Calgary’s own Jann Arden hosted the premiere of her new show ‘Jann’ at the Globe Cinema theatre on Wednesday night and touted the contributions of local talent to the project.
“Having it filmed and produced here in southern Alberta means everything to me, certainly Calgary,” said Arden ahead of the showing. “We have a lot of arts here but a lot of people go away. Alberta has struggled a lot in the last three or four years and I think it’s really important to keep jobs here, to develop other things here in Calgary.”
Arden points out that many films and shows have been in-and-around the city but ‘Jann’ is among the select few where Calgary is allowed to be itself instead of substituting for another location. “There’s been a lot of things that have been shot around here but they’ve never been Calgary and Calgary is absolutely the star of the show.”
“I’m from here. This is where I grew up, this is where I still live. To have 100 plus people working on this show, it’s pretty amazing.”
The singer/songwriter turned actress says the topics tackled by the show, including dementia, run parallel to her own life but the show is a fictitious looks a someone who is struggling. ‘T.V. Jann has a far more interesting life than actual Jann’.
Her venture into the world of television proved an awakening and she developed an appreciation for the crew members during the 12 to 14 hour days of filming. “This is the hardest I’ve ever worked in my life.”
“I’m not an actor. This certainly wasn’t Lady McBeth, I’m playing a version of myself so Meryl Streep’s job is safe.”
‘Jann’ is currently available on Crave TV and online at CTV
