The horror/comedy film, STEAMED!, co-written by Beverly Bonner and Dan Fiorella, is making the rounds on the film festival circuit. How did it come together?
Ever on the look out for a new venue for my sketches, I responded to another Craig's List ad in December of 2013:
COMEDY REPERTORY CO. SEEK SKETCH COMEDY WRITERS
The next day I get a response:
Hey Dan, it's me, Beverly Bonner. I'd love to use some of your great material but I figured you were so busy with your many projects and book. This would be writing for my new Comedy Repertory & Training Co. Let's talk.
Yup. It was Beverly. Small world, right?
She had been working hard over the years. She put together a play in 2011 called "Casey: 30 Years Later," which was about the character she had played in the horror movie "Basket Case."
She had been working hard over the years. She put together a play in 2011 called "Casey: 30 Years Later," which was about the character she had played in the horror movie "Basket Case."
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She was running classes and workshops. Producing showcases for the people in her workshops. Staging vehicles for herself. And she was looking for good comedy material again. So, I began submitting sketches to her, on a more regular basis. I was now getting emails all the time about the various events she had going on at the Broadway Comedy Club. I passed on these many invitations to attend those shows whenever she let me know I had some material going up. Yes, I was wary, still. Also it was always at an odd time, Sundays at 7pm. And I was in Staten Island, and the show was all the way up in Manhattan. Sundays were just not a good day to leave the family and go into the city.
For the next couple of years, that's how it went. I did get up once or twice when the showcase was on a weeknight and I could travel up from work. Some shows were good. Some weren't. It was still very much a mish-mash of the people in her workshops, so the range of talent was wide and varied.
For the next couple of years, that's how it went. I did get up once or twice when the showcase was on a weeknight and I could travel up from work. Some shows were good. Some weren't. It was still very much a mish-mash of the people in her workshops, so the range of talent was wide and varied.
Then she started doing the show as a mock talk show set-up, and wanted commercial parodies (of which I had many). It was just something running in the background of all the other computer tabs I had open in my life. She was sweet to me, sending me birthday greetings beyond the Facebook stuff and was hustling non-stop, taking her Casey show to a couple of different cities throughout this time. She wanted me to consider writing some gospel related stuff for her (which is about as much outside my wheelhouse as you can get) and she tried teaming up with someone else as a comedy duo.
Then she asked me a question; "Do you want to write a movie?"
I said, "Sure!"
Then she asked me a question; "Do you want to write a movie?"
I said, "Sure!"
Next time: Dan Writes a Movie!
