TRANSCRIPT
Office Ladies | Episode 271 - Fan Convention & Stage Door
Jenna [00:00:04] I'm Jenna Fischer,
Angela [00:00:04] and I'm Angela Kinsey.
Jenna [00:00:06] We were on The Office together,
Angela [00:00:07] and we're best friends.
Jenna [00:00:09] And now we're doing the ultimate Office lover's podcast, just for you.
Angela [00:00:13] Each week we will dive deep into the world of The Office; with exclusive interviews, behind-the-scenes details, and lots of BFF stories.
Jenna [00:00:21] We're the Office Ladies 6.0.
audio cue [00:00:25] [musical sting]
Jenna [00:00:25] Hello there.
Angela [00:00:26] Hi there, ho there.
Jenna [00:00:28] This is nice, we're back in our studio. This is our first in-studio recording since I went to Chicago.
Angela [00:00:33] I know. It's been months, lady.
Jenna [00:00:35] Months, I know. I like being in real life with you.
Angela [00:00:38] I know, in the IRL life.
Jenna [00:00:40] Yes, I'm also really excited about today's episode.
Angela [00:00:44] I am too, because it's just joy.
Jenna [00:00:47] It's joy! You're right.
Angela [00:00:48] If you want a little bit of joy in your life, you're here, you are at the right spot.
Jenna [00:00:52] This is our fan appreciation episode! We are gonna share about getting to meet all of you at the Office convention and at the stage door of "Ashland Avenue." But before we do that, Angela, you said you have a special fan appreciation shout out.
Angela [00:01:07] I really do. I'm so tickled by this and the first shout out I wanna give goes to an Office Ladies fan that works on the television game show, "Jeopardy." So here's the thing. Katie is her name, Katie Ruskis. She reached out. She is the office production assistant at Jeopardy and she wanted to tell us that Office Ladies was going to be a question on Jeopardy.
Jenna [00:01:30] I can't believe it.
Angela [00:01:31] And as I began to trade messages with her, I found out that her dad is a huge Office Ladies fan. Shout out to Chris, her dad.
Jenna [00:01:39] Hi Chris
Angela [00:01:40] And her dad got Katie listening to Office Ladies and now they listen to it together.
Jenna [00:01:45] I love that!
Angela [00:01:46] Is that adorable? Katie is such a delight. So, the episode already came out.
Jenna [00:01:51] Yes, this aired on October 22nd. We have a clip. This is how we appeared on Jeopardy! Give it a listen.
audio clip - Jeopardy contestant A [00:02:02] "Television" for 12.
audio clip - Jeopardy host [00:02:03] A podcast episode from "Office Ladies" debated whether or not this character in HR from "The Office" was the Scranton Strangler. Tom.
audio clip - Jeopardy contestant B [00:02:11] Who's Toby?
audio clip - Jeopardy host [00:02:12] Right.
Angela [00:02:14] Isn't that so cool?
Jenna [00:02:16] Yes, I mean, that's really cool. I remember when I was the answer in one of the People crossword puzzles.
Angela [00:02:23] So fun.
Jenna [00:02:24] And now Jeopardy!
Angela [00:02:25] I know.
Jenna [00:02:26] It's the big time.
Angela [00:02:26] It's the big time. Well, you know, my grandmother watched Jeopardy every day and I just think she would have been so thrilled with this. If that wasn't cool enough, the folks at Jeopardy sent us each a framed copy of our Jeopardy question and the day it aired. I have one for each of you guys. We'll get a picture and share it, but how fun.
Jenna [00:02:47] I love it. Well, thank you, Katie, and please thank your dad for listening to the podcast. Now we're gonna get into some stories about the Office fan convention.
Angela [00:02:56] Yeah, you know what? This was a really fun road trip that Cassi and I took. It was this past August. It was the big, big one: The Office Fan Convention in New Jersey.
Jenna [00:03:06] Well, we should tell everyone that I couldn't go to the Office fan convention because I was in Chicago rehearsing my play. But like you said, you and Cassi did go together.
Angela [00:03:15] Yeah, it was Cassi's first The Office convention and everyone was so lovely. We got to meet a ton of people and there were a lot of Office Ladies fans there.
Jenna [00:03:26] Well, lady, I got to meet so many Office Ladies fans at the stage door for Ashland Avenue.
Angela [00:03:33] Isn't it so fun? Because they say, "Lady" and you know right away.
Jenna [00:03:35] I do. If someone said "lady." I knew they listened to Office Ladies. But yeah, after each performance I would come out. I think we had, like, 39 performances of Ashland Avenue, and I was able to come out 37 times.
Angela [00:03:49] That's fantastic. I've been to plays, people don't come out. I'm saying...
Jenna [00:03:53] I know.
Angela [00:03:54] That's really great.
Jenna [00:03:55] There were two I wasn't allowed to come out for. So if you were at those performances, I apologize They don't do a stage door after opening night because there's this special event, immediately following, and they want the cast and crew to get there quickly. Also one day after a matinee, a man fell down the stairs in the lobby,
Angela [00:04:16] [gasps]
Jenna [00:04:16] and they had to call an ambulance and they have to clear the lobby. So I wasn't allowed to come out. He's okay.
Angela [00:04:21] Okay, good.
Jenna [00:04:22] But lady, I have to share a story. A few times, I was on vocal rest because, with eight shows a week, it was getting strained and I would have these big weekends with so many shows in a row. So they said, "You can do the stage door, but you can't speak." And so they would send this gal, Lauren, out to the crowd and she would explain that I was on vocal rest, but if people got their cameras ready, or if they had their pens ready, that I would come take pictures and sign things. It was just very funny because every time I came out, normally, I would come out the stage door and people would be like, [shouting] "Hey!"Yay!" It was so sweet. They would cheer for every cast member who came out of the stage door. But if it was a vocal rest day, when I opened the door, people would go, [in a gentle whisper] "Hiiiii," as if the crowd was also on vocal rest.
