In the long history of the development of Center City there existed the idea of pitching it to ABC and SoapNet with Frank Valentini as the Executive Producer. Agnes Nixon's creations, All My Children and One Life to Live were based in a fictional suburban Philadelphia where the inhabitants were often going to Center City, which is what Philadelphians call their downtown area.
The critical success of General Hospital's Nightshift was the inspiration. In an earlier incarnation Center City was called Between Two Rivers. We decided to draw on that history and that of the wonderful characters in Pine Valley and Llanview and have them crossover to interact with the Fontana-De Marcos and other core families who live in a fictional Philadelphia.
It's unfortunate that iAgnes Nixon's "stories" are no more. SoapNet, too, disapeared. There is still a strong, solid market for storytelling with a long story arc. While Center City is not precisely a Soap Opera in the sense of Daytime TV's "stories" it is a serial drama with a long story arc and rich back story. We're convinced there is a place for it and we continue to pitch it where we think appropriate. The biggest hurdles are to get the right people to look at the solid pilot script and the unique story behind it as well as attaching the right people.
It could be a mini-series or a series extending for ten episodes every season. The Bible is and we know exactly where this story is going. The back story is very clear and rich.
The center of the action is an Italian restaurant in Philly's Rittenhouse Square. A divorced Sicilian American mother of two grown sons struggles with the disappearance/death of her fraternal twin and a partner in the restaurant she now runs to keep the family legacy alive. There is an ensemble cast of characters depicting the tapestry of the Philadelphia ethnic landscape. In addition to the Italian matriarch, Anna--the most central of the matriarchs, there are matriarchal characters like Marlena, Rita, Norina and Annunziata,
Our stage readings have been memorable. General Hospital's Lisa LoCicero brought Anna to life at West Hollywood's Celebration Theatre.
Actors tend to love it: "I just finished Center City and I’m really impressed. Your dialogue is real and witty and often moving– it rolls off an actor's tongue. On a personal level, its so refreshing to a read an authentic story about a piece of my beloved hometown … you have juicy, interesting, three dimensional characters living in a wonderful story. Thank you for sharing this wonderful story with me." ~ actor/playwright Mark Borkowski (Boardwalk Empire)
Contact: Giovanni papag@center-city.net
