The Will Edwards Show has its free preview show at theatre7 on July 6

June 29, 2011 - PRLog -- Las Vegas actor and soon to be late night talk show host Will Edwards says at just eight years old he knew he wanted to entertain people.

"I was playing on the floor in my grandparents’ living room," Edwards recalls. "My great grandmother was sitting on the sofa watching some awards show on TV. I could care less really until Sammy Davis Jr. took the stage. In an instant, as he performed, I was literally mesmerized by this man's ability to entertain an audience."

The future host of The Will Edwards Show, which has its free preview show at theatre7 on July 6, was glued to the television and did not move until the performance was over and a commercial break came on.

"I got up and started to dance around like this guy," Edwards continues. "At that moment, I knew that I wanted to entertain people."

Thirty-three years later, the want is even stronger for Edwards, whose day job is the Event Coordinator at Madame Tussauds just outside The Venetian Resort on the Las Vegas Strip.

Edwards says he knows a lot of creative and talented people that share the same want. Thus The Will Edwards Show, which Edwards is producing with GREH Matter Productions business partner Henry Clarke, was born.

"We thought with all the talent here and all the people trying to make it in whatever they are doing, the show could act as a platform for those who might need it," Edwards said.

The Will Edwards Show, which is being taped live near the Las Vegas Strip for hopefully a future broadcast, is part talk show, part game show, part sketch comedy show and then some with special guests and musical guests.

"It's Late Night with Jimmy Fallon meets Chappelle's Show," said Edwards, a fan of Richard Pryor, Carol Burrnett, Eddie Murphy and Gilda Radner. "We wanted the show to really cross the entertainment boundaries. What we are doing isn't new; it's just a bit different."

In the traditional style of late night shows, Edwards pulled in funnyman and Feed The Monkey Sketch Comedy Group creator Jon Paul Raniloa to man the desk with him.

The sketch comedy and some other segments will be prerecorded video played as part of the show, but most of the show will be live in front of the theatre7 audience and will most likely include them. As is the case with the game Translate This!, which is planned for the preview show.

“Contestants will have to translate British words and phrases to America English,” Edwards said. “The winner gets to pick from 12 secret prizes on The Board of Random Prizes. This is just a small part of the show but it will be fun and the prizes will be real.”

The Will Edwards Show has been around in concept for a number of years. A pilot episode was even shot in 2009. But things are different now.

“The concept was pretty much the same but the format changed a lot,” Edwards said. “The reason for the change and for the show coming back is theatre7. We had a very difficult time finding an affortable venue. In fact, we had a very difficult time getting people to even talk with us about the show.”

Then Derek Stonebarger opened theatre7 in March 2011. After attending a screening of Kelly Schwarze’s You People, which Edwards starred in, and the hybrid stage production Oscar: A Goodman at the venue, Edwards could see the place as the home of his show. “It seemed like it would be perfect for us,” Edwards said.

He and Clarke then reformatted the show to better fit theatre7. Edwards says the reworking of the show got them back to what they originally wanted to do with it. He says the current format makes the show less about the taping and more about the live experience. "We're really going to focus on the audience,” Edwards said. “We want to entertain them. We want to engage them.” Which is exactly what Sammy Davis Jr. did and inspired Edwards in the first place.

“It's a lot of work producing a show like this one,” Edwards said. “There are so many aspects to it and we want to ensure that the audience comes back for more. That's when you know you've done your job, when they keep coming back and keep inviting others to come back with them.”

Besides Sammy Davis Jr., Edwards says Flip Wilson, Nat King Cole, and Oprah are inspirations of his.

“But in keeping it real, the real inspiration is my wife, Keisha,” Edwards said. “She sees something in me that sometimes I don't and even when I don't want to go forward she always reminds me that she married me because she thought I was going to be rich and famous. No, really she's smart, beautiful, hard working, and frank, - yes, even with my material - and I couldn't do this without her.”

Edwards says his show is a collaboration of Las Vegas talent and resources. In addition to GREH Matter Productions and theatre7, the growing list of people that are making it happen include ProWerks Media Group, Alien Tequila, DJ M1one, Glitter City Sweets, London Porter Photography, Altitude Color Technologies, Madame Tussauds Las Vegas, and SCB Consulting and Events.

The plan is to run the show on the second and fourth Wednesday of every month. Future ticket prices will be $10 per ticket which will include the show, a drink, light refreshments and the chance to win some great prizes. The next show is schedule for July 27.

Located near the "Downtown Las Vegas" sign (1406 South 3rd Street, Las Vegas, NV 89104 in the arts district), theatre7 is an artlover's and indie film fan's paradise. Owned, programmed and operated by filmmakers, theatre7 screens independent films, doubles as an art gallery and host live entertainment.

For more information on theatre7, visit http://theatre7lv.com.

For more information on GREH Matter Productions, visit http://grehmatter.com.

QUICK GLANCE
July 6, 7 p.m.
The Will Edwards Show LIVE near the Las Vegas Strip!
Free Preview Show
The Will Edwards Show is a combination of your favorite things rolled up in your most comfortable blanket sitting in front of your top TV show with your feet in the must fuzzy slippers eating a mouth full of wonderous delight.


theatre7
1406 South 3rd Street, Las Vegas, NV 89104
In the Downtown Arts District
(702) 568-9663

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