- Stella (comedy group)
Stella is comedy trio consisting of
Michael Showalter ,Michael Ian Black , andDavid Wain (all three of whom are alumni of the comedy troupe, "The State"). The group formed in1997 as a weekly nightclub comedy attraction, performing atNew York City nightclub Fez from 1997 until February 2005. Stella soon gained a wider cult following after a series of self-produced short films became available online atCollegeHumor . Now known for their unique blend of potently mainstream comedy and surrealist humor, Stella has garnered a small but extremely dedicated fanbase.cite news| publisher=The Onion A.V. Club | url=http://www.avclub.com/content/interview/michael_showalter| title=Michael Showalter| author=Sean O'Neal| date=2008-01-29] [cite web| url=http://www.stellacomedy.com/index.php| date=2008-02-01| title=home page| publisher=Stella]Beginnings
Michael Showalter ,Michael Ian Black , andDavid Wain met atNew York University where they all participated in the school's improv comedy club,Sterile Yak . Other members ofSterile Yak includeThomas Lennon ,Kerri Kenney-Silver ,Robert Ben Garant , (Reno 911 ), andJoe Lo Truglio who would all become members of theMTV series, The State. (The History of Stella, Stella: Season One DVD)The name
After "The State" ended, Black, Showalter, and Wain decided to join together and form a stand-up comedy troupe. The group originally performed under the name Midnight Expressions. They changed the name to Stella when they got their first gig at the
New York City nightclub, Fez because the manager who hired them was pregnant at the time, and Stella was to be the name of her daughter. (www.davidwain.com), (The History of Stella)hort films
From 1998 to 2004 the troupe produced, wrote, and starred in 27 short films, originally intended for screenings at the group's live stage shows. They quickly became popular after being hosted on the internet through
CollegeHumor and have since been distributed freely online by fans on video sharing websites such asYouTube andDailymotion .Some of the actors to guest star in the shorts include
Sam Rockwell ,Paul Rudd , andElizabeth Banks , as well as several members of Stella's alma mater "The State", such asJoe Lo Truglio .Television
Before ever appearing on
Comedy Central , Stella made a pilot toVH1 called Every Night. It was a late night talk show that included sketch comedy, improv, and material from the shortfilms. The show was not picked up byVH1 .Stella had two brief stints on
Comedy Central , the first as a one-time "Comedy Central Presents " adaptation of their stage show in2004 .In2005 , the network commissioned ten half-hour episodes from the group, as the television series "Stella". The resulting episodes were a blend of jokes and vignettes from the Stella shorts combined with plenty of new material, with each episode having an actual plot or story arc holding it all together, a change of pace from the short films which would frequently derail themselves entirely from any semblance of a storyline and make little effort to resolve or arc. As well as starring in the series, the troupe wrote every episode, with Wain directing three. Comedy Central released the complete series on DVD in2006 which included the complete half-hour "Comedy Central Presents" special, "The History of Stella," and other supplemental features.Film
Though Michael Showalter, Michael Ian Black and David Wain have yet to appear in a feature film as their Stella alter-egos, the three have frequently collaborated on a number of feature films, including:
*"Wet Hot American Summer " (2001 ) - Directed by Wain, co-written by Showalter and Wain, starring Showalter and Black
*"The Baxter " (2005 ) - Written, directed by and starring Showalter. Black and Wain both have supporting acting roles.
*"The Ten " (2007 ) - Directed by Wain, co-written by Wain andKen Marino , starring Showalter, Black and Wain in supporting roles.The three have also appeared in the movie "Reno 911: Miami".Michael Showalter and Michael Ian Black as tattoo artists while David Wain played a plumber.
Frequent contributors
Stella is also known for casting actors they enjoy working with in many of their projects including:
*Elizabeth Banks ("Wet Hot American Summer", "The Baxter", Stella shorts and TV series, "Wainy Days")
*Janeane Garofalo ("Wet Hot American Summer", "The Ten", Stella shorts and TV series)
*Joe Lo Truglio ("Wet Hot American Summer", "The Baxter", "The Ten", Stella shorts and TV series, "Wainy Days")
*Ken Marino ("Wet Hot American Summer", "The Baxter", "The Ten", Stella shorts and TV series, "Wainy Days")
*A.D. Miles ("Wet Hot American Summer", "The Baxter", "The Ten", Stella shorts and TV Series, "Wainy Days")
*Zak Orth ("Wet Hot American Summer", "The Baxter", "The Ten", Stella shorts and TV series)
*Andrea Rosen ("The Baxter", "The Ten", Stella TV series, "Wainy Days")
*Paul Rudd ("Wet Hot American Summer", "The Baxter", "The Ten", Stella shorts and TV series, "Wainy Days")
*Nina Hellman ("Wet Hot American Summer", "The Ten", Stella shorts and TV series, "Wainy Days")
*Justin Theroux ("The Baxter", "The Ten")
*Zach Galifianakis (Stella shorts and "The Michael Showalter Showalter")External links
* [http://www.stellacomedy.com/index.php Official Site]
*http://urbanpollution.com/film/michael_ian_black,_michael_showalter,_and_david_wain/articles/11269 Urban Pollution Interview]
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