They’re Cats, They’re On Video, And They’re Live

What was one of the biggest recent tour announcements?  To each his own but some of us took a shine to

Touted as “a feline film and cat comedy event for all,” the show is co-produced by CatVideos.com, founded by producer and director Eric Dorris.  It will be hosted by ventriloquist

Cat Videos Live!
– Cat Videos Live!
A “purrrr… fect” experience.

So, really, what else needs to be known?  The name says it all.

“Really long answer short: it’s something that’s totally unique. It straddles the line between comedy and multimedia, and that’s why we’re doing it,” Knitting Factory’s Mark Dinerstein told Pollstar. “It’s the funnest when you see 1,000 people enjoying the same video experience and the people sitting next to one another may have unbelievable socio-economic differences between them. That’s not always the case when you go to a comedy show or a performing arts center.”

Knitting Factory produced another cat video film show about four years ago and saw a “unique opportunity” to kick it up a notch with HD original content.  Meanwhile, Catvideos.com has a new app and a new website to launch with the tour.

“Carla was picked because she is, first of all, extremely fun, bubbly, inviting, and warm. She has a history working in children’s entertainment (she was mentored by Shari Lewis) and she happens to be whip-smart funny.

“We’re not asking somebody to play a part; she’s a huge animal lover.  I think everyone will remember her.”

The show has two national and multiple local charitable beneficiaries – Panthera, which works with big cats, and Friends for Life, which leads no-kill shelter and adoption efforts in the Southwest. Each city will have its own local rescue and/or adoption partners.

“The show flows like America’s funniest home videos.  It has vignettes.  There is a set of clips stitched together. They intertwine between more narrative clips through different people’s perspectives. Then we have the short home video clips that are 15 to 20 seconds long interspersed.  There’s never one section that’s more than 10 minutes.”

There’s more to it, but Dinerstein didn’t want to give away all the secrets.

The show, booked by UTA, kicks off at Turner Hall Ballroom in Milwaukee Oct. 4, then visits Thalia Hall in Chicago, the Masonic Temple in Detroit, and The Pageant in St. Louis, but more dates are to be announced this week.

More information is available at CatVideosLive.com.