Not only off to a great start but also off our rockers! Because frankly, in this economy nobody in their right mind decides to launch a big, expensive documentary film project if they can help it. And certainly not a film about the apparently frivolous topic of play. Of course, anybody who’s ever been grabbed by a vision knows that it makes you temporarily insane. And it’s a good thing because otherwise no one would ever bother to do anything really interesting. And besides, “reality” is no match for a clear vision, buckets of passion, and some loving friends cheering you on.
So we’re off. And believe me, it’s a free fall. While I may be lacking in experience as a filmmaker I do happen to know something about free falls. Let me explain…
I look forward to sharing my notes from the air…
llaughter is the best medicine. Nothing as beautiful as a child laughing. You can bet it is genuine and from their heart.
Laughter is the best medicine for man Thank you i think it is a wonderful project. I always try to make people laugh and smile especially in times we are living in now. We need to keep positive
:):) Thanks again from the bottom of my heart for making the world a better place for us all. I would love to get involved in a project like this one. Thumbs up 
Michaela
I can’t wait!
good luck! I look forward to it!
Life can feel too serious.
Thank you!! What a marvellous gift to us all. Very vey good wishes for giving us what the film will become.
i’m playing. i just donated and that makes me happy, too. i love gwen. i love the way she plays. i want to play more. i want to see more people play. i want to see more people pay, too…so stop reading this & donate now!
Thank you for this glorious reminder. I’d write more, but I’ve got to catch some time in the yard with my pug dog and dancing daughter! Best wishes for a super successful film. We NEED it!
Yes to playing with Pugs! I have one too! Garbanzo-the-fearless-wonder-pug! Play on!
I love love love this. Go Gwen! Let me know how the InterPlay community can be supportive.
Your time has come. The world is ready for this message. I would love to play with you in this.
Enjoy the fall!
I applaud your emphasis on play as an attitude as opposed to a particular activity. We can be playful even at work, a form of lightheartedness that allows us to see the form of the now rather than the means to an end. Your readers might be interested in a Google Tech Talk Dr. Ellen Hall and I gave a few years back called but it is rather long. We try to go beyond the general appeal for play and define how play operates to support creative thinking, learning, and dealing with unstructured situation.
This talk sounds wonderful! I’d love to listen to it. What’s the best way to find it? Is there a link you could post here? That would be great!
Just watching your film made me feel good all over, just as play does! I wish you wonderful joy and I can’t wait for the film to be out so that I can share it with others.
What a gift this will be ~ I am looking forward to wonderful reminders and sharing tools to help others bring out their playful side! ADARE2BU!!
I decided to fire myself from my own firm n the year 2000 and spend my life having fun and helping causes that resonate with me. I also decided everyday would be Saturday, as when I was a child, Saturday was a day without school or Sunday School and we got to play all day.. Make life Fun and we stop all wars and we learn to take care of each other better as well as taking better care of our planet.. Aloha..Captain Cook
Nice!!! Go Captain!
Anyway we can help we’d love to! We think it’s a great and playful project!!
Thanks! Just spread the word to anybody who might enjoy the project and/or want to support the film financially! That’s the big need right now!
Fabulous! Even in early childhood, a time traditionally embedded with play, we can forget the importance of play in children’s development. You may want to connect with Dr Diane Levin at Wheelock College. So much of her professional career has focused on this very topic.
This is a great endeavor. Look forward to seeing the completed documentary!
Thank you! If you’d like to introduce me to Dr. Levin, that might be a good way to connect!
I am a University Instructor of Human Environmental Sciences and am currently in the process of creating a course titled, Play, Happiness and Well-Being. This course begins January 19th, 2012 and I now plan to share your trailer for Seriously…. during our first class meeting. Please let me know if I can assist you in any way with this greatly needed documentary.
Thank you and congratulation to YOU!
Patty
That’s wonderful…and please do let me know how it goes!!!
I am a child development specialist working primarily with infants and toddlers. Play is the root of their learning and each day is a joy to see what they learn through play. I am constantly studying play and play-based learning. I received my Masters Degree from Erikson Institute in Chicago and owe them much of what I know. At home I love to play with my four year old son, and I am so glad that my husband and I share daily in his play and have learned the importance of play in our own lives. My husband an IT Project Manager just found a new job where he gets to play fooseball, cards, shoot nerf guns with his developers as they take mini-breaks throughout the day. This has been shown by their company to increase productivity, product effectiveness, and employee satisfaction and retention. I am excited about your film project and would love to contribute in any way that I can. Thank you for your thoughtful endeavor.
How wonderful that you have made play such a priority. BRAVO!!!
