HARRIS PAINTS BRINGS BACK THE NOSTALGIA OF SKITSOMANIA

Bridgetown. Barbados: 6 December, 2023:
Fans of the once-popular Barbadian-filmed comedy TV show Skitsomania, will get an extra special treat this Christmas when Harris Paints and the producers join forces to bring Barbadians a nostalgic holiday gift.

A “best of” reboot of the 1990’s TV show, once shown frequently on CBC and now remastered in 4K quality, will be shown for two nights only at the Olympus Theatres!

Brian G. Smith, the creator of the show, which was the first of its kind in Barbados, will be on island for the special presentation. Smith will co-direct students from the Barbados Community College and special guests in performing an improv show at the beginning of the screenings.

While in Barbados, Brian will be volunteering as a guest lecturer on improv comedy with students from the College, and will also be running a community workshop on “Powerpoint Improv: Using Comedy to Improve your Presentation Skills” with the staff of Harris Paints, who are sponsoring the return of the show to the island alongside Café Luna and Little Arches hotel.

Brian G. Smith, who has produced television, theatre and multi-media in Canada and in Barbados, is an award-winning alumnus of Toronto's The Second City, He currently teaches at Annex Improv at the centre for social innovation, and is director of You and Media, a creative production company in Toronto.

The idea behind 'Skitsomania: Reboot', which is what the show is called, came when Brian visited Barbados during the summer and was asked by many people about the show and the prospects for reviving it. They reminisced on the many hilarious moments in the various shows, such as the popular “Receptionist”, “$2”, “Boat Cruise”and “ATM” sketches, and asked for him to bring back those memories. 

Thereafter, the show was remastered in 4k digital quality using AI processing, sponsors were secured, and Michelle Cox of Community College Theatre Department, was brought onboard as a co-director of the live Improv portion of the show.

Harris Paints agreed to sponsor the show based on fond memories of having used excerpts from it many years ago in their Customer Service training programs, and because they felt that Barbadians would benefit from a good laugh and some nostalgia around the holidays this year. 

Harris Paints will also be using a unique cartoon version of Skitsomania’s “ATM” sketch to help promote their recent partnership with Courts Ready Finance, which helps consumers to “Paint Now, and Pay Later”.

In addition to sponsoring the show, Harris will also be donating paint to the Barbados Community College to help brighten their auditorium.

Lisa Brome, Project Coordinator for the Barbados Community College, remarked “We are thrilled to partner with Brian and Skitsomania on a re-showing of this iconic, hilarious program. The opportunity for our students to learn 'improv performance' from an award-winning international comedy expert, and to get experience and exposure by performing with him, is something really special for the students. We also thank Harris Paints for their support in painting up our auditorium, which was really in need of freshening up”

Tickets to the limited-seating showings on December 22nd and 23rd at the OlympusTheatre can be purchased online at Eventbright.


Caption:
In our photo: A scene from one of the Skitsomania episodes with Paul Norville (left) Samud Whittaker (centre) and Melanie McCollin (right)