IN DEVELOPMENT
The Forge
Genre: Historical Thriller / Political Drama
Logline: To unite a starving army and secure a vital alliance, George Washington recruits a traumatized army doctor to stage a classical tragedy about the last day of democracy in Rome.
The Hook: The Forge is a non-stop espionage thriller revealing how a theatrical production saved the American Revolution. Set during the darkest low point of the war, the film tells the astonishing, true story of how George Washington used classical theater to weed out traitors and unite a fractured, mutinous army into a new nation. It brings America’s founding drama to the screen, delivering a timely warning about the fragility of democracy.
Development Status: We have a completed feature script for The Forge. Our unique insight into this historical moment stems from two decades of producing and adapting classical drama. By staging a complete, two-hour production of Joseph Addison’s Cato we gained an intimate understanding of exactly how and why Washington deployed this epic tragedy to unite his men.
Jack Fitzpatrick in his 4th Dragoon American uniform. During the war, the iconic green Irish jackets were repurposed directly from captured British redcoats.
The Maids of Dingle
Genre: Historical Thriller / Drama
Logline: In famine-ravaged 1840s Ireland, an underground rebel teacher goes into hiding as a maid in a powerful British manor, sparking a deadly game of espionage and defiance against a sadistic magistrate.
The Story: Set against the brutal, unforgiving backdrop of the Irish Famine, The Maids of Dingle is a gripping historical thriller. Eighteen-year-old Rose is a fiercely courageous underground teacher, risking her life to educate children in the outlawed Irish language and Irish history. Relentlessly hunted by Magistrate Russel—a tyrant empowered by martial law and a mandate to crush insurrection—Rose goes into hiding as a domestic maid within a powerful Anglo-Irish manor.
When the estate’s heir, a decorated British Captain, returns home, Rose finds herself trapped in a perilous web of espionage, hidden loyalties, and brutal betrayal. As the magistrate’s reign of terror culminates in public executions, Rose and a fierce local rebel must orchestrate a desperate, bloody showdown against the forces of empire to escape the gallows and secure their freedom.
Thematic Vision: The Maids of Dingle is the latest expression in Irish literature. What is ostensibly a story about Irish maids is a cinematic bridge through the deeply tumultuous time of injustice that separates the Irish from their past. The film provides a vital link for a diaspora of cultural amnesiacs, allowing them to reconnect with cultural pride that reaches back into the ancient past as far as Homer’s harp. Crucially, this reconnection does not preach violence, but love—even finding shared humanity within the British ranks. Serving as a cinematic balm, it offers a cathartic release for generational rage and a healing perspective only made possible by the long passage of time.
The Birds
Genre: Satirical Comedy
A bold, complete, authentic staging of Aristophanes’ classic comedy. While modern productions frequently adapt the text, this version preserves the hilarious chaos of all nine political interlopers—including the notorious parricide (the father-killer). The narrative follows two men who, tired by the complexities of democracy, abandon Athens to establish an autocracy in the sky. By retaining the complete cast of ancient grifters and parasites, the film delivers a sharp, highly cinematic take on political fascination with authoritarianism.
The Ragged Poet arrives to sing the praises of the new ruler.
Our Classical Mission: Philoctetes
Alongside our feature film development slate, our studio remains dedicated to the ongoing mission of staging all extant Greek plays. Next in our classical pipeline is Sophocles’ Philoctetes, a profound theatrical exploration of individual growth, isolation, and the arduous journey to develop an unshakeable moral center.