Angela [00:05:09] That's so cute.
Jenna [00:05:10] And then, when I would interact with people they would whisper, as well. Or like, mime.
Angela [00:05:16] It's such a natural thing that people do, because even when I called you were like, "I can't talk but you can talk." I'd be like, [speaking softly] "Heeeeyyy." It's like, "What am I doing? I can talk."
Jenna [00:05:27] Yes I know, exactly. But that's just one story. I have so many stories. But, lady, you start.
Angela [00:05:31] Okay, well that just warms my heart. Just picturing all those people out there waiting for you. I also wanna share that Josh and I met so many wonderful Office Ladies folks on our cookbook tour. I was so moved. I was so moved that people traveled far distances just to support us in our dream of having a cookbook. It was really special. One lady brought me a basket.
Jenna [00:05:54] Oh, just because you love a basket. Nothing in it.
Angela [00:05:57] Nothing in it. Her name was Orla and she was like, "I support this passion of yours, for baskets." But then, guess what? We put a bunch of stuff in it.
Jenna [00:06:05] Of course you did.
Angela [00:06:06] Anyway, I want to start right now with the Office fan convention.
Jenna [00:06:09] Yes, I want to hear these stories.
Angela [00:06:11] So for one, for me, it was really special that Cassi got to go. Cassi and Sam are such a big part of our Office Ladies family and so many people were so tickled when I was like, "Cassi's here." They're like, [screaming] "Cassi?!" Then they were like, "Where's Sam? We need Sam." Word is on the street, Sam, that you like conventions. So they're ready for you to turn up at things. But for those of you that haven't been to a convention, I was trying to describe it to my sister. You know, that's where people go when you're fans of movies and TV shows and you can meet people in the movies and there's all kinds of great merch. Oh my gosh, if you love merch... But this one was specifically just for The Office fans. There weren't people from the Marvel movies.
Jenna [00:06:55] No.
Angela [00:06:55] It's just The Office community. The energy was so profoundly positive and wonderful. I had a booth, you know, you have booths where people can wait in line to meet you. Mine was right next to Rainn Wilson. We had a curtain between us and he kept opening the curtain and yelling things at me. Like, "You talk too much, speed it up." He was kind of giving me **** all day. It was really funny. But you meet people from all over the United States and, honestly, all over world. And they share with you what The Office has meant to them. The day is kind of structured so you have this line, where you meet people, but then you also pop off and you go do photo ops with different configurations of the cast. Those are so fun. So you do a big group photo, but then they were like, "Okay, now one just with the accountants." So it'd be me and Oscar and Brian.
Jenna [00:07:46] And then a fan, as well?
Angela [00:07:48] Yes, and then they pop in.
Jenna [00:07:49] OK.
Angela [00:07:50] And then they will say, "OK, does anyone want a picture with Dwight and Angela?" So then we have all these Dwight/Angela fans (which, shout out to my Dwayngela people) and so you do that. Then you have a Q&A panel, and the whole cast gets up there and fans ask questions.
Jenna [00:08:06] Yes! Lady, I sent in a video to play during that panel cause I couldn't be there and they edited it together. It was so cute.
Angela [00:08:15] Well, shout out to Matt from The Office Alliance. It's an Instagram account that's all things The Office. He really helped put your video together, and people loved it.
Jenna [00:08:24] Yay!
Angela [00:08:25] The minute you popped up on the screen... I wish I had video of the audience because they were like, "Yay, Jenna's here!"
Jenna [00:08:29] Aw, I'm so glad. I always love doing the Office panels. I like those Q and A's.
Angela [00:08:35] I know, yeah, they're really fun. People always have the best questions. But I do have to share one cute, fun moment from the Q&A panel. So a fan had asked a question: "Is there a moment where you got nervous on the show?" Or something like that, and I shared how I don't like to sing in front of people. Then, all of a sudden, I had to sing "The Little Drummer Boy" in front of the whole entire cast.
Jenna [00:08:58] [matter of factly] Yes.
Angela [00:08:58] And how I was really nervous. So I got up and Rainn and I recreated the moment.
Jenna [00:09:05] You did?
Angela [00:09:05] Yes, and he dropped to his knee and did the [making drumming noises] whole thing. It was so cute.
Jenna [00:09:09] Did people love it?
Angela [00:09:10] People went nuts. I think there's video of it, that I'll share. On Saturday of the convention, over 7,000 people came. Isn't that amazing?
Jenna [00:09:19] Wow. That's a lot.
Angela [00:09:19] A huge amount of the cast came, and some of our crew.
Jenna [00:09:22] That's so amazing. What a fun experience.
Angela [00:09:26] Not only do you have all of this really great engagement between the cast of The Office, the crew of The office, and fans that love the show, but these conventions are also an amazing opportunity for artists that love The Office and do The Office fan art, including tattoo artists, lady. You could get a tattoo at the convention.
Jenna [00:09:45] Wait, like, a temporary tattoo or a permanent tattoo?
Angela [00:09:48] No, a real tattoo. And they would be all Office themes, like "Save Bandit," or a Prison Mike tattoo, or a Dundee, or a teapot, or a tattoo with Angela Martin that's like, "Sassy." I mean, I met so many people that had Office-inspired tattoos. They were amazing. I took a few pictures, but my favorite was this lady I met who had a tattoo on her calf of a train. The train had a sign on it that said, "Slow," and then next to the sign it said "Philly" (like you're coming into Philly but you're on the slow train). It was so awesome. I'll put it in our stories
Jenna [00:10:25] Well, lady, I know that you love seeing people's Office tattoos. You often send me text messages of people you've met who have showed you their Office tattoos.
