“I like that we’re doing a comedy about the Texas State legislature because it writes itself,” says co-director Tom Booker about the political comedy show Over the Lege.
“It does,” agrees show host and creator Stephanie Chiarello. “And I say that 90% of the sketch is absolutely true. They really said that. They really did that. They really dressed that way. We’re just pointing it out.”
Chiarello created Over the Lege seven years ago, inspired by her day job. “I work at the Texas Legislature,” she explains, “and we spend a lot of time watching the legislators talk in committee hearings and on the floor when they’re passing laws. And bless their hearts, they’re not the mature statesman you might think they are. And so they would say mean, stupid things and they do mean and stupid things. And nobody pays attention locally. And by locally, I mean Texas down. So I thought we really needed a Daily Show style show for the governor on down.”
Over the Lege found a home at the late, great Institution Theater, where owner and artistic director Tom Booker offered the kind of help that can only come from someone who’s spent their life in the comedy world.
“I came aboard at a point where you guys were forgetting to have fun,” Booker says. “So I just reminded them to have fun.”
“I’d never produced a show before,” Chiarello says, “so in the first season, we were so ambitious. We had four weekends and we decided to do a different theme each weekend. So eight different sketches each weekend from volunteer actors. So we probably had 30 different sketches and that was really ambitious. I think I was so focused on accomplishing the task that I forgot to stop and let people play. And I don’t know if you’ve been around a lot of actors, but focus is not their strength.”
These days, Chiarello says, “it’s so fun to do. And like I said, we’re all volunteers. Everybody’s doing this in their free time, but we write hilarious jokes, great sketches and really give it our all.”
Having fun and delivering a funny show is one big goal for Over the Lege, but it’s not the only one, Chiarello says. “I hope that one thing people walk away from in Over the Lege is recognizing how important their vote is. And it’s almost, at this point, the only thing we really have because of the power discrepancy – because there’s so much money and we can’t fight that. So, you know, money buys influence [and] your one vote is the most powerful tool you have to protect democracy and the quality of life you want to have.”
Over the Lege is, by design, following the footsteps of many political comedy shows that came before it – The Capitol Steps, The Daily Show, and The Colbert Report among them. “I think historically, political satire has always been a win-win for everyone,” Chiarello says. “You are capable of laughing at yourself and we do it together. But it’s much more poisonous this year and I am more scared to do the show this year than I have been in the past. I have a very real fear that the Legislature is going to ban satire as soon as they can. Because they have banned so many conversations about anything that they don’t like. And I think that’s part of the problem in that building – you used to be able to have different opinions and still respect each other. And now it’s, if you think differently than I do, I will end you.”
‘Over the Lege’ returns for a seventh season October 11, 12, and 13 at the Scottish Rite Theatre.