Footlight Follies

The Hollywood writers’ strike ended too soon for this Seattle-made comedy series to grab cult status on the Internet. Fortunately, you can gorge yourself first on this marathon screening (all of 110 minutes long), then stream your favorite 10-minute episodes next month, when the Web site is expected to launch. Playwright Wayne Rawley (1984, Money & Run) created What the Funny: Season 1, which is clearly based on his long, exasperating experience in the local theater scene. The insecure actors, bungling interns, and beleaguered producers are familiar figures, but they’re played with restraint, not rendered as a bunch of self-consciously theatrical divas. This despite the presence of a film crew (yes, like The Office and Waiting for Guffman) supposedly documenting their backstage shenanigans. Rawley, his writers, the cast, and director Lynn Shelton keep the humor sized to your PC screen instead of playing to the cheap seats.
Sat., March 1, 8 p.m., 2008