From On Tour to On the Big Screen

She first fell in love with theatre when she was part of the On Tour Company program at Calhoun High School.

From there she continued to study theatre at Northwestern University in Chicago Illinois, where she studied with the (now great) screenwriter, John Logan.

For Merrick-born Jessica Provenz, this was the start of her dream coming true.

Provenz, now a Manhattan dweller in her 30s, wrote and produced the short film, "Nothing Happened," along with an all-female director/writer/producer team.

The independent film, which runs 10 minutes long and has already won the 2010 New Jersey International Film Festival Best Short Film Prize, will be shown as part of the Long Island International Film Expo Tuesday night in Bellmore.

"Making a movie on your own—an independent movie—is an expensive adventure that myself and my two co-producers decided to make a short movie to see how it goes before we make a feature," Provenz said.

Provenz and her team want to make a feature next, but "Nothing Happened" was her first venture.

"It's been going really well," Provenz said. "We are screening in three places this weekend (including Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Long Island)…and we've gotten great press and it's been very well received."

"Nothing Happened," directed by Julia Kots, was filmed last year in the Upper West Side of Manhattan in a little more than two days. Shot in an art gallery, the risqué short is about the worst sexual conversation girlfriends should never have; and ironically enough, the art gallery displays all erotic paintings.

"I think the challenge of a short film is doing something and saying something in a short amount of time," Provenz said. "A movie is one thing…and a short I think of as a little gem, like you're trying to do one thing with it."

Actress Jessica Henson, a Brooklyn native in her 30s, stars as Barb alongside Sarah Louise Lilley in the film.  She has been in about seven films, all independent, and was interested in doing a short film with her very talented friend Jessica [Provenz].

"We believe in the film and we think it's really good," Henson said. "It's sort of quirky; it's sexy and definitely funny."

Now that Provenz's dream is happening, her creative juices keep flowing. She's writing a musical for The Araca Group ("Urinetown") and a feature for Alicia Keys's company. She also developed two television series with Killer Films and was Playwright-in-Residence at The Julliard School from 2005-2007.

Provenz's advice for aspiring playwright/screenwriters out there is to have perseverance.

"There are a lot of bumps along the way and the biggest challenge is really committing to yourself and believing in yourself," she said. "Favor those moments of triumph because they do happen and you really need to hold on to those because it gets you through the times that aren't as easy."

"Nothing Happened" will screen with a series of shorts at the Bellmore Movies located at 222 Pettit Ave., Bellmore, on Tuesday, July 13, at 7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at http://liifilmexpo.org/ for $9.