THE LONG ISLANDER - OCTOBER 10, 2002
HUNTINGTON, NY
By Tara Ennis

TV Show Unique In Realm Of Public Access

"Playhouse 90" and "The Twilight Zone" best describe for Christopher Del Gaudio the type of show he wants to bring to public access television. "The Realm of Never" airing on Long Island Cablevision Access Networks as well as Queens Public Television, is the only known dramatic production on public access in New York. The show is a forum of original plays and has aired 22 episodes since its inception in 1999.

"I saw right away this could be a wonderful opportunity," said Del Gaudio, the show's writer, director, and co-producer. He had the idea brought to his attention through Bob Laria. He could see his work as a writer come to fruition while also providing work for actors.

Produced by Power of Cohesion Productions, "The Realm of Never" is largely overseen by Del Gaudio of Commack, Laria of Northport, Loretta Mirabella of Huntington who is the public relations/accounting manager, and Vernon Gravdal of Deer Park, who is the co-executive producer Queens Public Television and technical/pre-post production, Power of Cohesion Productions.

The "Realm of Never" differs from the standard fare of public access community forums. In July of this year the show came to Long Island, where many of the staff and crew come from. It airs locally on Cablevision's Woodbury system on Wednesdays at 12:30 a.m.; on the Brookhaven systems Mondays at midnight; and Riverhead on Mondays at 3 p.m.

"The Realm of Never" has been recognized with several awards. The episode, "School of Hard Knox" was awarded honorable mention in the teleplay category at the 2001 Hometown Video Festival. The episode, "The Fifth Wind," was awarded honorable mention in 2002. In July of this year the episode "Moratorium" was accepted into the Long Island International Film Expo and screened at the Malverne Cinema 4.

Del Gaudio said, "The Realm of Never" celebrates the human spirit and its resiliency. His hope is to enlighten more people about the program.