It’s been nearly 25 years since audiences were last treated to the outrageous styles of comedy troupe The State following the conclusion of their short-lived MTV series and now the group of acclaimed comics are set to reunite for a special virtual charity event.
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This Wednesday via Zoom, The State will reunite to read beloved and never-before-seen sketches, auction off memorabilia, with proceeds from the Zoom event set to benefit IMMIGRANT FUND-CA and the NAACP, with advance tickets currently on sale for $20 and still set to be on sale the day of the show for $25.
Originally founded in 1988, The State has was founded by a number of the group during their time at New York University as students, beginning as an offshoot of the NYU improv group The Sterile Yak, briefly renamed The New Group before landing on their current name. Members of the troupe include Kevin Allison (Flight of the Conchords), Michael Ian Black (Another Period), Robert Ben Garant (Reno 911!), Todd Holoubek (The Ten), Michael Patrick Jann (Little Britain USA), Thomas Lennon (Reno 911!), Joe Lo Truglio (Brooklyn Nine-Nine), Ken Marino (Childrens Hospital), Michael Showalter (The Big Sick) and David Wain (Role Models).
Following the conclusion of their MTV series, the group would frequently collaborate with one another on various film and TV projects including Viva Variety, Reno 911! and the Wet Hot American Summer film and TV franchise, as well as stemming off into a second comedy troupe, Stella, featuring Showalter, Black and Wain. They also went on to co-write a book entitled, State By State with The State: An Uninformed, Poorly Researched Guide to Traveling in The United States, published in April 1997, though it has since gone out of print.
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A film reuniting the group in an attempt to make a film about American history for Comedy Central, with the working title This American Sandwich, was in development in 2008 but with that year’s Writers Guild of America strike, the project was eventually scrapped.
