Explore Whose America?
Written & Created by T. Gordon Stanley
As our Presidential election has brought to the forefront, there are many perspectives of the real America. When someone says “I want my country back!”, what does that really mean?
Whose America? White America? Black America? Jewish America? Evangelic America? Muslim America? Progressive America? Conservative America? Latino America? Hillbilly America? Ghetto America? McMansion American?
Well, simply put, they’re all America.
From iconic landmarks and historic sites to back water subcultures insulated from the mainstream, the cast members of CoeXist will explore this great land, exiting their comfort zones to learn about the broad spectrum that makes up this country.
From coast to coast, they will dive into situations where they participate and learn. They may pray at a mosque in Dearborn, Michigan. How will the black evangelic conservative react? Shooting AR-15s at a gun range and taking a survival course. How will the South Asian Muslim feminist fare? Spending time in a Florida nudist camp. How will the modest Mormon Latina hold up? And how will they all process their experiences?
CAST
The challenge and success in casting is to find five unique and unexpected individuals with big personalities and a strong point of view by pulling from the following categories:
Religion
Ethnicity
Native Born v Foreign Born
Lifestyle
Upbringng
These are intelligent women. But the show is designed for conflict of ideas, experiences and emotions. And the chance to walk in another’s shoes.
In particular, when one of the destinations hits close to home, close to the personal experience of one of the cast members, it can be a profound and challenging scene.
EPISODES
Episodes may include some of the following:
The Wall - A visit to the Arizona border to meet with Border Patrol Agents, Volunteer Minutemen, Undocumented Residents and other residents.
Habibi Baby! - The cast visit the first Muslim majority city in America, Dearborn Michigan.
Smoked - the legal marijuana dispensaries of Colorado are the destination where the cast learns about America's newest billion dollar industry.
Boom Town - the cast visit Mt. Rushmore then continue on to on to a fracking Boom Town.
Chiraq – The cast meet the saints and sinners of Chicago’s South Side, considered one of the most violent and hopeless places in America.
Bears in Paradise - The cast descend on Provincetown during gay Bear week to explore the alternative lifestyle within an alternative lifestyle.
Tex Mex - The cast learn what it means to be a Tejano. They'll visit the Alamo, explore Tex Mex cooking and visit John Floore’s Country Store, famous for Texas two-step.
Bubbaville - In Alabama, he cast descend into one of the most conservation towns in the nation and learn survivalism, how to shoot guns, and how to fend off a Muslim invasion.
2016
Gold Prize Winner
WGA 1834405