The Homework Club

Inspired by characters from Anton Chekhov's play "The Seagull" and the films of John Hughes, "The Homework Club" follows four high school students with little in common who are forced to work together on an extra credit project for class. Over the course of an afternoon, they bicker, yawp, dance, and discover they have more in common than they realized.

Created as an outlet for young thespians sidelined by pandemic-related restrictions during the 2020-21 school year, the film was written, directed, produced and performed by a group of ninth grade students and submitted by Bishop Ireton High School (of Alexandria, VA) to the 2021 Cappies of the National Capital Area.

It was shot on location in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, over six weekends from February to April 2021. The cast and crew overcame frigid temperatures, 25 mph winds, untimely wireless microphone failures, and continuity challenges that arose as winter turned to spring.

Although the dialogue was scripted, much of the location shooting and cinematography was improvised on site to accommodate the many bystanders thronging the historic district. A promenade along King Street featured as a musical interlude was shot in one unscripted take. The Homework Club was the first introduction to filmmaking for everyone involved and was a wonderful learning experience despite (or because of) the cast and crew’s lack of camera, sound and editing know-how.