Complete Works, an independently-produced comedy series about a collegiate Shakespeare competition will premiere all five of its new episodes – House of Cards style – on Hulu April 23rd, coinciding with Shakespeare’s 450th Birthday. The half-hour comedy series follows Hal, a naive Shakespeare-obsessed Midwesterner, who makes it to the final round of the American Shakespeare Competition only to discover that even theater geeks can be cutthroat.
From first time writer-directors Joe Sofranko and Adam North, it was created and produced by Sofranko, North, and Lili Fuller with their production company, Kingdom for a Horse Productions. So, how did the three meet?
In 2004, Joe Sofranko won the National Shakespeare Competition at Lincoln Center out of over 16,000 competitors from across the country. In 2005, he met Lili Fuller during a theatre competition in Miami called YoungArts. Half a year later, Joe and Lili met Adam North walking to a party near USC. Four years and a few college degrees later, they teamed up to create Complete Works. Only three years, several emotional breakdowns, and many credit cards after that, they finished the show and lived happily ever after. Sorta. They are still working hard and having emotional breakdowns. Only now, they at least have something to show for it.
Executive Producer Fuller says, “This was such a labor of love, and it really stemmed from our shared passion for theatre and Shakespeare. The three of us are theatre geeks, and our community is full of crazy, hilarious people, so when we were brainstorming, this idea came naturally. We’re diehard fans of both Mean Girls and Waiting for Guffman, so those two movies became touchstones for us as we were making the show.”
Complete Works stars Vicki Lewis (NewsRadio, Finding Nemo), Joe Sofranko, Lili Fuller, Kevin Quinn, Chase Williamson (John Dies at the End, The Guest), Ben Sidell, Lizzie Fabie, Alex Skinner, Michael Keenan, Laurie O’Brien, and Daniel Montgomery. For more about the show visit www.completeworks.tv, and on April 23, you can watch the episodes at www.hulu.com/complete-works. Methinks they have a winner.
L-R Bottom row: Lizzie Fabie (Regan), Chase Williamson (Oliver), Ben Sidell (Ian), Alex Skinner (Leo)a nd Lili Fuller (Pauline). Background: Kevin Quinn (James), Laurie O’Brien (Deborah), Michael Keenan (Damien) and Daniel Montgomery (Loren)
Shakespeare in LA 