THE 3RD FLOOR
From Portland - Performing Saturday @
11:00pm
The 3rd Floor has been
performing their unique brand of dark and ridiculous
theatrically-driven sketch comedy, both locally and
nationally, since 1996.
Over the past twelve years, 37 cast members have come and
gone and come back once more. The 3rd Floor has become a
sanctuary for some of the top comedic actors and writers in
the Northwest. It has also become a pool of talent that
local filmmakers and advertisers draw from on a regular
basis.
Since it’s birth, The 3rd Floor has written,
directed, produced, and starred in 34 original long-running
hit stage shows, starred in many short films (one alongside
sketch comedy pioneers, Firesign Theater), filmed countless
video sketches, recorded a full-length comedy CD (Don't
Laugh, That's My Mom), received standing ovations from
crowds of 500+ at various Northwest colleges and has
performed to enthusiastic crowds at festivals in Los
Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Portland, Seattle &
Chicago. We’ve had cast members on E.R., The West
Wing, Mtv’s Undressed, tons of commercials (both
local and national), in short films, feature films, writing
and starring in cartoons (www.cartoonsrule.com) and now one
of our central cast members is a co-host of the number one
rated afternoon radio show in Portland (The Afternoon Buzz
with Daria & Mitch & Ted on 105.1 The Buzz). We
even host our own national sketch festival: The Best Of The
Best Sketch Fest, featuring the best groups in the country
(coming up fast on year 6!) Some of our founding members
have also gone on to create some of the most hilarious and
successful comedy troupes on the west coast (Hoskins &
Breen, The Class Project, Flaming Box Of Stuff, Slide
County, Brychael, and All Jane No Dick).
T3F just returned from their 4th consecutive year at
Sketchfest:NYC, where they played to a full house at the
legendary Upright Citizens Brigade Theater. They just
recently learned that their performance has drawn the
attention of talent scouts for a couple of well-known
three-initialed television networks. For a sketch comedy
troupe to have lasted as long as The 3rd Floor, it’s
rare. For such a group to be at their peak at this point,
it’s remarkable. Blue Door Productions and The 3rd
Floor just turned twelve and we show no signs of stopping.
the cast
ANDY BUZAN
TED DOUGLASS
ANDREW HARRIS
JASON KELLER
KEVIN-MICHAEL MOORE
HEATHER NELSON ROBERTSON
JASON ROUSE
MICHAEL TEUFEL
DEANNA WELLS
contact
TED DOUGLASS
T3FPortland@aol.com
THE 3RD FLOOR PRESS STUFF
TIME OUT
CHICAGO
“It’s
good—totally out-there costume-heavy sketch comedy.
It was a real ensemble piece of comedy, as the actors took
turns sharing the spotlight and setting their teammates up
for huge payoffs. This Pacific Northwest troupe has been
doing sketch for a long time and it just keeps getting
better.”
ALISON HALLETT – THE PORTLAND MERCURY
“Local sketch comedy legends
the 3rd Floor are clearly amped to be playing a new show in
Portland, and judging by the number of people lined up in
the freezing cold trying to get into last Saturday's
sold-out show, Portland is happy to have them back. It's
hard to write about sketch comedy, especially good sketch
comedy. I want to convince you to attend this show, without
ruining any of the jokes. Let's just say that of the
thousands of minutes I've spent in Portland theaters, the
90 that I spent with the 3rd Floor last weekend were some
of the sweetest, and I didn't look at my watch once.”
JESSE THORN - THE SOUND OF YOUNG AMERICA
“Portland's ‘The 3rd
Floor’ put on a really remarkable show full of
bizarre twists and turns. They opened with one of the
strangest (and best) high school reunion sketches I've ever
seen, and closed with one of the best dance numbers I've
ever seen in a comedy context.”
GRANT BUTLER – THE OREGONIAN
“The festival's finale
belonged to Portland's The 3rd Floor, celebrating its
10-year anniversary with a collection of its greatest hits,
featuring 17 current and former members. Goodness, how
lucky we've got it here. Troop! leader Kevin Chesley
introduced our hometown company, noting how it had rapidly
become one of the top sketch comedy groups to watch on the
national scene. And The 3rd Floor's performance lived up to
the introduction.”
CHICAGO MAGAZINE
“Five Shows Worth Catching
(At Chicago Sketchfest) - #4 The 3rd Floor: With its past
premises involving giants, unicorns and naked cowboys, this
boundary-busting Portland, Oregon ensemble has become a
festival fave. Watch out for spattering blood.”
