Win a night on the town for your office!

6 tickets to “The Water Coolers.”

6 seats in a limo to the April 1 performance in Tecumseh

6 dinners at Evans Street Station

Send a brief e-mail saying why your office deserves this special night out with the subject line “Watercooler” to star@toledofreepress.com by March 28.

“The Water Coolers” takes a humorous look at the workplace and everyday life.

“People say [the show] is relatable … they think ‘It’s my world, but so funny,’” said Sally Allen, executive producer of the production.  “It’s just a comedy about stuff we all go through.”

The New York-based show was created in 2000 by husband and wife team Tom and Sally Allen, who were looking to merge their work together. Tom, a comic actor and writer, took stories that Sally, a management consultant, experienced and made it into a comedic show.

Some material also came from friends who work in the business world as sales representatives and investment bankers, said Tom, who is head writer and artistic director for “The Water Coolers.”

The Water Coolers

“I think we approach it authentically. Some shows and stand-ups make fun of having a job and getting up and going to work… We look at what do people talk about; what are the issues; in a certain situation what really happens?” he said. “What I’ve found is most people really like their jobs and this is a way celebrate getting up and getting it done.”

The show is comprised of skits and song parodies focusing on people in the office, or issues that would be discussed around a water cooler.

“We’re the comedy group that sings,” Sally said.

The show spoofs personalities that might appear in every office, such as The Great Pretender — someone who always looks busy, but you don’t know what he’s doing — and the person who’s completely addicted to his BlackBerry, Sally said.   It also has song parodies about flying economy, or getting co-worker to buy wrapping paper and cookies their kids are selling, she said.

“During the show you’ll see people elbow each other and whisper to each other and say ‘That’s you,’ or “That’s so and so.’ It’s the classic personalities you see all the time,” she said.

The show adds and changes skits and songs on a continually, making the performance current.

“I read all the time. I like to see what people are talking about. I talk to my friends about what’s hot where they work. That’s how we update the show,” Tom said. “It’s not necessarily what’s on TV, but how we’re reacting to what’s on TV, how we’re reacting to new technology.”

“The Water Coolers” performs for both business groups as well as the general public. In 2002, “The Water Coolers” was an off-Broadway production.

“I think we’re very fortunate to live in New York area because this and LA are where people come to make it as actor, and more importantly make it in the musical theater. As a result our show has really talented actors,” Tom said.

While the show can be enjoyed by couples, Sally suggests making it a night out with friends or co-workers.

“The Water Coolers” is scheduled to perform at Tecumseh Center for the Arts on April 1 at 7:30 p.m. The performance is 90 minutes long with a short intermission.

Tickets are $24 for adults and $21 for students and seniors. To purchase tickets, visit the website www.thetca.org.

Tags: Birmingham Limosuine, Evans Street Station, Tecumseh Center for the Arts, The Water Coolers, Toledo Free Press Star

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 9th, 2011 at 8:13 am and is filed under Contests, Star, Theater.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.