Following in the footsteps of 1970s workplace sitcoms like WKRP In Cincinnati and The Mary Tyler Moore Show comes the live stageshow/webcast, B-Side Studio, set to debut this fall in Chicago.
Created by The Inconvenience, The New Colony and the University of Chicago’s Theater and Performance Studies, B-Side Studio will follow a failing 1970s Chicago recording studio and its manager’s attempts to save it. The show will also include live music performances by two in-house musicians.
The series will consist of four “episodes,” each performed and “recorded before a live audience” on a given Friday and Saturday, starting September 13, 2013. The resulting episode will then be webcast on www.thenewcolony.org the following Monday.
“B-Side Studio is a fictional recording studio in the south of Chicago that is plagued with failures,” New Colony managing director Stephanie Shum told Pro Sound News. “There’s a rag tag team of characters, with a focus on the studio and the characters’ relationships.”
“This is a foray into new territory for us,” Shum added. “We have a film department and have produced two films with them,” Shum said, stating that taping a live sitcom for the web is a new project for The New Colony. “It’s definitely an interesting collaboration of our film and theatrical sides. I think it will be an exciting project.”
Since the show takes place mainly in a studio, Shum said the props director is working hard to find era-appropriate recording equipment to give the set an authentic look.
“B-Side Studio has been a long time in the works, so we’re excited to finally be working together,” said co-writers Linder and Holter in a joint statement. “This blending of creative mediums comes naturally to all three artistic partners, allowing each group to play off their own strengths while working together to build a unique performance experience that harkens back to the sitcoms of the 1970s while simultaneously revealing a glimpse into the future of the arts.”
The show stars Daeshawna Cook as Lady, Missi Davis as Janice, Michael Harnichar as Marvin, Wes Needham as Gary, Brad Smith as Butch and Kevin Stangler as Felix. Live performances will be held at The Logan Center for the Arts, 915 E. 60th St., Chicago, IL.
For more information, visit http://thenewcolony.org/view/b_side_studio
OK, Recording Pros – What are some studio situations that B-Side Studios should mine for comic gold? Share your ideas in the comments section below!
