Both sides of aisle happy to support return of The Constituents

Courtesy Illiah Vilet

The cast of The Constituents dressed in character backstage at their July 1, 2021, show at Union Stage in Washington, D.C.

“The show originally started as a direct response to the White House Correspondents’ Association’s decision to not feature a comedian at the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner,” Tim Kardashian, who plays Senator Lindsey Graham and founded the group, said. “We called the first show the Unofficial Correspondents’ Dinner, and we held it the night after the real Correspondents’ Dinner.”

The show had such a positive reaction from both the comedians that performed in it and members of the audience that it became apparent they had to keep doing the shows, and building from there.

Since then, the show has received recognition from the Washington Post and even people such as  Ann Coulter’s college roommates, who came to see the show, in addition to staff members from Bernie Sanders’s team.

“After our second show, which was about two years ago now, a member of the audience came up to us and said, ‘I had to come check out this show. People at the Saudi Arabian embassy were talking about it,’ ” Kardashian said. “That was a good sign that we were doing good work and building something that needs to be made.” 

“In a town where we feel constantly dominated by politics and where we actually have zero say, taxation without representation, it’s such a blast,” Anna Huntley, who plays Nancy Pelosi said. “Whether we work on the Hill, or we’re involved in politics, or we have nothing at all to do with it, [politics are] just this constant presence. To take that and skewer it feels great.”

During the show, each comedian performs their own monologue that they write themselves from the perspective of their character, making fun of them, and oftentimes the other politicians portrayed in the show. Each comedian dresses up as the characters they are portraying, as well, and puts great effort into their look and voice impressions.

Brock Snyder who plays Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, for example, wore a white wig, black round glasses, and a black and white suit to try and recreate McConnell’s look. During the show, he talked with McConnell’s Southern accent, as well, doing an impression of his voice. Similarly, Chris Lawrence who plays Senator Bernie Sanders, wore Sanders’s now-famous inauguration outfit 一 black dress-pants, an army green jacket, clear square glasses, and brown, white, black, and blue woven gloves. He also spoke with Sanders’s strong and iconic accent.

Each cast member’s process to get into character and write material for their character is very different. While the process normally starts with researching the character, research forms can vary from looking at Wikipedia pages to watching YouTube videos of speeches or interviews.

“For me, personally, if I want to be a character, I really want to have a better understanding of that character. I got the latest biography of Nancy Pelosi as an audiobook, and I listened to different chapters. I wanted to get in as much as I could, so I was listening to it at double speed, walking around my neighborhood,” Huntley said. 

During the preparation process, closer to the show, the cast members usually meet and review their content.

“We’ll have a couple of times where we’ll meet. We’ll talk about the structure, the order, the format. Give each other some tips. We’ve been lucky enough to add some new folks. Each time it kind of rotates,” said Jon Yeager, who plays Ted Cruz. “The cast dynamic is fantastic. I don’t think there are any selfish people at all in this group, which is really rare for comedy.”

While some cast members have met through being a part of the show, others met through previous projects.

“I know Jon Yeager really well. There’s a group of us that all produce shows, with a different group of folks. He was the one who introduced me to The Constituents last year, when the woman who was supposed to play Sarah Palin had a conflict,” Huntley said. 

She even feels connected to cast members she does not know as well. 

“When we come together as a group, it just works,” she said. “Even if we don’t know each other super well. When we all get together, it feels like we do. There’s a magic that happens.”

“It’s sort of taken on a family feel,” Kardashian agreed. “Sometimes it feels like we’re a motorcycle gang without the jackets. Or a punk rock band on tour. We have such a diverse mix of comedians and personalities and different backgrounds.”

Another key component of The Constituents is that their shows raise money for Lauren Miller Rogen and Seth Rogen’s nonprofit organization HFC, which funds Alzheimer’s research and works with and tells the story of families impacted by the disease.

“A big part of what HFC does and what I think our show does is shine a light on Alzheimer’s and the cause. A lot of times it can be ignored and not really talked about,” Kardashian said. “Their message and their call to action motivated me to try to put together an HFC fund-raiser in D.C., roasting the most powerful people on the planet, and that is sort of the genesis of the show.”

The Constituents have raised over $5,000 for HFC (and other causes), and plan to continue working with them in the future, hoping to do a tour with shows in D.C., Philadelphia, and Los Angeles to further amplify their message.

“I do not have as tough of a time playing Trump or Cruz or Barr or Bannon when I know that it’s for a good cause,” Yeager said. 

“I think in a day and an age where people are consistently pushed aside by political differences and ideologies, the most connective factor we all have as humans is the ability to laugh and smile,” Yeager continued. “What’s better than roasting and making fun of the very people that are in the news cycle, make your life miserable, or make your life great depending on what side you’re supporting?”

(To learn more about The Constituents and their performance schedule, visit their website at ​​https://constituentsdc.com.)

–July 30, 2021–