Oasis (TV Show)

The Oasis team was approached by The Tattler in August 2015 to produce a 30-minute monthly television show to be played in Montgomery County Public Schools and DC-Maryland-Virginia region via cable.

Working with The Tattler staff and advisor David Lopilato, we created the first six-episode season of Oasis: A Destination for Some Serious Procrastination.

Here are some of our favorite stories from that inaugural year:

We structured episodes like newspaper issues: Divided into sections, with each episode featuring a story from each section.

FEATURE was always our favorite section. It was our pick-your-own-adventure slot, where we banged our heads together at the beginning of each month and decided which bucket list item we were going to tick off while on the job.

It was also the slot of our most ambitious projects. Each story was the combined work of the entire #OasisSquad and the fruit of many sleeps forgone.

Montgomery County Police Department: Cold Case Squad

February 2016 episode:

(links will take you to the specific segment in each episode)

Cold Case: "Any case without a primary investigator or that has stayed unsolved for three or more years."

Paying a visit to the MCPD Cold Case Squad, #OasisSquad learned about the Bradford Bishop case, a murder case right from Bethesda that had remained unresolved for over forty years, even making the FBI's Most Wanted list.

Detectives talked about the case, showed examples of evidence they had collected, and reflected on the nature of working on cold cases specifically.

Nowruz at Georgetown University

March 2016 episode: (links to specific segment)

Per an invite from the Georgetown University Iranian Cultural Society, #OasisSquad visited Nowruz celebrations at the university. The Persian New Year celebrations imbued the afternoon with delicious food, lively performances, stunning attires, and warming companionships.

We spoke with attendees - from undergrads learning Persian to famous TV anchors from Afghanistan - asking them to teach us about the customs and traditions of the celebration, and to reflect on the event as cultural identity.

What we called the "beauty sequence," STYLE consisted of short montages set to music of eye-candy events such as gallery exhibitions and performances.

Another #OasisSquad favorite, STYLE outings were often half shooting, half our own touring.

Renwick Gallery: "Wonder"

December 2016 episode:

After two years of renovations, Renwick Gallery reopened its doors with an exhibition which transformed the entire museum space into a single immersive artwork exploring human interpretations of "Wonder".

New Year at DC Chinatown

February 2016 episode:

The Year of the Monkey celebrations at Chinatown DC, in below-freezing cold.

Artomatic

November 2015 episode:

Artomatic takes empty, abandoned, or soon-to-be-demolished buildings and transforms them into temporary art exhibitions and performance spaces.

#OasisSquad paid the Artomatic 2015 space, a four story office building in Hyattville slated to be the HQ of Capital Park Police, a visit in the late hours of a Wednesday evening. After walking twenty minutes from the last stop of the Orange Line, we found a quiet yet massive space featuring more than 500 artists

OPINION was where #OasisSquad took the limelight. From mockumentaries to spoken word poetry, OPINION supplemented the journalistic FEATURE with more entertaining side tales.

The Owl on Capital Crescent Trail

November 2015 episode:

An aggressive owl has been terrorizing the Bethesda community along the popular Capital Crescent Trail.

Armed with witness testimonials, expert advice, and $5 flashlights, #OasisSquad sets out at 9pm during the owl's peak mating season to ask the creature what's motivating its actions.

Spoken Word with Auset Baptiste

February 2016 episode:

"But did you forget that rap means rhythm and poetry?"

Sensory Deprivation

February 2016 episode:

Stress culture is real.

To escape from the relentless grind of classes, extracurriculars, and college application, #OasisSquad took a break at Hope Floats Floatation Therapy.

BACKPAGE featured two awesome talents that provided each episode with fun stories and standup comedy.

The Lerner Permit was produced in-house with #OasisSquad, while How To Sound Smart was entirely created by Stella Green.

The Lerner Permit with Misha Lerner

October 2015: "Waiting for the Bus"

November 2015: "Micro-Aggressions"

December 2015: "Grapefruit"

February 2016: "Doctor's Office"

March 2016: "Bernie"

May 2016: "Prom"

Akin to the Colbert Report, Misha takes on an alternative personality in these ending segments- as a grumpy socialist with petty bourgeois tendencies - and complains about his brushes with society and the less enlightened around him: From micro-aggressions and Bernie Sanders, to ordering grapefruits at diners...

How to Sound Smart with Stella Green

November 2015: "How to Live Forever"

December 2015: "Santa Claus"

February 2016: "Scientific Theories"

March 2016: "Using Comparisons"

May 2016: "Barons"

Powerhouse Stella Green teaches you how to sound smart --- by inundating your conversation adversaries with pointless yet highly specific trivia.

A charismatic host and talented artists, Stella will teach you everything from spontaneous generation to immortality, all with the goal of dominating the war that is conversation.

As a show geared towards high school students, STUDENT LIFE explored and highlighted specific stories in the Montgomery County Public Schools community.

Memories of Bethesda-Chevy Chase

May 2016 episode:

As graduation neared for the Class of 2016, #OasisSquad seniors reflected on their favorite high school memories: Being a part of stage crew, organizing homecoming, and bringing drugs to school...

"Good Kids" at Round House Theatre

March 2016 episode:

#OasisSquad followed the cast and crew of the 2016 Teen Performance Company of Round House Theater as they entered tech week - the stressful and demanding last week of rehearsals before a show opens.

The show, the 14th Annual Sarah Metzger Memorial Play, "Good Kids" written by Naomi Lizuka, followed a sexual encounter gone wrong and its public aftermath. Set in a high school in a world of Facebook, Twitter, smart phones and YouTube, "Good Kids" was loosely based on the Steubenville High School rape case.

#OasisSquad interviewed the director, actors, and crew members about how they balance school with the show, and the joys and frustrations of tech week.