Diabetes Late Nite Inspired by the Pink Panther
On Tuesday, September 9th, 6 -7 PM, EST the Diabetes Late Nite cast pulls out all the stops as we present our first ever Mystery Radio Theater podcast. The goal of the program is to encourage listeners to become detectives about managing their blood sugars.
“Diabetes is tough. It’s day in and day out and even when everything’s going well there are times when things can go wrong for no reason, ” says Max “Mr. Divabetic” Szadek.“To stay on track, you really have to step back and analyze what happened like a detective. You might not always find the answers to your problem but if you invest time in understanding your diabetes it will pay off in the long run.”
The entire cast of Diabetes Late Nite including certified diabetes educators, Patricia Addie Gentle RN, CDE, Neva White, MSN, CRNP, CDE, Poet Lorraine Brooks, Producer Leisa Chester Weir and Mama Rose Mare will be making their acting debuts in this special presentation. “I have a knack for being able to talk people into doing things that they normally wouldn’t do,” says Mr. Divabetic. “But a big part of Divabetic’s GLAM MORE, FEAR LESS attitude is about stepping out of your comfort zone and challenging yourself to attempt new things. We can’t just say it we have to do it, too.”
Mystery Radio and Diabetes — what’s that all about?
“I decided to write a mystery theater radio show because I saw it as an opportunity to make learning about diabetes fun and entertaining,” says Mr. Divabetic. “We packed a lot of information in-between the clues too. We talk about a subject we have never discussed on any of our podcasts before – the dangers of dietary supplements. I also thought this show was a great way to tell some of Divabetic’s backstories like how I met Neva and Patricia as well as the history of Divabetic.”
September’s podcast would not have been possible without the help, encouragement and support of the extremely,talented writer, Tonya Kappes.
“I met Best-Selling Author, Tonya Kappes at a book fair event in New York City earlier this year. I just walked up to her at her booth and introduced myself. Tonya’s so fun, bubbly and genuine that I instantly fell in love with her and wanted her to be on one of our podcasts. Initially I asked her to be part of one of our Don’t Let Diabetes Kill Romance segments on Late Nite but when I realized she was a mystery writer my wheels started turning. The following week I e-mailed her about my idea to present a ‘mystery radio’ show. I’m not a writer (gulp) so this was a pretty crazy idea. Thankfully I was smart enough to ask her if she’d be willing to coach me through the process. I still can’t believe she agreed! For the next two months e-mailed Tonya my ‘working’ script and she’d call and/or send back comments, edits and ideas along with plenty of encouragement. She really helped me shape the storyline. She was so supportive. There’s no way I could have done it without her help.”
The Diabetes Late Nite cast of educators, poets, mothers and advocates also stepped up to the challenge and agreed to edit and re-write their lines as well as rehearse, rehearse, rehearse.
“My goal was always to have everyone play themselves but with one catch they also had to agree to be suspects. Trust me, I was nervous at first about making phone calls to everyone. A few people said ‘no’ but most people agreed. My mother, Mama Rose Marie and one of our show producers, Leisa Chester Weir were great sports about it. Lorraine Brooks and Jennifer from Trigg Labatories was totally enthusiastic from the get go. I also asked Author and Actor Peter Arpesella to join us because I think Peter’s so creative and he was perfect for one of the roles in the script. His book, Good Like This is amazing and also one of the most creative approaches to diabetes education.
Next, Mr. Divabetic had to sit down and write the script.”There’s nothing like putting a gun to your head in order to get yourself to do something. Once I told everyone what I wanted to do – I had no choice but to actually do it!, says Mr. Divabetic.
Thankfully, many cast members including Tonya Kappes, Lorraine Brooks and Peter Arpesella agreed to help write parts of the script as well as polish off some of the dialogue.
“Lorraine Brooks took the script to a whole new level. She plays the narrator and she’s was so enthusiastic about the idea of presenting a mystery radio program that it inspired me to keep going. Lorraine’s brilliant. I feel so fortunate to partner with her in presenting wellness with wow. And Peter’s so funny and talented. I love what he’s done with his part. And Tonya knows how to make a storyline flow. Plus, my friend Jeff Jones as SONY Music helped get us the rights to the Pink Panther soundtrack to play on the show.”
Make sure to tune in to this free podcast available on divabetic.org, blog talk radio and i-Tunes.
LISTEN NOW: Diabetes Late Nite Inspired by the Pink Panther
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