TAPING OF THE BIG BANG THEORY

In the front row, we sat, in the studio of Warner Brother's lot 25, eager for the festivities to begin, the tapping of the Big Bang Theory. Two hundred enthusiastic and devoted fans file into the audience and look around to acquaint themselves with the uniqueness of what they are about to experience, a live audience in the process of taping the show. Overhead hang microphones about every 10 feet apart and row after row to capture the laughter of the happy crowd. You are encouraged to laugh and laugh often and loud. They come from all over the world; Europe, South America, Australia and even Africa, all the same kind of fan, enthusiastic and devoted.

Seeing these wonderful actors at work makes me wonder, do creative people really consider themselves professional actors or rather artists and lovers of their craft?

You see them one at a time, engrossed in their dialogue as they practice their scripts to themselves, the introductions from the comic genius that works the crowds between takes is amusing and helps the four hours it takes to tape a half-hour show. As many as 5 takes can occur to make the scenes as funny and convincing as possible, and this show is not your run of the mill comedy. It incorporates many dramatic and poignant scenes during the season as well.

What amazes me is the number of people that it takes to produce this half hour, the week of creative ideas and then writing the script, the polishing and re-writing, the wardrobe people, makeup artist and sound and visual planning and rehearsal that goes into the production, the walk through of the scenes, all comes together in the final four hours of the show, the final ingredient, the audience reactions.

As we sit there as parents, we are not only proud of our son, but that he is part of this wonderful experience, that he is our son and helps do something so successful boggles our mind. I think sometimes I'm too enthusiastic about this all, but I just can't help it. I think of my Dad, his name was Anthony too, and he would have been crazy proud of his grandson, and excited everything he saw his grandson's name in the credits, they are his, too!