QUESTIONS & ANSWERS:

Exclusive interview with the director Christine Mahin!

Q: "Sheehan Beach," is your baby, right? How did you come up with the idea to do a Villanova soap?

A: Another WVTV club member came up with the idea to produce a show based on the success of the popular shows The OC and Laguna Beach—high school- and college-aged students dealing with the day-to-day drama, albeit a bit exaggerated. Nothing like it had been done at the student-run television station before, and we judged that it would pique a lot of interest on a college campus.

Q: What is the best part of being part of "Sheehan Beach"?

A: Without a doubt, working with the cast and crew has been the very best part of the show.  We’ve been blessed with a helpful, competent and enjoyable cast who get along beautifully. They make otherwise long and arduous shoots fun. The writers, Colleen Comerford, Lisa Tuason, and Elizabeth Praught are the other blessings.  Diligent, talented and lovely women, they make the whole process a cakewalk compared to what it would be without them.

Q: Where would you like to see "Sheehan Beach" going in the future?

A: We plan to complete one more episode by the end of this academic year (which will make two), and then go on to produce as many as possible this next academic year. My biggest hopes for the show are that it gives all working on it a great experience, provides some entertainment for the viewers on campus, and continues to be produced and enjoyed even after I graduate next May. If those wishes are fulfilled, I would be infinitely happy.

Q: What is one funny or emotional moment you've had in writing, casting, filming or anything?

A: The screening in the Connelly Center cinema was the most exciting, emotional part of the whole process. It was the culmination of everything we had been working on for a month. Friends and family came for support, the whole cast was together for the first time, and our vision was realized on the big screen. It was an incredible feeling.

Q: How did you get everyone together for "Sheehan Beach," were they friends, did they audition?

A: The week after Winter Recess the writers held auditions in the WVTV studio. Two days of three-hour sessions yielded the cast we have now.  Luckily, upon meeting each other, the cast jelled, and no one would be able to tell that they were not already great friends.

Q: What truth is "Sheehan Beach" based on, if any?

 A: The writers pour a lot of themselves into the characters and plots. Already we’ve had screaming matches, tears, cheating, broken hearts and rocky relationships, all of which were taken, to some degree, from our lives.  Friends and roommates have proved particularly inspirational. I’d say it’s about 80% true.

Q: If you could pick one character to be your favorite, who is it and why?

A: A month ago I would have told you that the characters I write (Cassie Frye and Mark Riley) were my favorites. They speak my words and feel my feelings, and I think their opposite views and personalities echo my own conflicting opinions. Writing their scenes is cathartic for me.  But after getting to know all the characters during the writing process, discussions with the writers and the shoots, I find something intensely enjoyable about each one, and I love them all.