The Water Coolers
Encyclopedia
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The Water Coolers is a New York City
–based music
and comedy
act performing original songs, sketch comedy and pop parodies about the daily challenges of modern life. The Water Coolers was created specifically for the meetings and events industry but has also successfully expanded to Off Broadway, licensed productions in various cities and theatrical touring dates.
The Water Coolers made its debut in New York City
on September 30, 2000. An Off-Broadway
version opened in 2002.
) and corporate consultant Sally Allen. In the summer of 2000, they gathered a group of professional writers and friends in the corporate world to devise an act based on the dynamic of their own marriage: the union of music, comedy and business.
The actors in the revolving cast have appeared on and off Broadway
, in television and radio commercials, in such TV shows as Law and Order
, Rescue Me
, General Hospital
, All My Children
, Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law
, The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien
and in major comedy clubs and concert halls across the country.
, Atlanta, Miami, and Rochester, NY.
The Water Coolers Live (Recorded at the Napa Valley Opera House)
The Water Coolers is a New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
–based music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
and comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
act performing original songs, sketch comedy and pop parodies about the daily challenges of modern life. The Water Coolers was created specifically for the meetings and events industry but has also successfully expanded to Off Broadway, licensed productions in various cities and theatrical touring dates.
The Water Coolers made its debut in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
on September 30, 2000. An Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
version opened in 2002.
Background
The Water Coolers is the creation of husband-and-wife team Thomas Michael Allen (actor/writer, member of the Tony award winning Lehman Engle Musical Theater Workshop and co-creator of Tony N' Tina's WeddingTony n' Tina's Wedding
-Film adaptation:The play was "freely" adapted for film by writer-director Roger Paradiso— "filmed primarily from the point of view of a lisping videographer"—with Joey McIntyre and Mila Kunis playing the title characters...
) and corporate consultant Sally Allen. In the summer of 2000, they gathered a group of professional writers and friends in the corporate world to devise an act based on the dynamic of their own marriage: the union of music, comedy and business.
To Date
The Water Coolers made its debut appearance in New York City on September 30, 2000. In 2002, they opened Off-Broadway for the fall season. During that time and since, the act has traveled around the country doing both public theatrical performances and private corporate events. In 2009 they received the Spotlight Award for Ensemble Entertainers of the Year.Current
The team of writers currently consists of Matt Heimer (magazine editor and columnist), E. Andrew Sensenig (investment banker, and former CEO), Joe Allen (sales manager), Marya Grandy (actor and comedy writer), and David Nehls (composer).The actors in the revolving cast have appeared on and off Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
, in television and radio commercials, in such TV shows as Law and Order
Law and Order
Law and Order may refer to:In politics:*Law and order , a term common in political debate and discussion, generally indicating support of a strict criminal justice system*Law and Order Offensive Party, a minor German political party...
, Rescue Me
Rescue Me (TV series)
Rescue Me is an American television drama series that premiered on the FX Network on July 21, 2004, and concluded on September 7, 2011. The series focuses on the professional and personal lives of a group of New York City firefighters in the fictitious Ladder 62 / Engine 99 firehouse.The show...
, General Hospital
General Hospital
General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....
, All My Children
All My Children
All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...
, Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law
Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law
Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law is an American animated television series comedy created by Williams Street and produced by Cartoon Network Studios that aired on Cartoon Network during its Adult Swim late night programming block. The series' pilot first aired in 2000, and later became a series in...
, The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien
The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien
The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien is an American late-night talk show that featured Conan O'Brien as host from June 1, 2009 to January 22, 2010 as part of NBC's long-running Tonight Show franchise...
and in major comedy clubs and concert halls across the country.
Meetings and Events
The Water Coolers have performed nationally and internationally for such clients as AT&T, Sterling Jewelers, Microsoft, Kindred Healthcare, Choice Hotels, Lego, Honeywell, Cigna, Pitney Bowes, IBM, Express Script, and AFLAC.Licensed Productions
Theatrical productions have been mounted in ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Atlanta, Miami, and Rochester, NY.
Recordings
The Water Coolers: Original Off Broadway Cast AlbumThe Water Coolers Live (Recorded at the Napa Valley Opera House)