A Web Series From the Perspective of Storytellers.
Written by Earl Dangwa (He/Him) // Humor Editor
Visuals by Anya Ali-Mulzet (They/Them) // Crew Illustrator
Doors open at seven o’clock, a half hour before the show starts. Snatch that playbill. Show your tickets. Check your seats. This is a show you’ve been waiting to see. It’s Broadway. Well, close enough.
The auditorium seats thousands of people and you have reserved your favourite spot: the balcony. Because it’s cheap and has the most wonderful view. From there, you can see the stage in its entirety: a wonderfully deceptive set, distinctive props and carefully curated stage lights. There are no bodies on stage yet.
It begins with movement from the pit. The conductor and musicians are finally beginning to play the overture. The show will start soon enough. But this is only an exaggeration of perspective. This is the audience’s version of what comes before the house lights go down, as they wait among creaking chairs and hushed whispers. What of the ones behind the curtain, waiting in the wings?
In the web series The Dressing Room, the storyteller’s perspective is not quite anything so dramatic, although the many definitions of the word “drama” are certainly involved. Adding another quality show to the mockumentary genre, Capilano University alumni Paul Almeida and Makayla Moore’s The Dressing Room is a behind-the-scenes look at what it is like to be a part of a cast and crew of a fictional touring production. Specifically on the illustrious world-renowned “Balloon Boy: The Musical,” a show written and inspired by the 2009 Colorado hoax.
The series was created and filmed right here in Vancouver, featuring a diverse blend of Vancouver-based actors and entertainers. In its first season, the drama begins at its premise: The original show is getting cancelled and an already brittle and disjointed cast has no less than two weeks to grapple with the idea they might be fired and replaced as they try their best to put on their best performance and navigating the turmoils of budding romance and unchecked egos.
Opening the first season with spectacular energy is Irene Karas Loeper, who plays experienced actor and diva Deb Wideman. Contrasting her wildness with his dry and ‘cant-wait-to-get-out energy’ is Jason Sasaki as Chris. Notable CapU alumni in the cast are Caleb Di Pomponio (Adam) and Kelli Ogmundson (Emma). Each cast member gets their time in the spotlight, but a cast is never complete without its crew. Somehow keeping the eclectic cast together is Jeff Follis (Patrick) and Jennifer Lynch (Sophie). Paul Almeida himself plays the eccentric Sal, the Director.
As of August 4, 2026, The Dressing Room now has two seasons under its belt. It was voted Best Web Series in the 2026 LEO awards, British Columbia’s very own local awards for TV and Film. Alex Gullason, who plays Brenda, won Best Performance under the Web Series category. Alongside Gullason is Jason Sasaki and Irene Kalas Loeper, who were both nominated for the same category. In 2025, The Dressing Room and Loeper were both nominated as well. The web series is available to watch on OUTTV, the world’s “first leading LGBTQ+ streaming service,” according to the platform’s description.
Although The Dressing Room pokes fun at the weirdness and eccentricity of theatre people through exaggerating their absurdity, the jokes clearly come from the heart. Each cast member brings a version of themselves to the characters they play. They bring their histories, experiences and their love for theatre and its respective community, which make their characters feel like real, relatable and complicated people. There is a sense of awareness as the cast make fun of themselves, a sort of joy in self-critique. The Dressing Room is a show for those who understand what it is like to do theatre, but it is also a good introduction for those who don’t.