Some Assembly Required

Yesterday we went to see the filming of a new tv show called "Some Assembly Required".  The premise is that a bunch of kids find themselves managing a toy company.  (I won't go into details, because the guy who warmed up the audience swore us all to secrecy.)  I have never seen a sitcom being taped so this was a fascinating experience for me.  Anthony and William found it interesting as well, but Mike was pretty much focused on how many times they had to do a take and trying to laugh with the same enthusiasm after he'd heard the same joke six times.

I am always excited and interested to see the set and this one was very colourful and attractive -- I think there were about six locations on the soundstage.  I was most impressed with the young actors and their patience and work ethic.  They listened attentively to the director and tried to do what he was asking and kept a positive attitude even though it is a very long day for them.  I don't know how old they were but they seemed mature beyond their years.

I always think this stuff is so glamourous but of course, it isn't, really.  When you see behind the scenes, all the sets are just wood and nails and Styrofoam and the people working there, crew and cast, are just regular people like you and me.  Except that maybe they've found a passion for something.  After I see this sort of thing, I always think how much more exciting it is to do a play.  You get to do the whole story at once and get a sense of your character in situ and feel like you're creating something whole and not little bits of something for which you can't really get a full sense.

I'll be really interested to see the show on tv.  We'll be listening for our laughs in episode two!

On a sad note, the great Canadian actor August Schellenberg died yesterday.  I always remember him in "North of 60", a show about a remote aboriginal community that was on the CBC in the 90's, I think.  He played King Lear at the National Arts Centre a couple of years ago -- now that would have been an amazing show to see.