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This Saturday night at The Harris Theater in downtown Pittsburgh, it’s an evening of documentaries by longtime (as in fifty years) local (and legendary, see below) filmmakers Betsy and Joe Seamans.  Abide in This Place Awhile: Selected Documentary Work 1976 - 2026 is a program of four documentaries, the most recent of which focuses on Copacetic! It runs just under 100 minutes total.  Starts at 7:00pm!
 
 
Here are the films:
 
Conversations in Rhyme (1979) about children’s folk traditions from Pittsburgh (25 mins) 

The Journey is This (2009) about Tim Kaulen as Artist of the Year in 2009 (12 mins) 

You’ve Got to Take Pride in What You Do (2016) about Jeff James, a mule trainer and logger in Middle Tennessee (22 mins) 

An Alternate Reality (2026) about Bill Boichel and Copacetic Comics (27 mins) 

ALL Directed by Joe and Betsy Seamans 

________ 

Betsy and Joe began their careers in public television. Their recent filmmaking collaborations have a quiet, meditative style which is reflected in the shorts selected for this screening.

Betsy Seamans is a writer and filmmaker who makes documentary films about community and traditional life in the United States. She worked with Fred Rogers for over 30 years as script writer, actor and filmmaker for the MISTER ROGERS’ NEIGHBORHOOD program and to produce training materials related to children and community violence. For the past 15 years she and Joe have documented daily life in rural Tennessee. She received a National Endowment for the Arts award in 1971.

Joe is a documentary filmmaker by trade, working primarily for the Public Broadcasting Service since 1970 for series like the National Geographic Specials and NOVA for which his credits include producer, writer, and director of photography. Eight years ago, Joe began designing projections for theater and opera, primarily in Pittsburgh, where he has completed fifteen major productions.

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