If you’re currently toiling away in the often thankless arena of Off-Off Broadway, er, Indie Theater, and still flinch in horror at the memory of the drunken auteur who tried lure you to his casting couch, the time you had to step over rats in a basement dressing room, or the egomanical cast member who took it upon himself to give you notes on your performance, then watching a web-based TV show about the trials and tribulations of said world might not be your idea of an enjoyable viewing experience. If however, you have a healthy sense of humor, or just want to commiserate, perhaps you’ll enjoy “Breaking In”.

According to a piece on BroadwayWord, the show:

[Is] a comedy about…theater people with very little talent and even less character, each one of them convinced that they are the next chosen savior of the American stage. “Breaking In” is about the people you should avoid at all costs, the ones who will put you up in front of an audience under fluorescent lighting singing church-basement music after you’ve been sexually harassed in the wings. It’s about the shows you’re ashamed to admit that you were a part of. It’s about the theater world not as we’d like it to be, but as it is. Petty. Sleazy. Crass. Dehumanizing.

Holding the mirror up to nature. Fun!

But unlike the unsavory characters it features, the show sounds expertly crafted. It was created by Ryan David and Joe Drymala (White Noise) and produced by Mitchell Maxwell. The creators plan to produce six episodes per season, following the BBC model used by “The Office.” They’ve even lined up guest stars like Euan Morton. According to Drymala, “the main characters are in this musical called The Lost Boys. Basically the movie The Lost Boys which they’ve developing for 7 years but they still don’t have a script, but they use the show to get dates with attractive people by offering them roles.” Yeah, we’re pretty sure we’ve encountered folks like that.

As for Culturebot’s web-based series where we sit around drunkblogging on theater and performance, it’s stalled in development. Sorry.

Breaking In [site]

Broadway Bullet Interview: Breaking In [Broadway World]