WELCOME TO THE SHOW, Dorie Barton’s follow up feature to her indie hit GIRL FLU (2016), has enjoyed a healthy film festival tour, garnering critical praise and picking up awards along the way. However, it’s warm reception at fests like Cinequest, the Big Apple Film Festival, and the Big Bear Film Summit proved to simply be opening acts for its “homecoming” as it screened at the Richmond Film Festival. Barton has been lending her expertise and experience to the students at VCU, lent something rare for students outside of NYC or LA in the form of the experience of working on a professional film set.
Well, the film and the filmmakers all returned to the scene of the…scenes..? Part of a Virginia and Richmond-specific Opening Night presentation, Barton and her team literally brought “The Show” to the Richmond Film Festival’s audiences by taping invitations under random seats in the theater for “lucky” patrons to participate in the immersive experience paralleling what the main characters in the film experience, and also saw the Andrew Bonieskie and Dillon Douglasson perform music from the film’s soundtrack live later that week.
It all made for just the kind of Opening Night experience a filmmaker and cast and crew hope for thanks to the setting, the Richmond Film Festival’s team, and the kind of classic theater that every filmmaker imagines when they think of the setting for their film to play on the big screen.
Doing the tech check in the gorgeous Byrd Theater while staging the invitations to “the show”. (Photo by Wildman)
The director being photographed with her cast (Dillon Douglasson, Richard Follin, Dorie Barton, Keegan Garant) before the Opening Night welcome cocktail party (Photo by Wildman)
WELCOME TO THE SHOW’s Dillon Douglasson, Richard Follin, Dorie Barton, Keegan Garant (Photo by Wildman)
Filmmaker, force of nature Dorie Barton being photographed before cocktails. (Photo by Wildman)
WELCOME TO THE SHOW’s Dorie Barton (Photo by Wildman)
The people who leaned on each other to get WELCOME TO THE SHOW made: SCV Taylor (PROD), Dorie Barton (DIR/SCR/PROD/CAST), Tyler Scheerschmidt (ED) being photographed. (Photo by Wildman)
WELCOME TO THE SHOW’s SCV Taylor (PROD), Dorie Barton (DIR/SCR/PROD/CAST), Tyler Scheerschmidt (ED) (Photo by Wildman)
The acting dudes join the party. (Photo by Wildman)
WELCOME TO THE SHOW’s Dillon Douglasson, Richard Follin, SCV Taylor, Dorie Barton, Tyler Scheerschmidt, and Keegan Garant (Photo by Wildman)
These guys really trust Dorie. (Photo by Wildman)
Something got lost in translation with the whole “mask requirement” thing. (Photo by Widman)
WELCOME TO THE SHOW cast members Tara Malaka and Rashad Martin about to be interviewed. (Photo by Wildman)
Writer, director, producer,…and stylist with final touch ups. (Photo by Wildman)
The leading men: WELCOME TO THE SHOW’s Richard Follin, Dillon Douglasson, and Keegan Garant (Photo by Wildman)
The WELCOME TO THE SHOW actors being photographed: Rashad Martin, Peter Block, Richard Follin, Dillon Douglasson, Keegan Garant, Andrew Bonieskie, Tara Malaka, Rachel Foeller, Dorie Barton. (Photo by Wildman)
WELCOME TO THE SHOW actors being photographed: Rashad Martin, Peter Block, Richard Follin, Dillon Douglasson, Keegan Garant, Andrew Bonieskie, Tara Malaka, Rachel Foeller, Dorie Barton. (Photo by Wildman)
The WELCOME TO THE SHOW crew: Tyler Scheerschmidt (ED), Alex Kent (DP), Dorie Barton (DIR/SCR/PROD/CAST), SCV Taylor (PROD) (Photo by Wildman)
The WELCOME TO THE SHOW editor and the shooter: Tyler Scheerschmidt and Alex Kent. (Photo by Wildman)
WELCOME TO THE SHOW producer SCV Taylor and director/writer/producer Dorie Barton. (Photo by Wildman)
SCV Taylor and Dorie Barton enjoying not having to produce and direct this shoot. (Photo by Wildman)
WELCOME TO THE SHOW’s Dorie Barton has a well-deserved moment in the sun. (Photo by Wildman)
And everyone joins in: Tyler Scheerschmidt, SCV Taylor, Richard Follin, Dorie Barton, Dillon Douglasson, Keegan Garant, Andrew Bonieskie, Rachel Foeller, Tara Malaka, Rashad Martin, Peter Block, Alex Kent (Photo by Wildman)
The music dudes: Dillon Douglasson, Andrew Bonieskie (Photo by Wildman)
WELCOME TO THE SHOW’s Dillon Douglasson and Andrew Bonieskie talk about the film’s soundtrack. (Photo by Wlldman)
“It’s all about the performances….OUR performances” WELCOME TO THE SHOW’s Dillon Douglasson, Keegan Garant, and Richard Follin being interviewed. (Photo by Wildman)
WELCOME TO THE SHOW’s Keegan Garant makes his point. (Photo by Wildman)
WELCOME TO THE SHOW’s people behind the camera now in front of it: SCV Taylor, Tyler Scheerschmidt, Alex Kent, and Dorie Barton being interviewed. (Photo by Wildman)
WELCOME TO THE SHOW’s Khadijah Franks and Trinity Perason being photographed (Photo by Wildman)
WELCOME TO THE SHOW actors Khadijah Franks and Trinity Pearson (Photo by Wildman)
Another try at the WELCOME TO THE SHOW family photo (since the sun went down): Khadijah Franks (CAST), Alex Kent (DP), SCV Taylor (PROD), Richard Folllin (CAST), Dorie Barton (DIR/SCR/PROD/CAST), Keegan Garant (CAST), Dillon Douglasson (CAST/Music), Andrew Bonieskie (CAST/Music), Tyler Scheerschmidt (ED), Rachel Foeller (CAST), Peter Block (CAST) (Photo by Wildman)
A toast before the screening… (Photo by Wildman)
Dorie Barton introduces the film with Channel 6 anchor Bill Fitzgerald. (Photo by Wildman)
Richmond Film Festival VIP Dorie Barton welcomes the audience to WELCOME TO THE SHOW. (Photo by Wildman)
Kick-ass women: Dorie Barton steps out to grab a fun photo with Richmond Film Festival’s Heather Waters (Photo by Wildman)
Channel 6’s Bill Fitzgerald leads the Q&A following the screening with Dorie Barton (Photo by Wildman)
Dorie Barton talks about filming locally in Richmond. (Photo by Wildman)
The WELCOME TO THE SHOW cast and crew during the Q&A. (Photo by Wildman)
WELCOME TO THE SHOW’s Richard Follin. (Photo by Wildman)
WELCOME TO THE SHOW’s Tara Malaka, Trinity Pearson, Peter Block, Rashad Martin, Alex Kent (hidden), and Tyler Scheerschmidt during the Q&A. (Photo by Wildman)
The WELCOME TO THE SHOW cast and crew basking in the Byrd Theater setting. (Photo by Wildman)
WELCOME TO THE SHOW’s producer SCV Taylor (Photo by Wildman)
WELCOME TO THE SHOW’s Rashad Martin and Peter Block have a thing or two to say. (Photo by Wildman)
The WELCOME TO THE SHOW crew relaxing after the screening – appropriately – at one of the Richmond locations where they shot the film. (Photo by Wildman)
