Private Project

The Commedia

Inspired by Leoncavallo's opera "Pagliacci", The Commedia is about Patty, a young actress who stumbles through the awkward and embarrassing tribulations that come with her haphazard attempts as a desperate comedian awaiting her big break.

Despite the criticism she experiences from her peers and family, the force that truly pushes Patty to the brink of giving up on her dreams is the voice in her head. As she hits rock bottom, Patty is approached by Tonia, a ringleader clown, and her clown posse. Together, they help Patty confront the overwhelming perfectionism and shame that have been holding her back.

  • Frankie Kevich
    Director
    VelociPastor 2, Apex Legends, Mermaid Magic
  • Frankie KEvich
    Writer
    VelociPastor 2, Apex Legends, Mermaid Magic
  • Ken Rudnick
    Producer
    Get Laughs or Cry Trying, Fresh Off the Boat, Unstable
  • Tiffany Hue
    Producer
  • Frankie Kevich
    Producer
    Stoner Girls, El Carrito, As with Dogs
  • Frankie Kevich
    Key Cast
    "Patty"
    VelociPastor 2, Apex Legends, Mermaid Magic
  • Steph Martinez
    Key Cast
    "Tonia"
    Sins in the Suburbs, Get Away, Bee-Man
  • Katie Liz Tassone
    Key Cast
    "Nedda"
    A Hero for a Day, Bee-Man, the Browns
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Comedy, Thriller, comedy-thriller
  • Runtime:
    10 minutes 56 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    September 26, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    3,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English, Italian
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Frankie Kevich

Born in Vancouver, Canada, Frankie Kevich is a Filipino-Polish actor, writer, and director, who now blasts the soundtrack of La La Land everytime she hits the freeways in her home of Los Angeles. Performing since childhood in figure skating, dance and choir, she delved into acting upon immigrating to Torrance at 15. She produced, wrote and directed one-act plays and sketch comedy with LCC Theatre Company (UCLA's Asian American Theatre Company), while earning her undergrad degrees in Economics and Film at UCLA.

Since graduating UCLA in 2020, she has become a very cool aunt to her friends’ unrelated children, who recognize her as the voice of iconic characters like Conduit in the video game Apex Legends, Merlinda in the #1 Netflix kids show Mermaid Magic, and series regulars Swag and Jade in the MGA Netflix shows LOL Surprise and Rainbow High. On screen, she was in ABC’s Not Dead Yet and will soon be starring in the sequel to hit indie comedy-action-thriller The VelociPastor!

Frankie’s purpose as a filmmaker and actor is to break down gender norms by bringing to life irreverently comedic and unapologetically badass women on screen. She is making her directorial film debut with her short The Commedia.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Clowns have always had a deep place in my heart, ever since watching the 2001 film Chicago and seeing John C. Reilly sing his trampy little heart out to an empty theater. I adore the weird duality in clowns; From their mischievous dedication to bringing joy and laughter, to their shady reputation of being homicidal, depressed maniacs depicted in horror films, the Batman universe and… of course, the opera, Pagliacci.

The Commedia was a project that I wrote during a challenging couple of months where my mind falsely interpreted every bit of feedback from my peers into a single repetitive statement: “That was terrible, you untalented hack and you shouldn’t be doing this.” This piece was meant to remind myself and other artists that this profession demands bravery. We cannot fear the embarrassment that comes from trying weird things that might not work. More importantly, be prepared when people point out that it doesn’t.

As I was writing this piece and thinking about the characters, who inspire me and who I wanted to portray as my posse who pushes me forward, I realized that many powerful, funny women were the center of my universe. So getting to create a project with a badass, all woman cast is so fulfilling.

I often strive for “perfection” because it protects you from criticism. But perfect is painfully boring. It’s simply not worth the suffering. Clowns are my heroes because they are shamelessly embarrassing but if they’ve at least entertained you, then they’ve accomplished their mission. That’s the kind of artist I aspire to be. So if you can identify the piece of yourself that’s holding you back from trying something brilliantly weird, take out your shears and start pruning. That mean, little saboteur could be holding you back from realizing your imperfect genius.