ALEXANDER ZALBEN (PRODUCER OF
SKETCHFEST:NYC) – GELF MAGAZINE
"The 3rd Floor" I love. They did
one of the best sketch shows I've ever seen, which was
their set in Portland Sketchfest last year. They have
really big-budget, high-concept sketch comedy, while also
being really incredible actors."
TRAV S.D. - TIME OUT NEW YORK
"Standouts among the visiting
companies (to Sketchfest:NYC) include Portland's The 3rd
Floor, whose arsenal includes a knack for absurd situations
like a foaming-at-the-mouth presentation by a rabid
salesman."
JUSTIN SANDERS – THE PORTLAND MERCURY
“The 3rd Floor cast is one of
the better acting ensembles to be found in Portland, and
their technical crew recreates styles and eras with
exceptional success…across the board features great
performances and stellar production values. T3F knows what
they’re doing…a talented, confident and very
funny sketch comedy troupe.”
KEVIN CHESLEY – PRETTYWITTY.COM
“And certain groups are
becoming well-respected in the sketch community.
Portland’s Festival, unapologetically entitled The
Best Of The Best, culls its line-up from the groups it
considers to be innovating the face of sketch comedy. And
where do those groups try earning that distinction? At the
Festivals. With groups like The 3rd Floor and Hoskins and
Breen, Portland itself is a city whose sketch community is
fiercely inventive. The press and the area audience are
learning this year by year.”
ERIC LARSON – WILLAMETTE WEEK
“Take some Saturday Night
Live, add a splash of audio and video interludes, a
sprinkle of naughty language, a lot more rehearsal time,
and you’ve got a pretty good grip on The 3rd
Floor’s sketch comedy triumph…inspires
true-blue, belly-aching laughs…The sketches are
chaotic but surprisingly polished, and the communication
between these performers is a rare treat.”
SAM CROW – OUR TOWN
“…well constructed,
with elaborate changes of set and costume
throughout…The 3rd Floor is irreverent, vulgar and
very, very funny…deftly blends slapstick comedy,
absurdist …a terrific evening of comedy”
STEFFEN SILVIS – WILLAMETTE WEEK
“…a number of
pieces…which are close to genius…The 3rd
Floor company is strong”
ANDREW SIMPSON – ANODYNE MAGAZINE
“…intelligent, classy
and (dare I say) consistently hilarious…”
BONNIE FAZIO – PORTLANDCITYSEARCH.COM
“…audiences want
sketch comedy to make them laugh, and (The 3rd Floor)
provides many opportunities to do so.”
JENNIFER MCILHENNY – THE OREGONIAN
“…intensely funny,
affordable, mind-blowing…intelligent, often demented
extreme sketch comedy”
BRIAN POSEN – PRODUCER OF THE CHICAGO
SKETCHFEST
“They are inspirational.
Their work continues to affect many artists, especially
here in Chicago. They continue to raise the bar with their
consistent excellence they bring to Chicago.”
THE NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY NEWSPAPER
“The 3rd Floor boasted a
diverse variety of characters and an incisive eye for
social and cultural commentary that kept the sketches ahead
of the audience, but never quite out of reach…The
3rd Floor killed.”
TOUSSAINT PERRAULT – THE PORTLAND
MERCURY
“The 3rd Floor's newest
sketch collection plays like a rock show, with a series of
holiday gags interrupted only by adoring applause and the
busting of guts. The sketch ensemble seems to have come of
age with Holiday, finally achieving the nearly impossible
combination of crass immaturity and sophisticated speed.
It's probably a better idea to celebrate the holidays with
the 3rd Floor than with your own family, because the
comedians are faster, funnier, and look better in drag.
Most importantly, there's not a scene-stealing drama turd
in the whole bunch.”
HOLLY JOHNSON – THE OREGONIAN
“Strong characterizations,
sharp timing and intelligent material at every
turn…a must-see for comedy lovers…the ideas
percolating are smart and funny…These are good
brains at work. How much fun they must have putting this
stuff together!”
MASON WEST – WILLAMETTE WEEK
“…laugh-out-loud
hilarious…the cast plays each role with enthusiasm
and a variety that gives each member a shining
moment…on the whole, it’s a gas, and a
pleasant alternative to an evening sitting on your ass in
front of the tube.”
