Recording a Gameshow Pilot

Two weeks ago I was called into the offices of a well-regarded tv and film production company on Warsaw's east side. I entered the building and rode the elevator to the top. I was soon greeted by a man that I had seen a year ago (2010) when I was attending my call-back audition for a new season of a tv show they had been working on for some time. I was asked if I'd be interested in this new project. I said, "yes."

Two weeks later I take a bus across town and arrive in a strange part of southern Warsaw. It's a cold desolate place that reminds me more of Cudahy,WI than the capital of a European nation. There's no sidewalk, so I walk in the dirt and mud to the studio. I enter and discover to my surprise a former member of my comedy group.

We greet each other at a distance. As I look at him I think to myself, "What kind of a small town is this?" As I turn around I see a giant green screen. It will be in front of this that I will stand. It will be here that I will create a tv show pilot. This is my first tv show pilot.

The filming took about 5 hours, and a crew member was kind enough to give me a lift home, all the way across town. Everyone on the crew was really nice, and aside from a moment where everyone lost their mind laughing for no good reason (there was a pun in the script) the recording went smoothly.

Comedy in Warsaw: An Update

Today in Warsaw you can attend the Stand-up comedy shows of two groups of comedians, Stand-up Polska and Standup.pl. Beyond that you can check out shows by one of the two Improv troupes in Warsaw Klancyk and Ab Ovo.

Beyond that there is little choice. We know from evolution that having a small initial set can lead to a degradation in quality, is this the same for entertainment? Perhaps it would be healthy for more people to participate in the live comedy entertainment industry in Warsaw.

I have been calling for months to start a Warsaw-based Improv troupe, but the response has been rather minimal. Some people can keep watching the same comedian on stage night after night. I on the other hand like variety. Warsaw, at least today, seems to lack any genuine variety in Comedy.

Perhaps the EU can grant some money to an organization that will generate interest in Stand-up comedy, and Improv comedy, and sketch.