SXSWORLD

4 0 S X S W O R L D / M A R C H F I L M - I A 2 0 1 4 aul Provenza may not have the most recognizable name in comedy, but he is easily one of the busiest—and most respected—people in the industry. Ten years ago, the longtime standup performer and actor began branching out behind the scenes, co-directing dirty- joke documentary e Aristocrats alongside comic-magician Penn Jillette, co-authoring ¡Satiristas!: Comedians, Contrarians, Raconteurs & Vulgarians with photographer Dan Dion, and directing Kelly Carlin's multimedia one-woman show: A Carlin Home Companion: Growing Up with George. As host of Comedy Central's early '90s performance/interview series Comics Only, Provenza was both a fan and proponent of the uniquely competitive camaraderie that surfaces when veteran comics sit down to swap stories with their peers. Amid in-jokes, one-upmanship and pervasive community spirit, e Green Room with Paul Provenza was born. Following lively roundtable versions at Just for Laughs Montreal and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Showtime picked up the concept for two seasons. Series highlights included a Mick "Jagger-Off" between comics Richard Belzer and Rick Overton, Bo Burnham performing his impassioned song "Art Is Dead" and Kathy Griffin receiving a shotgunned hit of marijuana. is weekend marks e Green Room's much- anticipated live rebirth, and Provenza is thrilled the occasion will be observed at SXSW. "Austin is a great place to do it," he enthuses. "e crowds are so inter- esting and fun and great; a comedy-savvy audience. It's very easy to get very natural with a live Green Room show." e "natural" aspect is vital to e Green Room's success, he explains, since "Trying to get comedians to be natural in front of an audience is like trying to get pandas to mate in captivity. Everything has to be just right. "e whole thing about e Green Room is the combination of talent," Provenza continues. "It's not enough to just have a handful of great comics; what excites me is putting a handful of comics together who are interesting in that particular combination. It's not always been logistically perfect to do it live, but there are people at SXSW who I think come at things from very different viewpoints and angles, so it will be fun." e Green Room won't be the only SXSW show with which Provenza is involved. Back in early 2011, he was invited to appear on a new ven- ture by comic, filmmaker, producer and writer Troy Conrad called Set List: Stand-up Without a Net. e concept: Performers receive never- before-seen topics via projector screen, and subsequently must create fitting material live and in the moment. e way each goes about hitting the mark is different and inventive; for audiences, the thrill is getting an unfiltered glimpse of top comedic minds at work. All it took was one show for Provenza to see the game-changing potential in Conrad's vision. "Musicians can do scales. Athletes can do their routines. Everybody's got something they can do to prepare, to rehearse or to flex their mus- cles to just get better at what they do," he offers in comparison. "And there is no real equivalent in comedy. You just get up in front of an audi- ence and make them laugh. And as I was doing Set List for the first time, I thought, 'is is it!' I went backstage and said to Troy, 'is has got to go around the world. Every comedian has got to experience this!' " at August, Conrad, Provenza and Provenza's producing partner, Barbara Romen, debuted Set List at Scotland's annual Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Following a month of sold-out shows, it began appearing at dozens of other top festivals around the world. In June 2012, Sky Atlantic—the U.K.'s equivalent to HBO—ordered two tele- vised seasons. Filmed in London, New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles, the first seven Set List episodes began airing in December; the remaining seven will bow this coming July and August. In addition, 80 web episodes are currently airing on the Nerdist YouTube Channel, and though details remain under wraps for the time being, Provenza says conversations are underway to develop a series for U.S. television. It has only been two-and-a-half years since Set List's inception, yet Robin Williams, Bob Odenkirk, Fred Willard, Drew Carey, Eddie Izzard and even octogenarian Mort Sahl are among the many big names who have already accepted the challenge. Los Angeles, New York City and even Cairo, Egypt, regularly host live versions. "e purity of the creative process in comedy is international," says Provenza. "People can say cultures are different, but the creative impulse is always identical. "It is really something when comedians are excited about taking these leaps or not knowing what's going to happen. When the comics are enthusiastic about it—when the comics are up there having a one-of- a-kind experience—that's an incredible thing for an audience to see." n For information on SXSW Comedy events happening this week, visit sxsw.com/comedy. Paul Provenza Puts Audiences Inside Comedians' Heads by Julie Seabaugh Robin Williams on Set List D A N D I O N Paul Provenza (L) and Troy Conrad (R) D A N D I O N P

• Cover