Inspired by book, Orange resident films pilot episode of ‘A Kid with Ten Parents’

ORANGE — Six years after Hulu canceled the series “Castle Rock,” cameras were once again rolling in this town of 7,500 people earlier this month.

Resident Joshua Myrvaagnes assembled a small cast and crew for two days of filming to bring to fruition the pilot for “A Kid with Ten Parents,” a scripted series that centers around a ragtag group of ordinary Americans who come together to raise one child. Shooting took place at Mary Canning’s North Orange home on Oct. 4 and at 48 East River St. on Oct. 5, with a short scene at Terry’s Corner Cafe at 1 South Main St.

“The shoot went way better than I expected. This is my first time working in TV,” Myrvaagnes reflected in an interview. “The intensity of emotion in the performance I was able to give was far beyond what I imagined I was going to be able to contribute.”

He said he had someone lined up to play Jonah, one of the 10 titular “parents,” but that person was unable to do it and Myrvaagnes could not find a replacement. Canning was similarly called in from the acting bullpen to play Kalendra, another titular “parent,” when an actress dropped out.

“It was fun. The cast was really eclectic, and reflective of the theme of [Myrvaagnes’] screenplay,” she said. “There was a lot of harmony. Everyone really got on.”

Canning laughed as she expressed gratitude that her character had only one line.

“Thank God!” she said.

Myrvaagnes had reached out to Canning about renting her Salamander Hollow Healing Habitat for filming and lodging for his crew, but the site was booked those days. Nevertheless, the two hit it off and Canning became involved in Myrvaagnes’ project.

Myrvaagnes explained that the two-day shoot served as a proof of concept, a small-scale test to verify if a specific idea is practical and feasible before spending time and money on full development.

The project was inspired by the book “Robes: A Book of Coming Changes” by Penny Kelly. Myrvaagnes said it is “also an answer to the techno-optimism and doomerism of our times.” He suggests that reinvention rooted in simplicity, growing food and local self-determination can help inspire a much-needed bottom-up revolution.

“People in the cities have had an outsized voice in shaping our conversation about sustainability. I have not heard my own views or experiences represented by either the left or the right,” he said. “Because I live in Orange, I have been able to act my way into new thinking, reducing my own footprint to just 12% of the U.S. average footprint, and dropping. My everyday experiences inform what I write in ways that I would have been blind to if I still lived in the city.”

Director Tai Bacani will edit the project, which still needs to be scored with music. Myrvaagnes said he hopes to release the work in December. He plans to post it to social media, air it on Athol-Orange Community Television (AOTV) and share it with the team at Miguel Sabido Consultancy, which works directly with broadcasters, nonprofits, governments, foundations and content creators.

“The pilot is just compost for the next phase of the project,” Myrvaagnes explained. “There will be more episodes, and whether I’m involved in making them as a writer or not is a team decision. Whatever is best for the mission is what we will do.”