Stamford prepares for TV tapings
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STAMFORD, Conn.—It won't be from the likes of Edward Albee and Neil Simon anymore, but theater is set to return this summer to the Rich Forum.
Taping of three NBC Universal talk shows, "The Jerry Springer Show," "Maury," and "The Steve Wilkos Show" is scheduled to begin the first week of August at the Rich Forum.
At the Alive at Five concert series in Columbus Park this month, representatives from all three shows held a raffle for tickets to the tapings.
At the nearby theater at Atlantic Street and Tresser Boulevard, many NBC staffers were preparing for the shows and interviewing job candidates.
"I'm very excited," Steve Wilkos said from an office in the theater that has been designated "the bunker."
Wilkos added, "I think it's going to be good for the shows."
Earlier this year, the Stamford Center for the Arts agreed to lease the 42,000-square foot theater to NBC for two years, with options to renew. The roughly $1.3 million deal is expected to bring 150 to 200 production jobs to the city and infrastructure investment of more than $3 million.
"The Jerry Springer Show" and "The Steve Wilkos Show" had been taped in Chicago. Wilkos, a Chicago native who rose to fame after appearing as a security guard on "The Jerry Springer Show," recently moved with his family to Connecticut.
"My kids have a backyard now," he said.
Jerry Springer and Maury Povich are not expected to relocate, according to Tracie Wilson, the vice president for programming and development. Springer is currently in London, performing in the musical "Chicago." Povich lives in New York, where his show "Maury" had been taped.
During construction, pedestrians sometimes peered through the building's glass walls and watched the new occupants at work. Inside the lobby, job candidates sat patiently waiting their turn. Among them was Kristi Petho, who said she traveled two hours from Queens to apply for a job as a travel/audience coordinator.
"I never thought I'd have the opportunity," she said. "I thought it would be a good experience."
Inside the auditorium, most of the 750 plush seats had been removed to make space for a studio audience. To accommodate three different shows, NBC is building rotating sets.
"We're designing sets like a theater show," Wilson said. "A lot of pieces fly."
Tickets will be free. Some will be distributed during Alive at Five shows and other city events.
Guests who appear on the shows will stay at hotels in Stamford. The shows solicit the guests, who often have jaw-dropping confessions, through an advertised hot line. The process is highly competitive.
"We get thousands of calls every week," Wilson said.
NBC also rents 15,000 square feet in Landmark Square and 16,500 square feet in a building on Bank Street for additional production space.
In addition, NBC spokesman Joe Schlosser said postproduction for the game show "Deal or No Deal" would also be moved to Stamford. Produced by Endemol USA, the program is distributed by NBC. In April, it was announced that taping for the show was relocating from Los Angeles to Waterford.
The growing number of television and film enterprises in Connecticut represents a trend that began in 2006, when the state instituted a 30 percent tax credit for film and television production. Since then, several movies have been shot in Stamford, including "Righteous Kill," "Revolutionary Road," "Rachel Getting Married" and "Away We Go."
Wilson said the tax credit was "really the reason we looked at Connecticut."
The arrival of the talk shows expands the network's presence in Stamford. Currently, units from NBC's sports and Olympics division work out of offices in Landmark Square. NBC Universal is owned by Fairfield-based
Other media companies in Stamford include the
"If we can make it a mini-Hollywood on the East Coast, that's fantastic," Wilson said.
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Information from: The Advocate, http://www.stamfordadvocate.com
