MSU’s TV sitcom, “The Show,” taped its 35th episode Saturday in front of a live studio audience.
In its 12th season, the comedy dissects life on MSU’s campus. It is set in a room in 3 East Wilson Hall where mad capers and wacky high jinx ensue, said the show’s producer, Aaron Bleyaert, a telecommunication senior.
The cast taped its second show of the season.
“This season’s second episode was a combination of three different storylines,” telecommunication junior Derek Ilich said.
In the latest episode, the two mentors, David Michael Nelson, played by telecommunication junior and producer Matt Vermeulen, and Alexis, played by telecommunication senior Kristi Adamkiewicz, travel to a mentor convention. They leave Penny, a stuck-up, independent girl, in charge of the floor. No-preference freshman Gina Lalama plays Penny.
While the mentors are gone, Damion, played by Ilich, cheats on his girlfriend, Nicole, played by journalism freshman Tracey Bartoy, with Nelson’s sister, Stacey, played by theater senior Marie MacGillis.
In the midst of all this, the group leaves 3 East to stop the wacky Jesse, played by no-preference freshman Lerone Wilson, from joining a fraternity.
All the while, campus gossip and host of the campus show “Campus Dirt,” Louise Geeze, played by English senior Michelle Renna, is on the prowl.
This episode is intended to be very viewer-friendly. In the past, “The Show” has used a lot of inside jokes that wouldn’t be understood if the viewer weren’t an alumnus of the show or a follower of the campus sitcom. But this year the producers - Vermeulen and Bleyaert - tried to change that.
“We want a larger campus audience without them having to know a lot about ‘The Show,’” Vermeulen said.
This semester, the cast and crew of 19 pushed themselves beyond the limit and produced two shows. By setting such a demanding goal, the cast and crew worked twice as hard to reach their objective.
“With a pretty high turnover rate - people graduate, have classes - we’re always getting new people,” Bleyaert said. “But we did two this semester because the cast and crew were really great.”
First-time cast member Wilson modeled his dorky character after Carlton of “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.” And although working for “The Show” can be time-consuming, Wilson said it is very rewarding.
“It’s only my first time, but the pace was pretty good,” Wilson said. “I couldn’t imagine doing just one show a semester.”
The cast and crew are no strangers to long hours and being together. They formed a tight bond that makes it difficult for most members to let go.
“I plan to stay as long as I can because I love acting,” Ilich said. “It’s interesting to go through the whole television experience.”
The audience for the live taping is generally composed of old cast and crew members, but family members and students always seem to find their way into the studio for the taping.
“I enjoyed the show very much,” said Ralph Bleyaert, Aaron Bleyaert’s father. “It brought back a lot of college memories of my own.”
“The Show” premieres next week. It airs on the campus housing channel at 5:30 p.m. daily and off campus on WELM Cable Access at 9:30 p.m. Dec. 14.
