, high-resolution images and more background here.
Photo Credit: Stars North™
MEDIA CONTACT:
Jennifer Bisbee at jennifer@bisbeeandco.com or (407) 257-4667 for Todd Thompson and Stars North™
Brian Fallon at brian.fallon@gardentheater.org or (407) 877-4736 ext. 206 for Garden Theatre.