In 2017, a star was born. Okay but actually, our Artistic Director Caitlin was working at Paupers Pub, and she and Melly were debating what type of content they wanted to feature in their season. Caitlin had the idea of creating a show that existed in a bar because, what can’t happen on any typical night in a bar, right? From there, various playwrights came together and submitted their material, and we wove together a cohesive piece that combined the experience of both the patrons and the staff. In the end, the show was a site specific piece that was actually performed on the second floor of Paupers and was very successful. Straight Up! was such a hit that we created a sequel the following year: On the Rocks was also performed in Paupers and had an awesome run.

A comment that we kept hearing in feedback from both these shows was “you should make this a series!”. And so in 2019 we said “OK!”. After about a year of writing and rewriting, Caitlin and Carley came up with three short episodes for the webseries version of the show, pulling a lot of inspiration from the original. The series allows you to get to know the staff of the bar, and watch how they adapt to new management. Performed by Shawn Lall, Carley Churchill, Chris Sim, and Caitlin Turner, the whole series was shot in one long day in our favourite watering hole: Paupers Pub.

The goal from here is to write a full season, and continue to produce content featuring patrons, staff, and the comings and goings of the restaurant industry. HUGE SHOUTOUT to our close friends at Nebulatte Productions for helping make this dream a reality for the SBM team. Checkout their YouTube Channel!