CDI's 'Silent Night In Algona' Welcomes Veteran Actor, Young Newcomer to Its Eclectic Cast

LANSING, Mich. - April 6, 2021 - PRLog -- Casting continues by Lansing-based production company, Collective Development Incorporated, for its WWII feature film set on the home front, 'Silent Night In Algona,' which rolls cameras this fall in Iowa.

Veteran actor Dean Teaster ('Wild Faith,' 'Man's Best Friend,' 'Lost Heart') has commited to play the lovably witty, cranky 'Grandpa Joe,' opposite Curran Jacobs (''Rudy Tietz') and his screen daughter, Cassie Dean ('Clara Tietz').

And it is Dallas, Texas-based newcomer, 11-year-old Samuel Peterson ('Donny'), who rounds out the 'Tietz' family and who has CDI producers excited.

"This is Samuel's first feature film role, after coming over from musical theater," said Anthony Hornus, who also directs. "This young actor earned this role following a national search. We put him thru multiple video auditions (with direction) once he became our top choice for the role. There was no question among us that he was 'Donny.' We're excited for Samuel and welcome him and his talent to this project."

Mr. Teaster - an actor, producer, writer, director - is an on-screen veteran who has delivered outstanding performances in more than a dozen films and in several genres.

He took the lead as a father devastated by his son's death in a drunk driving crash ('Figure In the Forest') and his memorable supporting roles include: his own titled 1870's feature, 'Dean Teaster's Ghost Town' (he played 'Digger,' the town undertaker patterned after a character his father played at a N.C. Theme park); 'Wild Faith,' where his 'fire and brimstone,' racist preacher, searches for redemption; 'Man's Best Friend,' playing a father who will go to any lengths to clear his son of his crimes against a veteran; 'Lost Heart,' playing a drunken, abusive father to a daughter who runs away to become a Nashville superstar;' and, in the upcoming dramedy by CDI, 'Best Years Gone,' to be released in the fall, Mr. Teaster plays the 'down home' local mechanic.

For young Mr. Peterson, his 'method acting' will never be questioned. He is a natural born performer who entertains family, friends and classmates with original jokes, songs and stories.

He enjoys coding video games, playing baseball and making everyone laugh. His mother, Stephanie Peterson, is an actress and she assists Samuel with his pursuit of acting. She notes that Samuel "Is always looking for the character's motivation, scene-by-scene, and he looks to push his emotions."

'Silent Night In Algona' centers around the early fall to Christmas season in 1944 Algona, Iowa, and how the building of a German POW camp has impacted the small Kossuth County town as WWII rages on in Europe and the Pacific.

CDI website: www.cdiproductions.com