MIDDLEBURY — An event with teeth is coming to Town Hall Theater in Middlebury on Sunday, Nov. 30, at 7 p.m. Andy Brandy Casagrande IV (ABC4), a presenter from five of the highest rated Discovery Channel “Shark Weeks” of all time, joins multiple Emmy Award-winning cinematographer and Middlebury resident Andy Mitchell in the first ever “MUD Talk.” With a mashup of humorous stories, harrowing footage and audience participation, they’ll bring the audience face-to-face with the ocean’s most fearsome killers, and reveal how these misunderstood predators are actually fighting their own extinction.
MUD (Middlebury Underground Discussions) Talks is a new event series featuring inspiring people doing extraordinary things — both inside Vermont and with ties to it. It’s a fresh, visionary forum that hands the microphone to local artists, entrepreneurs and innovators who are deep in the real world. But this is no boring lecture series. It’s an interactive exchange between the community and professionals with a unique perspective on the most important issues of our day.
MUD Talks: “Sharks!” is a behind-the-scenes look at the adrenaline-pumping thrill of filming the deadliest predators on earth — with a purpose. For nearly two decades Casagrande and Mitchell have traveled the world for National Geographic and Discovery, filming the most remote and elusive animals on the planet in an effort to promote their plight. With four Emmys and more than 200 credits between them, they’ve traveled to nearly every corner of the globe … and filmed all over five continents and every ocean.
Casagrande’s innovative cinematography and unorthodox camera techniques are revolutionizing the way the world sees and perceives sharks. In fact, one of his shots was recently voted the best Shark Week shot of all time. “When you’re looking at a prehistoric predator, and everything in your body tells you to flee,” Casagrande says, “you just need to Zen out, slow down your breathing. Never swim away: If you act like prey they’ll treat you like prey — chase you, catch you, and eat you.” (Which is exactly what Middlebury resident and Middlebury College alumnus Andy Mitchell did the first time the two swam with great whites out of the cage in 2005. He survived.)
Doors open at 6 p.m. and the talk will start around 7 p.m. MUD Talks: “Sharks!” is sponsored by Bridge School, ABC4EXPLORE.COM, Aqua Vitea Kombucha, Green Mountain Organic Vodka, and Cursive Coffee. Tickets are $12 for adults; $8 for kids under 12; and free for kids 5 and under. All proceeds will benefit Bridge School.
Full details and tickets are available at the Town Hall Theater (box office open Monday-Saturday, noon-5 p.m.), by phone at 802-382-9222, or online at www.townhalltheater.org.
For more information, contact Lisa Mitchell at (802) 388-4277, or email [email protected].?Visit www.mudtalks.org.