Angela [00:10:33] I mean, I find it so fascinating. People love the show that much, they get a tattoo.
Jenna [00:10:37] Well, when I met people at the stage door, if they showed me an Office tattoo, I would ask if I could take a photo and then I sent them to you.
Angela [00:10:44] You did. I did have a favorite.
Jenna [00:10:47] Okay.
Angela [00:10:48] I think it was someone that got the little hot dog that said, "Hi ya!"
Jenna [00:10:50] The "hi, ya buddy?"
Angela [00:10:51] "Hi, ya, buddy."
Jenna [00:10:52] Yes, but there was also a woman who had a whole sleeve of all Office tattoos. I took a video. I was like, "Would it be weird if I took a video of your arm so I can send it to Angela?" She was like, "No," it was incredible.
Angela [00:11:08] Well, Cassi was able to walk around to all the different booths. I was a little bit stuck in my line. So I didn't get to explore quite as much. She took a lot of pictures and videos. Cassi is actually here, in the studio with us. Cassi, you got to meet a lot of people and ask them about their love for the Office and Office Ladies. You compiled all these audio clips. You spent a lot of time, it was really wonderful. We're going to share some of them today. But before we start playing them, I was wondering if you could tell us a little bit about your experience at the convention.
Cassi [00:11:39] Yeah, of course. It was so nice meeting all these Office Ladies fans and Office fans and really feeling how passionate they are for the show and the podcast. I talked to so many people. I had a little microphone.
Angela [00:11:54] You did. You had your own line. I looked over. Like, I would meet people and then they'd go over and we'd be like, "Do you want to say hi to Cassi?" I feel like almost everybody said yes.
Cassi [00:12:03] Pretty much everyone did. So it was really hard to pick my favorite clips because I loved them all, but there is one that I think is good to start with.
Angela [00:12:10] Okay, great. Can we hear it, Sam?
audio clip - Cheryl [00:12:13] Cheryl,
audio clip - Elizabeth [00:12:14] and Elizabeth.
audio clip - Cassi [00:12:15] Hi!
audio clip - Cheryl [00:12:15] From Connecticut.
audio clip - Cassi [00:12:17] Nice! And what does The Office mean to you?
audio clip - Elizabeth [00:12:20] Levity. And she brings levity to the office every day now.
audio clip - Cheryl [00:12:27] Yeah. I literally am not allowed to say "that's what she said" anymore.
audio clip - Cassi [00:12:28] Do you two work together?
audio clip - Cheryl [00:12:29] We do, and we're best friends.
audio clip - Elizabeth [00:12:29] And we're best friends.
audio clip - Cassi [00:12:31] Oh my god! That's so cool, it's like The Office and Office Ladies, combined.
Jenna [00:12:38] Cheryl and Elizabeth, they're BFFs that work together!
Angela [00:12:42] So sweet. I like that they have rules, though. You can't say, "That's what she said."
Cassi [00:12:49] The other clip I wanted to start off with is this clip from Julia, who is a huge Office Ladies fan.
Angela [00:12:57] Great.
audio clip - Julia [00:12:57] My name's Julia.
audio clip - Cassi [00:12:57] And what are you wearing?
audio clip - Julia [00:12:58] So I've got my teapot earrings, I've got the Pams. And then, of course, my podcast merch here; my scarf.
audio clip - Cassi [00:13:05] Yay! Do you have a favorite Office Ladies episode or moment?
audio clip - Julia [00:13:09] I love the Booze Cruise episode, where Greg Daniels talks about what people say they're doing versus what they're saying and how to catch that.
audio clip - Cassi [00:13:19] You learned so much on the podcast. What does The Office mean to you?
audio clip - Julia [00:13:24] The Office is home and I feel most like myself when I'm listening to the podcast on my Wednesday walk.
audio clip - Cassi [00:13:30] Yay!
Angela [00:13:32] Every time someone shares that they listen to the podcast on their walk, or in their commute and just know that we fill that time for them and we're a happy place for them, I love it so much.
Jenna [00:13:44] I think it's so sweet that she was wearing so much of our merch, Angela, because you worked so hard on it.
Angela [00:13:50] I do love merch, and when I see anyone in an Office Ladies sweatshirt, or anything, I do geek out. I always comment on it
Jenna [00:13:56] Well, at the stage door, people would wear our merch and like the tattoos: if anybody was wearing our merch, I asked if I could take a picture and send it to you. One woman wore our Office Ladies apron. Our apron, lady, it was-
Angela [00:14:10] That's traveling back in time.
Jenna [00:14:12] I know! I believe her name was Vera, and she also gave me some gooey butter cake from St. Louis. So thank you, Vera.
Angela [00:14:19] Well, why don't we take a break? And when we come back, we're gonna share some more stories from the convention and the stage door. Some really amazing fan encounters, including, Cassi and I have a story for you about a couple that got married at the convention.
Jenna [00:14:33] [in disbelief] At the convention?!
Angela [00:14:33] Yes, and there might've been an Office cast member that officiated.
Jenna [00:14:37] Oh my goodness.
Angela [00:14:38] We'll be right back.
audio cue [00:14:49] [musical sting]
Angela [00:14:49] Alright. We are back and, Jenna, Cassi and I have quite a story for you all. It was the first time ever at the Office convention that two people got married.
Jenna [00:14:58] Mm-hmm.
Angela [00:14:59] Andy Buckley was the officiate.
Jenna [00:15:02] David Wallace. Amazing.
Angela [00:15:05] So Ryan, a Dwight cosplayer, got married to his fiance Cora, who is also a cosplayer. For the wedding, the two of them dressed up as Angela Martin and Dwight Schrute. Uh huh, amazing. And for any of you guys listening who haven't been to conventions, cosplaying is very popular. People dress up as their favorite characters. They go all out.
