A historic Bronx landmark served as the setting for a potential television series.
Through the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment and Brooklyn College’s Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema’s citywide scriptwriting competition, a pilot for Robin Rose Singer’s winning script, ‘Adult Behavior’ was filmed from Monday, June 12 to Friday, June 16 at Andrew Freedman Home.
The half hour comedy follows Midwestern nurse Jessica Applegate, portrayed by Kristin Parker, working at the fictional Bronx-based Shady Breeze senior housing facility.
Her tough-as-nails 46-year-old supervisor Lynnetta, portrayed by Mugga who’s best known for her role as Reema Pell on ‘Orange is the New Black,’ seems to be the only person Jessica can connect with as the other senior residents are not above a little good-hearted hazing.
Struggling to adjust to life in the Boogie Down Bronx, Jessica starts to realize the life she imagined for herself might be an impossible dream in the modern world.
The pilot features a crew of 15 women and a cast of six women.
It embodies Feirstein’s commitment to alter the film school model and the TV and film industries by evaluating the diverse voices of women, people of color, immigrants and other marginalized groups.
The Rose Haag-directed pilot will air either November or December 2017 on NYC Media, the city’s official broadcast network reaching 18 million households.
Singer will post the exact air date on her Instagram @robinrosesinger and Twitter @robin_singer.
Connecticut native Singer is the owner of Black 26 Pictures, a company she founded to make stand-out narrative and documentary film work.
The NYU alum was inspired to write Adult Behavior after visiting her grandmother who had suffered a minor stroke.
Singer’s grandmother fully recovered and she learned more about her energetic elder’s many interesting life experiences such as residing in Batista-era Cuba.
“I wrote the show to help bridge the generational gap between younger and older people,” explained Singer. “I hope everyone who watches it will become inspired to learn more about the older generation much like how I did with my grandmother.”
The full-time New York-based actress, writer and producer enjoyed returning to her favorite borough to film Adult Behavior.
Singer initially visited the Bronx two years ago while working on an untitled Spanish film.
“The Bronx is a very inspirational place for me because it has such a specific vibe and diverse culture unlike anywhere else,” she shared.
Location manager Paul Hamill said 80% of Adult Behavior was filmed on Andrew Freedman Home’s first floor while additional scenes were filmed inside the landmark’s second floor office, Joyce Kilmer Park and on East 167th Street.
Hamill discovered Andrew Freedman Home while working on Netflix’s ‘Seven Seconds’ which filmed at Bronx County Courthouse and utilized the historic mansion as a supporting space.
The villa was built by its namesake financier who left part of his fortune to establish a home for formerly wealthy elderly people.
Adult Behavior will compete against ‘Half-Life’ written by Patty Carey-Perazzo and the winner will receive four additional episodes to air on NYC Media next summer.
For more information, visit www.robin
