Television producer Colleen Hamilton spent 11 months reviewing more than 100 hours of video interviews to get to today.
It’s the day her documentary, “Project: Shattered Silence,” premieres on television in the Tampa Bay area.
Her documentary chronicles the stories of dozens of teenagers as they work through improvisation, surveys and script writing to stage a unique theater piece at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater under the direction of Jared O’Roark.
“And some of their stories are beyond heart-wrenching and very, very hard stories to tell,” Hamilton said.
The seasoned news and documentary producer said this is the longest she’s ever spent on one single project and the experience has changed her for life. That’s because Hamilton is also a mother of two teenagers.
The teens’ stories are the focus of the hour-long documentary where one girl shares what her life is like after her for her father’s suicide. Another teenager talks about “cutting,” self-mutilation.
There is humor too and viewers will witness the strong bond that forms among the teenage theater participants.
“I won’t forget a single one of these young people in the cast,” Hamilton said, “And I think I’ll be friends with Jared O’Roark the director forever.”
The documentary "Project: Shattered Silence" premiere broadcast is tonight at 9 on WEDU-TV, Channel 3, in the Tampa Bay area.
