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ABOUT USOn a dark, drizzly day in July of 1996, a group of comic actors secretly met in a large loft apartment on the 3rd floor of a converted warehouse in Portland, Oregon. They discussed the lack of intelligent stage comedy in Portland. For over a decade, the only form of live comedy available in Portland was banal improv comedy and stand-up retreads. So, not unlike your average team of superheroes, these comics threw their talents on the table, determined to make a difference. Among them were set builders, make-up artists, costumers, light & sound designers, directors, technicians, choreographers, and, most importantly, they were all writers. They combined these skills to create a new brand of theatrically driven sketch comedy.And thus, The 3rd Floor: Maximum Capacity Sketch Comedy was born. Critics and audiences immediately gravitated towards the group’s unique brand of dark, intelligent humor. Shows were sold out, extended, and repeated. Sketch comedy in Portland no longer consisted of under-rehearsed material on bare stages with minimal costumes. It was now produced with the quality of a full-length play. Over the past eleven years, 37 cast members have come and gone and come back once more. The 3rd Floor has become a sanctuary for some of the top comedic actors and writers in the Northwest. It has also become a pool of talent that local filmmakers and advertisers draw from on a regular basis. Since its birth The 3rd Floor has written, directed, produced, and starred in 29 original long-running hit stage shows, starred in many short films (one alongside sketch comedy pioneers, Firesign Theater), filmed countless video sketches, recorded a full-length comedy CD (Don't Laugh, That's My Mom), received standing ovations from crowds of 500+ at various Northwest colleges and has performed to enthusiastic crowds at festivals in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Portland, Seattle & Chicago. We’ve had cast members on E.R., The West Wing, Mtv’s Undressed, tons of commercials (both local and national), in short films, feature films, even writing and starring in cartoons (cartoonsrule.com). We even host our own national sketch festival: The Best Of The Best Sketch Fest, featuring the best groups in the country (just finished year 5!) Some of our founding members have also gone on to create some of the most hilarious and successful comedy troupes on the west coast (Hoskins & Breen, The Class Project, Flaming Box Of Stuff, Slide County, Brychael, and All Jane No Dick). Blue Door Productions and The 3rd Floor just turned eleven and we show no signs of stopping. THE CURRENT CAST in all their glory. LINKS to some of our favorite people and things. |
©2008 bluedoor productions, inc.