Vancouver filmed OUTtv comedy series set to premiere its second season
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The mockumentary comedy series The Dressing Room pulls back the curtain on the behind-the-scenes world of a musical theatre troupe.
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Created by Vancouver theatre artists and couple Paul Almeida and Makayla Moore and filmed in Vancouver, The Dressing Room is essentially a workplace comedy that follows the cast and crew of a fictional touring musical as they navigate all manner of meltdowns, mayhem, romantic connections and ambition. The first season is streaming now on OUTtv, with season 2 set to premiere on Aug. 4.
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In the first season, viewers meet a troupe that is a bit brittle and skittish. The musical is struggling and there are rumours of major cast changes.
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Sun Spots
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Stage manager Patrick tells the veteran actor Deb (Irene Karas Loeper) that management is considering replacing the current cast with less expensive actors.
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“You mean theatre grads,” says the ambitious and somewhat delusional — she’s has her sights on a Tony nomination — Deb.
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“Actors are this ever morphing, nebulous, living, breathing unit that exists for a very short amount of time in this very intense, close space, and then it just all goes away, but in that time you get so close, and you know everything about each other,” said Almeida, who plays a character named Sal in the series. “This is a very amplified setting, so there’s just so many stories that just come up good, bad and funny.”
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Helping with the humour is the production being staged in the series — Balloon Boy the Musical. It’s based on the infamous 2009 hoax in which a Colorado couple claimed their six-year-old son was trapped in a helium-filled gas balloon shaped to look like a flying saucer. After authorities, including National Guard helicopters, tracked the balloon, it was discovered the kid was at home hiding in the attic the entire time.
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“We thought they needed to have some silly show that you just would never think would be made into a show,” said Almeida, who co-wrote the pilot with longtime friend Dan MacDonald. “We were scouring our brain for something silly, but something that could be a story. It was actually (Dan’s) idea what if they were doing the show about the hoax in Colorado. I started researching, and it was 100 per cent right.”
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When the new season premieres on Aug. 4, viewers can expect to see guest stars joining the backstage fun, including Eric McCormack (Will & Grace, Travelers) and Andrea Bang (Kim’s Convenience, A Million Little Things).
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McCormack signed on to play a version of himself, who also happens to be an old pal of Balloon Boy the Musical’s resident diva, Deb.
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“He was super collaborative with writing the episode,” said Almeida of McCormack. “It was great to have somebody so willing to dive in.”
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After the first season premiered, the creators said many in the theatre world reached out with potential plot ideas for season 3.
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“We’re a microphone,” said Almeida with a laugh. “Something I would love is to eventually have a forum, or something where you could just submit your ideas to our website. It could be anonymous … I feel like every theatre person — whether it’s your high school production, or community theatre — everyone has such fun stories.”
