Hello!

...and welcome to the fundraiser for Showtime! We appreciate you stopping by. Allow us to explain a bit more. 

Showtime! is a fast-paced, single location farce set in the wings of a West End theatre that spotlights the chaotic world that exists backstage whilst we all sit quietly oblivious in our seats. It’s a celebration of the madness it requires to keep a show going when everything falls apart, and a critique of workplace toxicity in the stressful pursuit of success.

Something we can all relate to, right?

THE STORY!

As the Deputy Stage Manager, Tess is the brain of the show, calling out over comms every lighting change, actor entrance, sound cue, set move, scenery piece flying in and out... it’s a lot, especially since it’s her long awaited West End debut and she’s never seen the show before because she was hired that morning. (This actually happens in real life and sounds utterly terrifying)

The stakes couldn’t be higher.

Her friend, and Stage Manager, Lauren discovers that the much-loved and rather famous Lead of the play is planning to ‘steal the show’... actually steal it… like a heist.

With mounting pressure from the rest of the crew to stop his escape when the curtain comes down, Tess has to make the decision: dismiss what sounds like a massive practical joke on the newbie and not make a fool of herself, or step up and save the show by tackling the famous, Netflix star to the ground.

WHO IS MAKING THIS?

I'm Sam Bailey, a comedy director who has worked across theatre and film for many years. My filmwork has been shown at BAFTA qualifying festivals such as Aesthetica, Encounters Film Festival, LOCO London Comedy Festival, Bolton Film Festival, Leeds Int. Film Festival and my favourite, The Italian Innuendo Film Festival.

I've been awarded Vimeo's Staff Pick multiple times, directed amazing performers such as Adeel Akhtar, Reece Shearsmith and Thomas Coombes, and made music videos and short films that have won awards at the prestigious UKMVAs, UVIFF, The Munich Film Festival and my favourite, The Italian Innuendo Film Festival.

Examples of my filmwork can be seen at sammyjbailey.com 

I love comedy, I love absurdism, I love theatre. Alongside filmmaking I work in HE at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London (the best darn place in the world) whose alumni include Dame Judi Dench, Laurence Olivier, Andrew Garfield and Kit Harington. It’s here, at the writing desk I built underneath the main stage below the next generation of our stars, that I wrote this script.

AND WHY IS HE MAKING THIS? WHY NOW?

On the surface, this film is about a hellish night at work, but the core of the story is something that I think of often: Can you make it in the ultra-competitive world without being a cut-throat, snarling career-beast? 

Tess is excellent when it comes to doing her job but has never cracked how to play the game, so to speak.

She’s just too kind. Too sweet. Is that so wrong? Weren't the meek supposed to inherit the Earth? 

Lauren is lax and unprofessional, but able to blag and bullshit her way into important roles with her enviable high self-esteem and confidence.

In a culture where we have begun using gym-verbs to describe a standard day in the office, we are all now  expected to grind, hustle and smash our way through life. We 'do' lunch. We 'do' holidays. We 'do' a meditation. It's all active and turbo charged. Success above all costs.

This film is about a small person proving that they can be big, even if it doesn't come naturally.  

AND WHY THEATRE?

Theatre is inherently cinematic: artificial worlds, heightened personalities and people pretending everything matters more than it does. It's a perfect canvas to explore ego, ambition and the ridiculous things people do when they think nobody is watching. It has huge cultural importance to the British public, universal themes, but the backstage world is an untapped well for comedy, since most comedy about theatre follows the shenanigans of the actors offstage.

The backstage crew of a theatre are seldom seen, and yet they are entirely responsible for the show running smoothly. Having worked for several years in this world I have amassed many stories from behind the scenes. I can tell you first hand: the professionals in this world are some of the most highly skilled but hilariously unprofessional workers I have ever encountered. 

The stories are endless, the gossip is rife and the characters are huge.

This will be your introduction to them. 

WHO ARE SOME OF THE PEOPLE INVOLVED?

TESS - Katherine Moran

Katherine is a brilliantly funny and sensitive performer. I've had the joy of directing her as multiple characters in one shoot, each with a very different personality. So it's fair to say she has excellent range. Tess is in very safe hands with her.

LAUREN - MJ Lee

Hailing from Canada, MJ is very physical in her performance. She was dedicated enough to eat from a waterfall of corn flakes in a Sam Fisher/Megan Trainor music video I directed. Ever since I've been looking for another excuse to work with such a comic dream. 

Producer - Max Clendaniel

A prolific comedy filmmaker in his own right, Max is behind the steering wheel of this project as producer extraordinaire, making sure it gets done on time, in budget, and over achieved. 

DOP - Max Brill

Max is a well loved name within UK comedy having worked with celebrated comics, including Tina Fey during the most recent SNL UK films. Able to capture beautiful images whilst making ample space for performers to be funny, he's a very uplifting and enthusiastic presence on set. 

WHAT DO WE NEED?

We need £4k from you great people. The breakdown of where that will go is here. 

We are very lucky to have access to the location for this project, we just need help with the other pieces of the pie.

Please look at the lovely rewards we have on the right, or feel free to gift any donation amount you can spare. Everything helps to cover the cost of people giving their time, energy, skill and expertise over to this project.

THANKS SO MUCH FOR READING AND SUPPORTING. IT MEANS THE WORLD.

IT'S SHOWTIME, BABY!

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