Live from the CenTre is a different kind of comedy troupe. Comprised of familiar faces from The Second City, this group takes on socially important and relevant issues — like teaching dogs how to read or recommending beets to cure depression — via an improvised web series.
We chatted with cast member Adam Cawley about giving a voice to rocks and clouds, the troupe’s Canadian Comedy Award nomination and what they find fascinating about the Centre for Social Innovation.
What is Live from the CenTre?
The CenTre is a not-for-profit, open concept incubator for small and socially-progressive businesses. And a comedic web series. Our [fictional] host, B. Gordon MacKie, interviews the owners of different businesses located at the CenTre. We create the characters and the interviews are improvised.
How did the concept for the show come about?
Brian [G. Smith] actually has an office at CSI with his company, YouandMedia. One of his projects was creating a real interview show with members of CSI to create awareness about these unique companies. When we saw these videos and the real people involved, we knew the whole building was full of these amazing passionate characters and they needed to be satirized and celebrated.
So obviously Live from the CenTre is a riff on the Centre for Social Innovation. Why pick on those guys?
The people at CSI are the best. They believe so hard in their business and they work very hard. We aren’t making fun of CSI, we’re just taking it one step further. We basically thought, “If this is true, what else might be true?”
What kind of socially-progressive businesses can we find at the CenTre?
Animal Literacy Group: Did you know the level of animal literacy in Canada is zero percent? One hundred percent of animals can’t read. With Scott’s method of intensive one-on-one training, animals will soon be able to take care of themselves. We hope. So far they can’t.
Incubator Project: Are you interested in perceptions and the way things are perceived? How about getting involved in projects and creating good work at various places? We tackle these issues and bring light to all of these topics that need it.
Earth Mouth: An organization that gives voice to the voiceless. Things like trees, rocks and clouds, in the world of social media.
Bag End: A group that wants to put an end to not only plastic bags, but all bags. They are very enthusiastic and excited about the potential of pockets.
What’s a typical day like at the CenTre?
Every day is different. Today we were trying to get our budget settled for our Wednesday salad potluck. One of our newer organizations, Guy Who Brings His Guitar to a Party, an organization that provides guys with guitars to show up at parties and force a sing along, showed up and started playing Tragically Hip. No one asked him to. We didn’t get our budget settled, but we did hear a new version of “The Scientist” by Coldplay.
Why should people tune in?
The characters we’ve created are extremely close to the people we’re satirizing. Knowing that these types of people really exist at this real building creates a different element to this show. It’s also improvised. Everything you’re watching is being created on the spot, which doesn’t happen with any other online series.
What are the future plans for Live from the CenTre? Would you like to see it on network TV eventually, or is a web series the way to go for this kind of material?
We’re finished our first season and have over 100,000 hits. We’re getting ready to re-release this season on The Second City’s new channel for web series, which is premiering very soon. We’re also pitching the show for television and getting ready to film a second season.
How often do new episodes air?
We were releasing episodes once a week and now you can visit the web site and see all 10 episodes.
Congratulations on your Canadian Comedy Award nomination. How did that feel?
It feels great. We’re really proud of the show and we’ve worked very hard to make it different from anything else we’ve seen on other web series. So to get recognized is great.
If you could sum up Live from the CenTre in three words, what would they be?
…Live From The…
The Details
Year established: 2011
Cast members: Rob Baker, Dale Boyer, Adam Cawley and Brian G. Smith. Directed by Chris Earle
Influences: CSI, CSI: Miami, CSI: NY
Catch them at: livefromthecentre.com