Series: Alive From Off Center
Program: As Seen on TV
Date: 1987-01-01
Duration: 00:00:39

Subject: Mime; Television; Auditions
People: Atlas, Charles; Irwin, Bill
Copyright Holder: WGBH Educational Foundation; Twin Cities Public Television, Inc.; Charles Atlas; Bill Irwin

Clip Description
This short excerpt from the opening sequence of "As Seen on TV" features a mime artist, Bill Irwin, being pursued by a large crowd as he walks towards an audition in New York City.

Program Description
This episode of "Alive From Off Center" features "As Seen on TV," a work created collaboratively by video and filmmaker Charles Atlas and mime artist Bill Irwin.

"As Seen on TV" focuses on Irwin as he goes to an audition in a studio space in New York City. While waiting, he finds an empty room to rehearse in and discovers a TV camera and monitor. He gets tangled in the cables, falls out the window, crawls back in, gets sucked into the TV set, and begins his journey through different TV shows that change with the click of a remote. These shows include a soap opera, a ballet program, a "NOVA" program, Bert and Ernie from "Sesame Street," a bowling show, a golf tournament, and "Mystery." Intermixed with this footage, we go back to the audition and witness various performers doing their routines. When Irwin's name is called for his audition, he wakes up.

"As Seen on TV" appeared on the KTCA series "Alive From Off Center." It may also have been broadcast in the United Kingdom.

"Alive From Off Center" was established in 1985 as a production of KTCA (St. Paul - Minneapolis) . The show featured independent works by artists in a variety of media. Its showcase format was similar to the Workshop's "New Television" series. At some point the series changed its name to "ALIVE TV." Many works created by or for the Workshop were also shown on "Alive From Off Center." Additionally, some Workshop produced pieces were co-produced and/or commissioned by KTCA specifically for the series. Susan Dowling served as Executive Producer for these programs.

Series Description
The New Television Workshop originated at WGBH, a public broadcasting station in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1974 to support the creation and development of experimental video art. This experimental programming included dance, drama, music, performance and visual arts on video and film. As early as 1968, WGBH was committed to the development of video art through residency programs, with artists such as Nam June Paik, and the "Rockefeller Artists-in-Television" project. Many of these early works (pre-1974) were broadcast both locally and nationally.

As an umbrella for arts related programming, the Workshop included "Artist's Showcase, " "Frames of Reference, " "Dance for Camera, " "Poetry Breaks," and "New Television," as well as acquired arts programming. Individual works were created for "Visions," a series produced by WNET (New York), and "Alive From Off Center," a series produced by KTCA (St. Paul - Minneapolis). The Contemporary Art Television (CAT) Fund was co-founded by the Workshop and Boston's Institute for Contemporary Art (ICA) in the 1980's, to commission works by video artists. In 1993 the Workshop ceased production at WGBH.

See also: http://main.wgbh.org/wgbh/NTW/FA/TITLES/As44.HTML