Assistance: From Off-Broadway to the Wilma Theater, next stop NBC!

One of my goals has always been to attend more theater performances in Philadelphia since the city’s diverse culture makes it a great hub for the arts.  Less than a couple weeks into 2013, I decided to start by accepting an invitation to opening night of Leslye Headland’s Assistance at the Wilma Theater.  This was my first time at the Wilma Theater and I immediately fell in the love with the intimacy and sense of community there.

If you didn’t know, the Wilma Theater actually began as the Wilma Project in 1973.  It challenged the Philadelphia arts community to create original theatrical productions and develop local performers. Located on the Avenue of the Arts, the theater’s mission is to create living, adventurous art.

Assistance is a comedy written by Leslye Headland, whom you may recognize as the writer of 2012 feature film, Bachelorette. This off-Broadway piece has actually picked up by NBC for a single-camera comedy with the hilarious Will Ferrell as its producer.  I have a good feeling Headland will soon be known for many more laughs in the foreseeable future.

For anyone who has ever interned or just started in the workplace, Assistance can hit close to home with a storyline that revolves around a boss with some outrageous demands.  The play takes place in a competitive New York City office with dynamics that are very relatable for working professionals such as myself.  It’s funny to see the main character, Nora, show up ecstatically on her first day at her dream job.  Little does she know the how her optimism will be tested….

To find out how it ends for Nora, go see Assistance at the Wilma Theater, playing until February 3rd.  Check it out and please continue to support the arts in Philadelphia!