Spike TV premieres show starring two alumni

Tonight, Spike TV will debut "The Lance Krall Show," starring not one but two JMU alumni. Sarah Baker (‘95) and Michael Sweeney (‘94), who became friends in Roger Hall’s basic acting class, will showcase their comedic skills on this sketch comedy show.

"It’s similar to ‘Kids in the Hall’ or ‘Saturday Night Live,’ except we shoot in different locations — not on a stage, so there’s no laugh track," Baker said. "Basically, we interact with the unsuspecting public."

Prior to the show, the group of actors worked together extensively at the Whole World Theatre in Atlanta, an independent theater specializing in comedy improv.

"I didn’t want to move home after graduation," said Baker. "I called Michael, who was working with Whole World in Atlanta, and he said I should come down and give it a shot. Lance Krall was there, as well as some others who are on the show now, so it’s nice to be working with people that I’ve known for quite awhile."

Sweeney agrees. "We’ve been working together for so long," he said. "In Atlanta, all of our shows were sold out. We have a chemistry that you can’t package."

Krall was the first to make the move to Los Angeles and found success playing "Kip the Gay Guy" on "The Joe Schmo Show" on Spike TV. After working on a Steve Martin-produced project that was quickly taken off the air, Krall decided to put together an original sketch comedy show.

"He wanted to break out on his own after that, and he already had a relationship with Spike because of ‘The Joe Schmo Show,’ Baker said. "By that time, most of us had trickled out to LA, so he asked all of us to be a part of it, and here we are."

Sweeney said "The Lance Krall Show" is made up of sketches they did while they were sitting around together. "Spike loved them, so they’re basically paying us to hang out and be nerds with each other," he said.

Baker and Sweeney both got their comedic start in Cillia, a comedy improv group in Harrisonburg. "At JMU, emphasis was placed on creating your own performance situations, and so some students formed a group called Cillia," Baker said. "I had always been terrified of improv when I’d tried it in class and at auditions, but something compelled me to audition. I discovered to my surprise in that audition that I could actually do it, and my love of improv was born."

When asked what it is like to work on the male-oriented Spike TV, Baker said, "Well, it’s not like they’re asking us to put on bikinis between takes. Granted, there is the occasional ‘potty joke,’ but generally it’s pretty high-brow comedy that appeals to everyone. Basically, we’re doing this for an almost nonexistent budget, so Spike took a chance on us. They like taking chances."

"The Lance Krall Show" premieres at 11 p.m. on Monday, April 18 on Spike TV.