Series: New Television Workshop
Program: Split Britches
Episode: 412
Date: 1988-01-01
Duration: 00:00:55

Subject: Women; Drama; Interpersonal relations
People: Geller, Matthew; Margolin, Deborah; Shaw, Peggy; Weaver, Lois
Copyright Holder: Matthew Geller

Clip Description
"Split Britches" is the story of three women from the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, set sometime in the 1930's, whose squabbling is often pacified by periods of singing.

Program Description
This episode of "New Television" features Matthew Geller's "Split Britches."

Based on the original work conceived and directed by Lois Weaver, "Split Britches" is the story of three women of the Gearhart (Gerehart) family from the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, set sometime in the 1930's. Della comes to her enfeebled relatives' ramshackle farmhouse to care for them. Constant squabbling is often pacified by periods of singing among the women. Before the story begins, the writer, Lois Weaver, gives an introduction to the story, in which she reveals it is a true story based on research she did on her Virginia ancestors. Straightforward direction is occasionally interrupted by camera movements in the style of cinema-verité. The action is periodically interrupted by asides spoken to the camera by the characters. Costumes were designed by Susan Young. Produced and directed by Matthew Geller.

Series Description
The New Television Workshop originated at WGBH, a public broadcasting station in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1974 to support the creation and development of experimental video art. This experimental programming included dance, drama, music, performance and visual arts on video and film. As early as 1968, WGBH was committed to the development of video art through residency programs, with artists such as Nam June Paik, and the "Rockefeller Artists-in-Television" project. Many of these early works (pre-1974) were broadcast both locally and nationally.

As an umbrella for arts related programming, the Workshop included "Artist's Showcase, " "Frames of Reference, " "Dance for Camera, " "Poetry Breaks," and "New Television," as well as acquired arts programming. Individual works were created for "Visions," a series produced by WNET (New York), and "Alive From Off Center," a series produced by KTCA (St. Paul - Minneapolis). The Contemporary Art Television (CAT) Fund was co-founded by the Workshop and Boston's Institute for Contemporary Art (ICA) in the 1980's, to commission works by video artists. In 1993 the Workshop ceased production at WGBH.

See also: http://main.wgbh.org/wgbh/NTW/FA/TITLES/Split79.HTML