Really happy to say SPARE ROOMS will premiere at this year’s Maryland Film Festival! We’re screening in the “Quartet” category with three other stellar films — more details, including dates and times, coming soon …

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On the left, that’s  a vintage 1981 pink Daisy razor. On the right, that’s NOT a vintage pre-1985 Barbasol can, but it sure looks like one. Our production designer, Andrew Fair, fabricated period graphics for Spare Rooms — that kind of attention to detail is one of the reasons we hope you’ll share and support our just-launched Indiegogo campaign!

We’ve come to the conclusion Spare Rooms actress Melissa O’Brien (Rae) doesn’t sleep! Her direction of The Mobtown Players production of Medea earned a Baltimore City Paper “Top Ten of 2013” recognition — congratulations are in order!

Maddie Howard (Cass) and Emmi Shockley (Cass’s Friend) in Ping Pong Summer.

Maddie Howard (Cass) and Emmi Shockley (Cass’s Friend) are heading to Sundance for their roles in Ping Pong Summer! Directed and written by Michael Tully, Ping Pong Summer, according to Variety, is “A youthful snapshot of the summer of 1985, set in Ocean City, Md.” Cast includes Susan Sarandon, John Hannah, Lea Thompson, Amy Sedaris, Robert Longstreet, Marcello Conte — and Maddie and Emmi!

Spare Rooms producer Joe Tropea and DP Skizz Cyzyk co-directed the award-winning documentary Hit & Stay, and it gets its theatrical debut at Baltimore’s Charles Theatre this next week! Baltimore City Paper weighs in with its own review today …

SCENE 5: When Will invites Walker Lambert to stay overnight, Rae and Marie confront how to appear in the closet while still giving their teenage son the chance to have a “normal” life. With Melissa O’Brien (Rae) and Valarie Perez-Schere (Marie).

Melissa O’Brien and Valarie Perez-Schere in a still from a test shoot of SPARE ROOMS, Scene 5.

We did test shoots for several scenes this weekend with Noah, Valarie, and Melissa — according to Melissa, “I am happy to report that Valarie Perez-Schere is an excellent snuggler.”

Indiewire has just announced its “Sundance Wishlist,” and Ping Pong Summer, which features Maddie Howard (Cass), is one of its 30 picks!

Maddie Howard (second from left) in Indiewire’s Sundance Wishlist pick, “Ping Pong Summer”

Set in 1985 (sound familiar?), Ping Pong Summer, according to lead actress Susan Sarandon, is “The Karate Kid with ping-pong.” We’re super happy for Maddie, and hope to hear good news from Park City!