Oh, I almost forgot…if you’d like to contribute go to the Wanna Play? page. You can also just spread the word, share the teaser, blog, tweet, hiss, giggle, wheez, and snicker it into the world. Of course, any connection to major funding sources is also good. Whatever fits! Thank you thank you!
Play is so vital–not just to children, but to adults too.
I loved the preview of your movie-to-be. So timely and it has such an important message.
Good luck!
Gwen-
Did you ever consider going on “Kickstarter” to raise funds for your great project? Check it out if you haven’t yet! Now I’m going out to play with my horses…
Yes, I’m looking into it and comparing it with Indigogo. I’ll do one of them in the next few weeks or so! Do you have any experience with them?
“How utterly delightful to think “seriously” about the pursuit of play! Thanks, Gwen.
I love love love this…have spread it around my LinkedIn groups….and have gotten a good response. Any time we can get people talking about play, the more opportunities there are to inspire change.
Thank you for having the vision…:)
Kari
I love to play! At age 48 not a lot of the people around my age do that. So I have lots of younger fiends and we have a good time.
When I was 43 I was fat, unfit and depressed. Then I saw a beautiful sprite-like woman in a YouTube video dancing beautifully in her sunny garden with a sparkling hula hoop. It was the most magical thing I’d seen. I fell in love, contacted her, bought a hoop from her and now approaching 5 years later I have a business based entirely on my love of hoop dancing, I’m a more normal size, I’m fit and I’m happy and I love to hoop and swim. And if I can get the pool to myself then I play to the utmost of my ability in the water. Swooping and gliding.
Brilliant idea for a film. I have sponsored hoopers who go to poor countries and donate hand-made hoops to poor children like those children with the balls. It makes my heart sing to see the smiles. And playing myself also makes my heart sing.
PLAY! Play every day.
FUNtastic idea for a documentary! Let’s get the Laughter Yoga community involved and Let’s Laugh Today! We’re all about play and joy! Best of luck in your endeavor and we very much look forward to the movie. letslaughtoday.com
Yes … never ever stop playing
Hi Gwen,
Just wrote you a long note. I’m so excited to hear the story of flying to play! John de Graaf just told me about your film…we’ll be meeting in Seattle next week. Love to have you on our show, ‘Creativity in Play’ as a way to get the word out about the film’s development and need for funds to complete it. Lets talk and set a date to have you on the show!
I love this as I just spent my last summer traveling around the world “playing” I feel we learn how to play from animals. so I traveled to see how animals who have been traumatized or abandoned stop playing and rehab centers teach them how to play again–horses, dolphins, lions in Africa, elephants, seals. I believe play is essential for spiritual development, as it lowers our guards to the divine and to each other–
It was an amazing sabbatical for a presbyterian minister such as I. So I applaud your work- thank you
We’re with you 100%! Check out our organization, Eastern Cooperative Recreation School, at http://www.ecrs.org. Our motto is “Let’s Play!”
This is so great and inspiring. It has made me think of ways to get people playing! Let me know if you want to hear of some ideas or have any marketing materials. I would love to be part of your Street Team!!
Keep up the good play!
Wonderful! A bright light in the now for the future. Victor Borge said, “Laughter is the shortest distance between two people.” Laughter is most spontaneous, most heartfelt in play.
I am ECSTATIC about your movie! I understand exactly what you mean about having to follow a passion.
My passion is to help the world realize how we can easily support and promote the optimal and healthy development of brains…. and one of the major aspects of this is play!!
I am in the midst of writing a blog focused on the question… Why is it that we have more knowledge than ever before about what is best for children’s development … and yet this IS NOT what is what most children are experiencing?
Your video and a link to your site will now be included and highlighted in this post.
I CAN NOT wait for the world to know of your work!!
THANK YOU For all of your efforts to make this critically needed message known!
I will be sharing this with EVERYONE!
Thank you for making a difference,
Deborah
Seriously, Yay!
Yay for elephants on trampolines! Now a friend and I have an inside joke about “trampophants”! How silly! And how true that “laughter is the shortest distance between two people”. I have emailed you a longer and more “serious” thank you already and look forward to hearing from you or figuring out how I can “plug in” and help.
Thank you so much for your serious work on play!
To more fun for all!
Deborah Moore
Bless!
A timely reminder to us all, to take the time to breathe and have fun.
WE are very lucky in NZ where the majority of Early Childhood centres run on a play based philosophy- planning and assessment taking lead from childrens interests and discoveries of wonder…
Please continue to share the benefits of play.
These both had me grinning big time! Loved seeing the younger you taking that leap out of the plane … you’re amazing! May the word spread far and wide and bring all the support you need for this project!
I was thrilled to see your teaser film on play as well to realize that there are others out there who are so passionate and interested play!
Very exciting! Wishing you much good luck and do share the journey!
- Mary