Pastor. Gay Rights Activist. Grandmother.

My mother Joyce Speegle was all of these. In 2005 she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. But even in the midst of the disease she maintained her desire to make a difference. So she asked me to document what she was going through. “In the Night” is an intimate chronicle of my mother’s struggle with Alzheimer’s. It is the story of a grandmother’s grief as she begins losing the very abilities that her new granddaughter is learning. It is the story of a pastor’s crisis of faith as she questions what is happening to her. It is a journey from anguish to acceptance.

And in the end, it is a story of joy.

Academy Award winner Marcia Gay Harden performs the voiceover part of my mother.

“In the Night” is on PBS! Watch it online or see the PDF for upcoming broadcasts. Check your local PBS TV schedule for future airings. Thanks to our supporters who helped to make this happen.

You can help us continue Joyce’s work toward LGBTQ equality and further Alzheimer’s awareness by contributing to our post-production fund. Visit our GoFundMe to give.

“In the Night” has been used to train nursing aides in an Alzheimer’s facility, and we were invited to screen for students in the School of Social Work at Columbia University.

Thank you to the Cure Alzheimer’s Fund for supporting our film. Donate to help put an end to this disease.

Meet Our Team

Pastor Joyce Speegle

Joyce was ordained pastor of Akron Metro Christian Church in 1985, and she ministered to the gay community for over 20 years. She was a contributing writer on LGBTQ issues to the Akron Beacon Journal, and producer of A Special Place in Heaven, an exploration of homosexuality in Bible scripture that has been used as a teaching resource in the University of Alabama's Women's Studies program. She was a founding member of the Northeast Ohio Task Force on AIDS, and she made numerous appearances on tv & radio, including the popular Cleveland tv show The Morning Exchange. She is survived by her three children, Vicki, Keith, and Herb, six grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, and her spouse Maria.

Marcia Gay Harden | Voiceover, Pastor Joyce Speegle

Academy Award® winner Marcia Gay Harden has forged a remarkable body of work, always staying true to her chameleon of “becoming the character.” Her character portraits have been described by critics as “searing”, “heartbreaking”, “inventive”, “astonishing”, “authentic”, and “sensuous”. From the glamorous Ava Gardner in Sinatra, to the artist Lee Krasner in Pollock (for which she won Best Supporting Actress Oscar®), to the down and out Celeste in Mystic River (another Academy Award® nomination), Marcia has created a signature based in character transformation. She is active in the fight against Alzheimer's and has written a memoir recounting her profound relationship with her mother, The Seasons of My Mother.

Vicki Speegle | Writer, Producer and Editor

Vicki's screenplay Loved Ones was developed at Amazon Studios where it was finalist for Best Screenplay of the Year. Her work has placed in the finals of the Sundance Screenwriters Lab, Slamdance, and Bluecat. A graduate of New York University, Vicki's credits include a comedy feature for Applause films and radio scripts for jazz great Wynton Marsalis. She lives and works as a writer and web producer in New Jersey, and she helped Carnegie Hall launch their new website.

Don Riemer | Editor, Sound Mixer and Colorist

Don studied photography, graphic design, and media production at county college, later at the University of Wisconsin. After four years as staff writer/director at New York Television, he became an independent media consultant, a role he continues to this day. He received Telly Awards for Best Documentary Editing in 2010 and 2016. Don also teaches Cinema Post Production at Fairleigh Dickinson University. Visit Don at airworthy.com.

Jodelle | Music Composer

Jodelle was named a Top 12 DIY artist in Performing Songwriter Magazine, and her music has been selected for the Songwriters Hall of Fame Best of the New Writers Showcase Compilation CD. She performs in prestigious venues and festivals all across North America and Europe, and she has opened for Ray Charles and Ben Taylor (son of James Taylor). Jodelle has written and recorded 2 albums, The Adventures of Jodelle and Better Than OK.

Dino Barlaam | Voiceover

Dino Barlaam is an award-winning screenwriter and comic book creator. His comic books can be found online at Comixology and Indyplanet. He appeared in the award-winning short film, Shy Guys, starring Tony Award winner Reed Birney. Dino's short script In the Running aired on the PBS series 24 Frames. He lives in the Garden State with his wife and son, and works as a middle school teacher.

Kaylene French | Voiceover

Kaylene studied at the Royal National Theatre in London, England. She has performed extensively in regional theatres throughout the US, and worked for many years in educational theatre, performing in schools across the country. Her theatre credits include A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Zastrozzi, The Taming of the Shrew, and Fiddler on the Roof, among others. She has appeared in tv & film in One Life to Live, Law & Order SVU, Saturday Night Live, 100 Centre Street (directed by Sidney Lumet), and a starring role in the independent film Spree. Kaylene has written and directed many film projects that have screened in festivals throughout the US.

Jenny Turner Hall | Voiceover

Jenny is executive producer, writer and director of the Peabody Award-winning podcast series for children, The Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel. The Guardian has named Mars Patel one of the top fifty podcasts in the world. After a decade working in film and television production (NYU Tisch School of the Arts, Directors Guild of America), Jenny started Studio B, a non-profit art house that serves Northern New Jersey. The mission of Studio B is to build community through the arts, and to showcase local artists. Jenny's work is inspired by humor, underdogs, and her own life, which includes raising a child with special needs.

Fredric Lehne | Voiceover

Fred has worked with some of the industry's best directors, including Hal Ashby, Robert Redford (in Ordinary People), Kathryn Bigelow, Christopher Nolan, and Barry Sonnenfeld (in Men in Black). He’s become a very familiar face to television audiences for his work on such shows as Westworld, Preacher, Criminal Minds, Lost, American Horror Story, X-Files and Supernatural, to name just a few. Fred is writer, director and producer of the award-winning short Shy Guys, starring Tony Award winner Reed Birney.

And thank you to our fiscal sponsor From the Heart Productions.