An elderly man and woman are engaged in a conversation in a parking lot. The man has gray curly hair, is wearing a blue shirt, and gesturing with his hands. The woman has short gray hair, is wearing glasses, a multicolored top, and holding a smartphone. Cars are parked in the background.

As the Niskayuna High School Class of 1962 nears their 80th year, REUNION offers a heartfelt exploration of aging, legacy, and resilience. Through candid interviews with ten classmates, the film reflects on lives lived, impacts made, and what it means to grow older with purpose.

Blending memory with hope, REUNION captures a generation still looking forward—with curiosity, gratitude, and a quiet determination to leave a lasting mark on the time they have left.

THE MAKERS

Black and white close-up photo of an elderly man with gray hair, wearing a collared shirt, standing outdoors against a blurred textured background.
Smiling woman with curly hair standing in front of a textured brick wall.

JADE KING CARROLL

BOB VAN DEGNA

  • Director

    Jade King Carroll is a freelance theatrical director and the Producing Artistic Director of Chautauqua Theater Company.

    Since becoming Producing Artistic Director of Chautauqua Theater Company in 2023, Jade has raised 11.5 million dollars to build a new state-of-the-art theater center on the grounds, complete with a rehearsal room, black box space, and prop shop. CTC is proud to have broken ground on this beautiful new space in September of 2024. Jade has commissioned playwrights C.A. Johnson, Sharyn Rothstein, Kate Hamill, and Kwame Alexander. She also pioneered a Co-Production program, through which CTC and Primary Stages collaborated on the world premiere of The Light and The Dark. 

    Jade has taught, guest lectured, and directed at Juilliard, Princeton, New York University, Rutgers, Penn State, WVU, SUNY, Adelphi, Kean University, NYCDA, Point Park University, and Iowa University.

    jadekingcarroll.com

  • Executive Producer
    Photographer | Documentary Filmmaker | Arts Advocate

    Bob Van Degna is a visual artist and filmmaker working between Arizona and Vermont. As President of the Southern Vermont Arts Center, Van Degna has been a driving force in expanding access to the arts and supporting emerging and established artists alike.

    His photographic work has been featured in exhibitions in Vermont and New York City and is collected in three published books: Helena Blues, City All Out, and Sicilia. His lens captures intimate, atmospheric portraits of place, memory, and human connection.

    In 2013, Van Degna produced the independent documentary Turning Pages, which follows the lives of several high school graduates coming of age during the Vietnam era. The film premiered at the Northampton International Film Festival.

    Van Degna’s work reflects a lifelong commitment to storytelling and the power of the arts to preserve personal and collective history power of the arts to preserve personal and collective history.

    bobvandegna.com

Credit to:

Producers: Randy Johnson, Mary-Anne Van Degna, and Don Wilcock
Director of Photography: Stephen Schaub
Editor: Mark Loucks
Production Assistant: Carolyn Richer
Graphics: Hazel G. Design
Original Music: Andrew Koss, Maxine Linehan
Colorist: Cedric Von Niederhausen
Sound Editor: Andrew Koss (The Studio at Strawberry Fields Lane)
Legal Consultant: Patricia Nelson

Learn more
from the maker

Marc Harrington sits down with Bob Van Degna to discuss his film REUNION, which is scheduled to screen at the Southern Vermont Arts Center on July 28. Their conversation explores the film, its creation, and the story behind the project ahead of its local screening.

Two men sitting on stage during an interview or panel discussion. The background is pink and beige. The text overlay reads "The Local Connection" with Bob Van Degna, director of 'Reunion'.

ORIGINAL MUSIC FROM THE FILM

“Written with my husband, Andrew Koss, Legacy was commissioned for Bob Van Degna’s moving documentary REUNION. The beautiful film follows the Niskayuna High School Class of 1962 as they approach their 80th year, reflecting on aging, resilience, and the meaning of a life well-lived.

But as we wrote, the song began to stretch far beyond the walls of a high school reunion. It became a mirror for where we are now, in America and around the world, standing “on the edge of what’s to come.” That edge feels fragile and uncertain, and yet what happens next is in our hands.”

—Maxine Linehan

GALLERY

An elderly woman with curly white hair and glasses, wearing a floral dress, sitting outdoors in a wooded area with sunlight filtering through the trees.
A window with green siding on a house, with a blue planter box filled with pink flowers below the window, resting on a wooden shelf supported by bricks.
Two older men are sitting on a park bench outdoors, engaged in a lively conversation and laughing. One man is wearing a blue shirt with tools in the pocket, and the other is wearing a dark shirt and glasses. There are plants and a white fence in the
A black Nissan Altima parked in front of a small, rustic wooden garage with a white roll-up door, surrounded by green trees and plants, with a gravel driveway and a wooden utility pole on the left.
Three women having a conversation in a kitchen, one of them standing holding a phone, two seated at a table with mugs, wooden cabinets, a stove, and a window in the background.
Woman with curly black hair wearing a yellow t-shirt sitting in a recliner, looking at her phone, in a living room with brick wall, framed pictures, and a potted plant.
An elderly woman with curly white hair and glasses sitting on a wooden rocking chair in a cozy living room, gesturing with her hand while speaking.
An older woman with short light hair, wearing a patterned blouse and brown pants, sitting on a stool at a wooden table in an art studio. She is working on her art surrounded by paintings and art supplies, with a camera person recording her.
An elderly man with gray hair, wearing sunglasses and a gray t-shirt, sitting in a cafe with sunlight illuminating his face, holding a white mug, with blurred wooden chairs and tables in the background.
An elderly man with glasses and a beard sits in a wheelchair during a filming or photography session. Behind him, two people, a woman with curly dark hair and a man with gray hair and glasses, observe the scene. The woman is operating a video camera
Two elderly men smiling, one with a white beard and glasses wearing a blue shirt with a badge, and the other with gray hair in a white polo shirt, shaking hands inside a room with glass doors showing a pool outside.
Two women smiling and laughing at a table with a colorful tropical bird and plant wallpaper in the background.
An elderly man with gray hair, glasses, and a beard resting on a beige couch with his eyes closed.
A woman playing a piano while two people film her indoors.
A woman standing in front of a white and brown SUV, holding a drink and smiling outdoors on a sunny day with green trees and a wooden fence in the background.
A person with gray hair tied in a bun, dressed in black, is standing on the beach holding a camera or filming device, with waves and a sunset in the background.
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CONTACT

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