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Ready for your close-up? By Amber Fossen Ashland Daily Tidings Hollywood is coming to Ashland. Beginning Tuesday, Ashlanders interested in playing a role in "Indigo" should get ready for their close-ups. The locally shot feature- length film will begin casting calls right here in search of local talent. According to producer Stephen Simon, whose previous work includes "What Dreams May Come" and "Somewhere In Time," the film industry has the potential to create some serious cash locally. "When a film crew is shooting in a town it really does generate a lot of revenue," Simon said. "Because Ashland is heavily dependent on tourism dollars, this can only be good for Ashland." "Indigo" is a joint venture by Simon, singer/songwriter and Indigo co-writer James Twyman, and Neale Donald Walsch, author of the Conversations with God series and Indigo co-writer who landed the lead role. It is a spiritual, non-religious movie about the relationship between a young girl and her grandfather, Twyman said. He said the pair become close while holed up in a cabin outside of Ashland, after fleeing from a perceived danger. It's then the grandfather discovers the unusual talents of the young girl, or "Indigo child." According to Twyman, Indigo children are often intuitive beyond their years, sometimes possessing psychic abilities. "These children have been popping up all over the world with more frequency over the last several years," Twyman said. "Some people are going to watch this movie and think it's pure fiction. This will be controversial because some people will have a hard time believing that this could be a true story." Filming is slated for August. However, a cast must be assembled immediately. "I think this is an excellent opportunity for local actors to be involved in a feature-length film," Twyman said. "This is the sort of low-budget film that could get a good release. It has the potential for theater release around the country and around the world." So what characters can locals vie for? There are a number of children's roles, including the lead role of Grace. There's also a need for an athletic camp counselor, a lawyer, a weary cop, a bus driver with an obvious toupee and even a thin man with an apparent heroin habit, in addition to a variety of other roles. Auditions are broken into three days - held Tuesday Wednesday and Thursday at Art Attack, 310 Oak Street - with call-backs held Friday and Saturday at an undisclosed location. Actors are required to bring head shots and resumes to the casting call. Auditions for female roles will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday; male roles from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday; and children's roles from 9 a.m. to noon Thursday. For more information log on to www.indigothemovie.com. According to Simon, this is the first film of its caliber to be filmed in the area, and it's a prime opportunity to showcase local talent. "We're thinking the casting call next week is going to be a fascinating experience for all of us," Simon said. "It's a great opportunity for people who want to be in a film who can act who haven't had a chance to do so yet." LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -