Matinée

In this sophisticated, intensely-erotic, sexually-explicit movie directed by Harvard-trained Jennifer Lyon Bell, one of the foremost producers of the movie genre  known as “feminist porn,” actors Mariah (Alicia Whitsover) and Daniel (Steven McAlistair) perform in a play which includes a love scene that is supposed to be passionate.  Knowing that they are to perform in a matinee that afternoon before a person who could change their careers, Daniel tells Mariah that he is concerned that the sex scene in the play is “falling apart.”   He suggests that they improvise to improve it.  Though at first reluctant to do so, Mariah  shares his assessment and agrees to “go for it.”

The manner in which Jennifer Lyons Bell cast the actors was unusual. Steven McAlistair, was a trained ballet dancer who did not think of himself as an actor. He did not to plan to audition for a role in Matinée but  arrived to help a friend. Once at the audition, he thought he would be right for the male lead and decided  try for it.  In order make sure that all the actors  (both male and female) were comfortable with and understood the challenges of their roles, Jennifer Lyons Bell developed an audition procedure. After reading the script, each actor met with her and was given the opportunity to raise any concerns they had. Subsequent auditions, from which a list of finalists was prepared, included  readings followed by an improvisation involving nudity. The finalists were paired and auditioned together. Finally, each finalist was asked with which other actor they most preferred to work.  From this, Jennifer Lyon Bell  cast the film