Stella (comedy group)

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Stella is comedy trio consisting of Michael Showalter, Michael Ian Black, and David Wain (all three of whom are alumni of the comedy troupe, The State). The group formed in 1997 as a weekly nightclub comedy attraction, performing at New York City nightclub Fez from 1997 until February 2005. Stella soon gained a wider cult following after a series of self-produced short films became available online at CollegeHumor. Now known for their unique blend of potently mainstream comedy and surrealist humor, Stella has garnered a small but extremely dedicated fanbase.^[1]^[2]

1 Beginnings
2 The Name
3 Short films
4 Television
5 Film
6 Frequent Contributors
7 External links

[edit] Beginnings

Michael Showalter, Michael Ian Black, and David Wain met at New York University where they all participated in the school's improv comedy club, Sterile Yak. Other members of Sterile Yak include Thomas Lennon, Kerri Kenney-Silver, Robert Ben Garant, (Reno 911), and Joe Lo Truglio who would all become members of the MTV series, The State. (The History of Stella, Stella: Season One DVD)

[edit] The Name

After The State ended, Black, Showalter, and Wain decided to join together and form a stand-up comedy troupe. The group originally performed under the name Midnight Expressions. They changed the name to Stella when they got their first gig at the New York City nightclub, Fez because the manager who hired them was pregnant at the time, and Stella was to be the name of her daughter. (www.davidwain.com), (The History of Stella)

[edit] Short films

Main article: Stella shorts

From 1998 to 2004 the troupe produced, wrote, and starred in 27 short films, originally intended for screenings at the group's live stage shows. They quickly became popular after being hosted on the internet through CollegeHumor and have since been distributed freely online by fans on video sharing websites such as YouTube and Dailymotion.

Some of the actors to guest star in the shorts include Sam Rockwell, Paul Rudd, and Elizabeth Banks, as well as several members of Stella's alma mater The State, such as Joe Lo Truglio.

[edit] Television

Main article: Stella (TV series)

Before ever appearing on Comedy Central, Stella made a pilot to VH1 called Every Night. It was a late night talk show that included sketch comedy, improv, and material from the shortfilms. The show was not picked up by VH1.

Stella had two brief stints on Comedy Central, the first as a one-time Comedy Central Presents adaptation of their stage show in 2004.

In 2005, the network commissioned ten half-hour episodes from the group, as the television series Stella. The resulting episodes were heavily reminiscent of the Stella shorts. As well as starring in the series, the troupe wrote every episode, with Wain directing three. Comedy Central released the complete series on DVD in 2006 which included the complete half-hour Comedy Central Presents special, The History of Stella, and other supplemental features.

[edit] Film

Though Michael Showalter, Michael Ian Black and David Wain have yet to appear in a feature film as their Stella alter-egos, the three have frequently collaborated on a number of feature films, including:

Wet Hot American Summer (2001) - Directed by Wain, co-written by Showalter and Wain, starring Showalter and Black
The Baxter (2005) - Written, directed by and starring Showalter. Black and Wain both have supporting acting roles.
The Ten (2007) - Directed by Wain, co-written by Wain and Ken Marino, starring Showalter, Black and Wain in supporting roles.

[edit] Frequent Contributors

Stella is also known for casting actors they enjoy working with in many of their projects including:

Elizabeth Banks (Wet Hot American Summer, The Baxter, Stella shorts and TV series)
Janeane Garofalo (Wet Hot American Summer, The Ten, Stella shorts and TV series)
Joe Lo Truglio (Wet Hot American Summer, The Baxter, The Ten, Stella shorts and TV series)
Ken Marino (Wet Hot American Summer, The Baxter, The Ten, Stella shorts and TV series)
A.D. Miles (Wet Hot American Summer, The Baxter, The Ten, Stella shorts and TV Series)
Zak Orth (Wet Hot American Summer, The Baxter, The Ten, Stella shorts and TV series)
Andrea Rosen (The Baxter, The Ten, Stella TV series)
Paul Rudd (Wet Hot American Summer, The Baxter, The Ten, Stella shorts and TV series)
Justin Theroux (The Baxter, The Ten)
Zach Galifianakis (Stella shorts and The Michael Showalter Showalter)