Cassi [00:15:26] Yeah, and Ryan even reserved a booth and he set up a Dwight desk and it had Dwight's little placard and computer phone, a jello mold with a stapler in it. It was so cool, people could take pictures with him at the desk. I loved talking with him and here's a clip of him explaining how he ended up getting married at the convention on Sunday morning.
audio clip - Ryan [00:15:51] So I had plans to get married this year. I actually proposed in front of Weird Al last year. I made him part of the proposal, he kinda helped me out. About a month and a half ago, I reached out to Andy Buckley. Not expecting anything, I just said, "Hey, would you be interested? Like, it's the last reunion, and I really wanna do something special. I'm planning on getting married anyway. It'll be the two year anniversary of when we met. Do you think you would be interested marrying us at the reunion?" And I expected him to say, "You know, I'm really honored you thought of me. I don't really have the time, congratulations. I hope you two have a great life." But he got very, very excited about it. He might be as excited about as we are. He went and got himself ordained and yeah, he can't wait for the day just like us.
audio clip - Cassi [00:16:42] It's so amazing, I'm so excited for you all. Several people have come up to me and they're like, "You should come talk to him because they're getting married here at the convention." Like, it is a huge buzz this weekend.
audio clip - Ryan [00:16:55] We're going to post tons of photos.
audio clip - Cassi [00:16:56] Are you planning to cosplay, as you get married, or will you be yourself?
audio clip - Ryan [00:17:01] Oh, no. We're going to be Dwight and Angela.
audio clip - Cassi [00:17:04] Yeah!
audio clip - Ryan [00:17:05] Tonight, I'm using foam board and duct tape to make a makeshift coffin. That's what we're going to be standing on when we're married because that's the best you can do on a hard convention floor, you know.
Jenna [00:17:15] Oh my gosh.
Angela [00:17:16] I know, right?
Jenna [00:17:17] Wow.
Angela [00:17:18] It's amazing. And how great that Andy Buckley was just like, "I got this. I'm here for you." I was able to arrive early that day. They were doing all their wedding photos, right after they got married. I took pictures with them.
Jenna [00:17:30] Amazing.
Angela [00:17:31] They had two best men who were dressed as Mose and Michael Scott.
Jenna [00:17:35] Wow, that is so cool. You got pictures, too? Can you put them in stories?
Angela [00:17:39] Yeah, I absolutely will. But a lot of people are dressed up as different Office characters. One of the gals that helped work my booth, Betty Jean (she's the sweetest), she told me that she first attended a convention doing cosplay of Pam.
Jenna [00:17:52] Sam, you've done cosplay at conventions, and while I'm slightly afraid to ask this question, would you like to share some of the characters you've dressed up as? I know Big Titty Gandalf is one.
Angela [00:18:03] Is that the official name of that one?
Sam [00:18:05] Yes, "Big Titty Gandalf" is the name of the character. My personal favorites are: I went as Ash from "Evil Dead" when I met Bruce Campbell. I just met Tim Curry, last weekend, dressed as Georgie from "It," with the missing arm and the bloody raincoat. Other than that, I think those are my favorites.
Angela [00:18:25] Do you have any plans to go to a convention? Do you have another one coming up?
Sam [00:18:28] I do. I'm meeting Robert Englund, who was Freddy Krueger, in January. And the Fonz, on the same day. So I'm gonna try and go as the Fonz.
Jenna [00:18:36] You're going to meet Henry Winkler?
Sam [00:18:38] Yeah.
Jenna [00:18:39] Do you know that he's the nicest person on the whole earth?
Sam [00:18:41] Okay, I do. Years ago, we had a show at Earwolf called "Reading Aloud," it was a reading podcast that Nate Cordray hosted. Henry Winkler was the guest. He called in and the studio shut down, there was a fire alarm that went off. Apparently, when the fire alarm goes off in the building, everything shuts down; electricity-wise. So the board shut down so we lost him, we lost the phone call. I have this great voicemail, it goes, "Hi, it's Henry Winkle, the actor. I was the Fonz. I was just on the call..." Like, he gave his whole resume as if we wouldn't know who he was.
Jenna [00:19:13] Because he's the nicest, most just humble person on Earth.
Sam [00:19:17] Exactly. Yeah. So I'm gonna try and put together a Freddy Krueger/Fonz outfit.
Angela [00:19:21] Oh, you have to show us a picture.
Jenna [00:19:22] Something that goes with both.
Sam [00:19:24] Exactly, yeah.
Jenna [00:19:24] This is your challenge now.
Sam [00:19:26] Exactly.
Angela [00:19:27] Are you watching, or have you watched, "Barry?"
Sam [00:19:29] Yes.
Angela [00:19:30] He's so good in it.
Sam [00:19:31] He's the best. He's best in that and "Arrested Development," too.
Jenna [00:19:34] I love him in Arrested Development.
Angela [00:19:36] Alright, well, thanks, Sam.
Jenna [00:19:37] Thank you, Sam.
Sam [00:19:39] Sure.
Jenna [00:19:39] Oh, lady! Speaking of cosplay, did I send you the photo of the gal who came to my play dressed as Pam? As Pam! Her name was Kelly. I walk out to do the stage door and there she is. She was in a button down blouse, a pencil skirt, sneakers. It was amazing. I took a photo with her. I will give it to you for stories.
Angela [00:19:58] I love that, Jenna. You know, Cassi has a great story where a fan told her about meeting an Office cast member. Cassi, can you share?
Cassi [00:20:06] Oh my gosh, it's so unique, and I have a clip, so let's listen to it.
audio clip - Sophia [00:20:10] I'm Sophia. I'm from New York.
audio clip - Susan [00:20:12] I'm Susan, I'm her mom from Newburgh, New York.
audio clip - Cassi [00:20:15] Yeah, love it! Is this your first Office convention?
audio clip - Sophia [00:20:19] This is our second, actually.
audio clip - Susan [00:20:20] We were at the inaugural. So, yeah.
audio clip - Cassi [00:20:24] Nice! Do you have a favorite moment from last time you came to the convention?
audio clip - Sophia [00:20:28] I met Creed. It's funny, I got my wisdom teeth out the day before, so I was on pain meds and I was like, "This is awesome, this is a great way to spend it."
audio clip - Susan [00:20:38] But she muscled through it again.
audio clip - Sophia [00:20:41] So yeah. So definitely meeting Creed, it was awesome.
Angela [00:20:45] Can you imagine meeting Creed on painkillers?
Jenna [00:20:49] No, you can barely believe anything Creed says when you're 100% sober.
Angela [00:20:57] I know, that's amazing. Cassi, was there anything about the convention that surprised you?
Cassi [00:21:00] Yeah, two things really stood out to me. The first is I was surprised by how many families attended the Office convention together. It was so sweet.
Angela [00:21:07] Yeah, there were so many families. I'm talking moms, dads, little kids, teenage kids, and it was really sweet to see them all there.
Jenna [00:21:15] Angela, wasn't your family at the convention?
Angela [00:21:18] They did. So Josh and the kids stopped by. We made this sort of a family trip to New York, and then we went on to Iceland. But they did come for half a day, and they were there for the Q&A panel.
Jenna [00:21:29] What did they think of all of it?
Angela [00:21:31] It was wild. First of all, when they saw them walk in, people clapped and they're like, "Oh, so glad you're here," you know? I think they really felt the warmth and love of the Office fandom for the cast and the crew. I think it was really special for them. I think It was also kind of that thing where it's like, "Well, that's just my mom. What's going on?" You know?
Jenna [00:21:52] Yeah, you know, my kids, they don't see that fandom interaction very often. So I think they were a little bit like, "Whoa," when that stage door would open and people were cheering for their mom.
Angela [00:22:07] I know, you don't get that every day. When you're like, "Alright, um, it's dinner. Who's coming down help set the table?" They're not like exactly cheering.
Jenna [00:22:16] Exactly.
Angela [00:22:16] Cassi, I saw you talking to a few of the families that I got to meet. Can you share with us about that?
Cassi [00:22:21] Oh my gosh, yeah, there are so many families, and I love talking with all of them. I just wanna share a couple. Here's a clip of Max, Emily, Ella, and their parents, Amy and Mike, from New Hampshire.
audio clip - Max [00:22:32] My name is Max and I'm from Summersworth, New Hampshire.
audio clip - Cassi [00:22:38] New Hampshire! What's your name?
audio clip - Emmy [00:22:39] Emmy.
audio clip - Ella [00:22:41] And I'm Ella.
audio clip - Cassi [00:22:42] Ella, and are you the parents?
audio clip - Amy [00:22:44] Yeah. Amy.
audio clip - Mike [00:22:45] Mike.
audio clip - Cassi [00:22:47] And I take it you all love The Office?
audio clip - Ella [00:22:50] I've been raised on it. Yeah.
audio clip - Cassi [00:22:53] Do y'all have a favorite episode?
audio clip - Max [00:22:56] I really like the one where Dwight almost burns down the building with the fire drill.
audio clip - Cassi [00:23:05] [to Mike] I saw you have Office tattoos. Are you the only one in the family with Office tattoos?
audio clip - Amy [00:23:11] Sure is.
audio clip - Cassi [00:23:12] Can you let the podcast know what your Office tattoos are?
audio clip - Mike [00:23:15] Yup! So I've got Prison Mike on one calf and on the other calf is Dwight as Jim.
Jenna [00:23:24] Wow, that's amazing. You know, speaking of families, I have a share about a dad and his daughters who listened to Office Ladies. So I didn't get to meet the dad, but the daughters were at the stage door and they were so sweet. They told me this sweet story and I asked if they would say it again so I could record it. Here's what they said.
audio clip - Jenna [00:23:45] Okay, ladies, say your names.
audio clip - Delaney [00:23:47] Delaney.
audio clip - Bridgette [00:23:48] Bridgette.
audio clip - Jenna [00:23:49] You have to now tell the Office Ladies listeners (and Angela) what you just told me, because it's the cutest thing in the whole world.
audio clip - Delaney [00:23:56] My dad and I listen to the Office Ladies podcast whenever we're in the car together. His name is Brad and he and the rest of my family; Carter and my mom Stacey, we're the biggest fans. It's on repeat in our house all the time. I love you!
audio clip - Jenna [00:24:11] And you have to say, why are you here tonight, in Chicago, seeing this play?
audio clip - Delaney [00:24:15] We're here because you bought us tickets to come and see it, and it was amazing.
audio clip - Jenna [00:24:20] Your dad bought you tickets and was like, "Ladies, go see this show." Thank you. What's your dad's name?
audio clip - Bridgette [00:24:28] Brad.
audio clip - Jenna [00:24:28] Brad, thank you.
Jenna [00:24:32] Isn't that so sweet? She said her dad heard about the play on the podcast and he said, "Girls, you gotta go see it" and he got them tickets.
Angela [00:24:38] That is so sweet. This is Katie and Chris.
Jenna [00:24:42] Exactly.
Angela [00:24:44] It's so... I just love it. I love the show bringing families together, and the podcast.
Jenna [00:24:49] Cassi, any more?
Cassi [00:24:50] Yeah, I'll share one more. I really enjoyed talking to this family: Elise, Bridget, and Anderson from South Carolina and Georgia.
audio clip - Elise [00:24:59] I am Elise Scarborough and I'm from Charleston, South Carolina.
audio clip - Bridget [00:25:02] Bridget Scarborough. Savannah, Georgia.
audio clip - Anderson [00:25:05] Anderson Scarborough. Savannah, Georgia.
audio clip - Cassi [00:25:07] Love it, and what are you wearing?
audio clip - Elise [00:25:09] I am a bear.
audio clip - Bridget [00:25:10] I am beet.
audio clip - Anderson [00:25:12] And I am Battlestar Galactica.
audio clip - Cassi [00:25:14] Love it, love it. Is this your first Office convention?
audio clip - Elise [00:25:17] Yes.
audio clip - Cassi [00:25:18] And what does The Office mean to you?
audio clip - Elise [00:25:20] Everything. I think I watch it every single day. It's what I fall asleep to. I know if I put The Office on, it's time for bed. It just brings us so much joy. We like to watch it when we all hang out together. We're watching it this morning, getting ready.
audio clip - Bridget [00:25:34] It gives us comfort. Familiarity.
audio clip - Anderson [00:25:38] I'm not gonna lie, I did not like The Office for the longest time. I did not like it because them two, especially Elise, she would always throw it on: in the car, during making dinner. It was always on and I'd be like, "Yo, it's not even that funny." Then, I caught an episode or two and I was like, "Dang, this is actually really funny." I watched through a whole season. I remember sitting in my mom's house, watching the finale at three in the morning because I just had to finish it that night. When Steve Carell came back I cried, I bawled my eyes out, dog. I cried so bad. It was such an amazing finale. I always say that if aliens were to ever come down and they were like, "Yo, give us a TV show to watch to describe America." I think The Office would be the perfect thing. Like, that's the show that would describe America, as a whole. Get them caught up to speed.
Jenna [00:26:36] Can I tell you what I love about Anderson? Anderson went from turn "off that show, get it out of my life," to being dressed as Battlestar Galactica in a three-person outfit at an Office convention. Like, that is a journey that he has gone on.
Angela [00:26:53] Also, to say, "OK, aliens, this is our gift to you. Now you understand our world." That was awesome. Cassi, you said there was one other thing that really surprised you. What was it?
Cassi [00:27:05] I kept asking fans what their favorite Office episode was, and so many fans kept saying this one episode, and I wouldn't have ever guessed it. Do you guys want to try to guess?
Jenna [00:27:15] Okay, so it's something I wouldn't guess, because my first instinct would be "Dinner Party" or "Booze Cruise" or something. So this is one I wouldn't guess. Ugh. [pause] I'm thinking.
Angela [00:27:26] I'm thinking, too.
Jenna [00:27:28] "Goodbye Michael," is my guess.
Angela [00:27:31] I'll go season one and I'll say "Diversity Day."
Cassi [00:27:37] Max actually hinted at it, it's "Stress Relief."
Jenna [00:27:41] Stress Relief, wow.
Cassi [00:27:43] People love Stress Relief?
Jenna [00:27:43] Because of that cold open?
Cassi [00:27:44] Yeah.
Jenna [00:27:44] Yeah, with the fire, "save bandit."
Angela [00:27:47] We should watch the superfan version of "Stress Relief."
Jenna [00:27:52] Maybe we should, if it's everybody's favorite.
Angela [00:27:55] I know.
Jenna [00:27:56] I wonder what new little nuggets are in that one.
Angela [00:27:58] I wonder. We might have to hit up David Rogers.
Jenna [00:28:02] I've noticed you've started calling Dave Rogers, David Rogers. Is this his preferred name now?
Angela [00:28:08] No, I think it's because I have a brother-in-law, named David. I call him "Dave," constantly, and then heard my sister-in law and some of his family always say "David." Then I said to Josh, "Is he Dave or David?" And he was like, "He's Dave." Then his sister was like, "No, he's David."
Jenna [00:28:33] Oh. But is Dave Rogers now David?
Angela [00:28:37] I don't know, and I think I have this default now where I'm like, "I'm gonna say both. I'm going to do 50-50." Sometimes I'm to say "Dave," sometimes I'm going to say "David."
Jenna [00:28:44] I was just checking.
Angela [00:28:45] I'm covering all my bases.
Jenna [00:28:46] Well, the next time we have lunch with him, maybe we should ask.
Angela [00:28:49] OK.
Jenna [00:28:50] Well, Angela, you mentioned that you met people from all over the world. I'm curious who traveled the furthest. Do we know? To the convention?
Cassi [00:28:58] I remember who I talked to, and I can let Adam answer.
Jenna [00:29:03] Oh, okay.
audio clip - Adam [00:29:05] Adam from England.
audio clip - Cassi [00:29:06] Whoa, did you travel all the way to be here today?
audio clip - Adam [00:29:09] Yeah, just for this.
audio clip - Cassi [00:29:10] Oh, my God.
audio clip - Adam [00:29:12] I've seen pictures of the past ones and I thought, 'Oh, I wish I could go," and this is the last one. So yeah, I had to do it. It's amazing. Yeah, really good.
audio clip - Cassi [00:29:23] Awesome. Now you said you listen to the podcast. Do you have a favorite episode, or moment from the podcast?
audio clip - Adam [00:29:29] I really enjoyed one of the latest ones with Lucy Davis, obviously. Because of the British connection, as well. Yeah, that was fascinating. Yeah, really good. Yeah.
Angela [00:29:39] Okay, I remember Adam. So I met Adam and we were talking about the podcast and he said one of the things that was always hard for him is if we had to skip a week. If we were going in order and we had skip a because it was like Christmas break or whatever.
Jenna [00:29:54] Oh, and we left him hanging, if it was a two-part episode?
Angela [00:29:57] Yes, especially if it was a two-part episode and I told him. I was like, "You're gonna love Monday Second Drinks" because it is the entire show, the whole rewatch, in order. We're not gonna miss one and we're adding new information at the top. Anything we missed, so you're going to get a little more stuff at the top. But I was like, "Don't you worry, Adam. It's going to be in order."
Jenna [00:30:20] I'm glad you mentioned the Second Drinks because I had a couple people ask me what they were. Like, they were confused by it. It's been going on for almost two years now. I guess, for anyone who missed it: it's our original re-watch, but with about 10 minutes of new information at the top. So you can just listen to the 10 minutes if you want. Or, if you wanna listen to that and then keep going, you can revisit all of our Office Ladies episodes in order with no breaks, like you said.
Angela [00:30:49] Yeah, especially because when we first started the rewatch, there was a lot of information that we gathered as we went. We found more scripts, we found the candy bag alts, we found outlines. We had writers assistants, writers, directors give us a whole bunch of information. So if we missed anything, now is our chance, with the Second Drinks, to include all that.
Jenna [00:31:08] I'm also going back to our archive fan mailbags for all of those episodes, and I'm pulling extra questions, or things that people are telling us we missed. Or got wrong. So if you wrote us five years ago, you might hear yourself on a Second Drink.
Angela [00:31:24] Yeah, to the guy that wrote me that we missed a Daryl storyline, you're going to hear it.
Jenna [00:31:30] I had a lot of people share that they traveled to see the play. It just warmed my heart. I would go out to the stage door and people would literally have their luggage with them. Like, they came right off the train or right from the airport. Someone told me they traveled solo from Singapore.
Angela [00:31:47] Wow.
Jenna [00:31:47] There was someone from Brazil, someone from Argentina and then just lots of people from all around the country. That was really moving to me, that people came out to support the play. My favorite was when there was a group of people who had all traveled together, or met up. I know a lot of people coordinated that on our Facebook fan page. I just loved seeing how Office Ladies brought people together and then they went on these creative adventures, you know? Going to the convention together, coming to see the play. There was one group, they called themselves - Oh my gosh, what were they called? Oh, they called themselves the Culture Club. That was like their version of a Finer Things Club. They go out and they go see art or see plays. So thank you to the Culture Club, for coming to see Ashland Avenue.
Angela [00:32:37] It is really special though, the Office Ladies Facebook fan page. That is moderated by Nikki and all of these wonderful people that have met -
Jenna [00:32:45] Oh, Nikki came to Ashland Avenue.
Angela [00:32:47] Yeah, I saw your picture. It is a really wonderful community. A lot of people have made friendships, and I think lasting friendships, through this group. Cassi, you said you talked to some Office Ladies folks, too.
Cassi [00:32:59] Yeah, oh my goodness. I met so many Office Ladies fans. I really wanna share this clip from Richard and Rachel from South Carolina. You have to hear where Rachel listens to Office Ladies.
audio clip - Richard [00:33:12] I'm Richard, and this is Rachel from South Carolina.
audio clip - Cassi [00:33:16] Awesome! And what are you wearing?
audio clip - Richard [00:33:18] So we're wearing our Michael Scott's Dunder Mifflin's Scranton's Meredith Palmer Memorial Celebrity Rabies Awareness Pro-Am, Fun Run Race for the Cure. It's hard to read upside down.
audio clip - Rachel [00:33:30] They hung up.
audio clip - Cassi [00:33:32] No, Michael came up with that name. They need to hear the entire name. What does The Office mean to you?
audio clip - Rachel [00:33:40] It's some of the last good television, I think. I mean, it is excellent television and it's a way that we unwind. Like, every day. And it's our time to just relax.
audio clip - Richard [00:33:53] Yeah, after a really stressful day: we've got kids, we got a farm, we have our jobs. It's nice to just get together, snuggle up in bed and watch The Office. It helps put us to sleep every night. It's such great writing, it is just so good.
audio clip - Rachel [00:34:06] Half of our goats are named after The Office characters.
audio clip - Cassi [00:34:09] Oh my gosh.
audio clip - Rachel [00:34:10] We breed goats and one of our bucks is named Michael Scott. So we have a lot of Scott's Tots.
audio clip - Cassi [00:34:18] When you said farm, I was just like, "Oh, they're referring to their kids," but no, you have a literal farm with goats. That's so cool.
audio clip - Rachel [00:34:26] I'm usually listening to Office Ladies when I'm bush hogging the fields. That is how I drown out the tractor noise is that I listen to Office Ladies and look at my goats named after The Office characters.
Jenna [00:34:36] Rachel, I love it! I hope right now, that's happening. I hope we're in your ear right now.
Angela [00:34:42] I know. Rachael, I keep telling Josh I want one of those little mini goats.
Jenna [00:34:47] Oh, you want one of Scott's Tots?
Angela [00:34:48] I do. I said that on the Today Show, when we were on for our cookbook. At the end, they were like, "Oh, Angela, do you have cats in real life?" And I was like, "We have cats, we have dogs. I'd have more animals if Josh would let me. I want a goat," and you kind of heard a record scratch. And someone goes, "A goat? How delightful." Something like that. And I was like, "Oh, no, that'll be the thing that haunts me." And sure enough, my family was like, [in a Southern Accent] "You want goats?"
Jenna [00:35:15] [laughing] Well listen, why don't we take a break and when we come back, we're just gonna keep chatting about our convention and stage door adventures.
audio cue [00:35:31] [musical sting]
Jenna [00:35:31] Alright, we're back. I don't know why I didn't mention this earlier, but there was a huge group of people, one night, at the stage door. They called themselves the "Convention People." They were like, "We're the Convention people!" They had all been at the convention together, and then they all came out to Chicago. And Lady, that is the group that was holding your cookbook in the reel that I posted on Instagram, back in October for your book launch.
Angela [00:35:57] That was so sweet.
Jenna [00:35:58] They were so sweet. I had your cook book in my backpack because I was flipping through the recipes at intermission. I was like, "Oh, this is the perfect crowd." They were so sweet. They were like, "Jackie Debatin says 'hi!'" "Jim McDermott says 'hi!'" Because Jim McDermott was at the convention. He was our set dresser on The Office.
Angela [00:36:19] Yes, in the years past, several of our crew members have been able to attend the convention and share their experience. It was so great to see Jim. I was able to chat with him one morning and Cassi you got to talk to him, too, right?
Cassi [00:36:33] Yeah, so when I wasn't in Angela's line, I went around and I talked to different cast members. I talked to Jim as well. So here's a great clip of him describing his job and some of the challenges he had working on the show.
audio clip - Cassi [00:36:46] Do you want to describe your job, for the fans?
audio clip - Jim [00:36:49] Being a set decorator, we go to production. We'd get the script early, read it, break it down, determine how much manpower we need, truck power, how much the rentals would be for each set, and how much purchases. We'd have to budget that in, and we always came within $1,000, so we did a pretty good job. There were some pretty big sets, and everybody thought, "Yeah, you got the easiest job in town. All you got is an office." And it's like, "No, we got the New York office. We had Oscar's apartment. We had Gabe's apartment. We had everything, you know?" The warehouse set was huge, and then we had all the other offices: district offices, Nashua, and all these other ones. So I mean, we went into empty office buildings, recreated those, and made all kinds of graphics and everything; the Dunder Mifflin graphics. It was just such a fun thing to do.
audio clip - Cassi [00:37:33] Do you have like a favorite set that you created?
audio clip - Jim [00:37:37] Um, well, this was behind Jenna's desk. Hi, Jenna. It was this right here.
audio clip - Cassi [00:37:43] This is a certificate of participation with James' name on it. Oh yeah, it's right behind. If you hear this screaming, it is a pretzel eating contest. Leslie David Baker just got on stage. It's great. Do you have an Office episode that you're like, "This one was a pain in my butt to work on?"
audio clip - Jim [00:38:03] I think the New York corporate office, when we first did it, it was kind of tricky. But it was mostly hallway and a lobby. It wasn't so bad. We put a lot of detail into Gabe's apartment, and that was a really nice set. That was good one. That's when Dwight picked up the baby and it stopped crying, in real life. The baby stopped crying. It was a good one take, man. That's a real nice set. Oscar's, we put a lotta thought into Oscar's apartment. We actually had a bathroom in there that we did a nice job in, They never shot in the bathroom.
audio clip - Cassi [00:38:34] Oh no! Ha ha ha.
audio clip - Jim [00:38:36] Yeah. But they were really good people to us. Everybody was cool to work with. All the actors were really nice.
audio clip - Cassi [00:38:42] That's great. Last question. So you go in and you create the set. When they're actually shooting, do you stay on set during the shoot?
audio clip - Jim [00:38:52] I have a guy. He's called an "onset dresser." He stays with the camera. But we come in in the morning, get there early, and the guys clean all the sets. They vacuum and dust and clean up everything. We'll leave all Stanley's crossword puzzles on his desk and make sure Creed has his solitaire game up. I have a guy that comes in and cleans the computers every week, an IT guy. We had live plants in there, so it was nothing fake. I got the order for the Boise paper, and they gave us free script paper. Gave us pallets of paper every month. I probably save them millions of dollars on paper alone. Then we would take the empty boxes and put them in the warehouse set, on pallets. So all those boxes in the warehouse set were empty.
audio clip - Cassi [00:39:32] Woah.
audio clip - Jim [00:39:33] Yeah. When they had to go through some and load them up, we put little sandbags in them. So if they dropped it, it sounded like it was heavy
audio clip - Cassi [00:39:40] Oh yeah yeah, okay.
audio clip - Jim [00:39:41] Then all the props we got. Like, remember the froggy sticker next to Dwight's desk? I put that on there.
Cassi [00:39:46] Oh yeah, cool!
audio clip - Jim [00:39:46] So we got in touch, we were trying to figure out how to use things from Scranton. So I suggested we call Mari Potis. She's the Chamber of Commerce president. We're like, "Can we get some local Scrantons goods from your local businesses?" But they got to sign off. We thought we'd get, like, three or four boxes. We got 10 pallets of stuff.
audio clip - Cassi [00:40:06] Oh my god. That's amazing.
audio clip - Jim [00:40:06] Yeah, tons of stuff, yeah. So we used a lot of it. The refrigerator had all kinds of menus on it. Alfredo's Pizza's a real pizzeria. So I ended up meeting a lot of people that we're friends with in Scranton. I'm gonna go to the 5k next year.
audio clip - Cassi [00:40:23] Yeah, I want to go.
audio clip - Jim [00:40:24] I wish Jenna was here. I hope Jenna's doing okay. Hi Jenna.
Cassi [00:40:27] Yeah, she's doing okay. She's working on a play in Chicago now.
Jenna [00:40:33] I love that detail that he shared about the pallets in the warehouse. That we got all that free paper that we use to print our scripts every week, and then they just filled them with sandbags. I had no idea.
Angela [00:40:46] All those boxes were empty.
Cassi [00:40:49] So cool.
Jenna [00:40:49] I just assumed all those were actually filled with paper. I guess, because they were heavy.
Angela [00:40:55] Well, I remember Oscar's apartment with such detail. I took a bunch of pictures of it because I was doing a home renovation and I was like, "You guys, this is so beautiful." I didn't realize that they didn't do a single scene in the bathroom.
Jenna [00:41:08] They built a whole bathroom set for Ashland Avenue, because our characters walk in there from time to time, but only this tiny sliver of the audience could see it. It was literally, like, 12 seats could see into the bathroom. But they built a whole bathroom. I was really appreciative of it because otherwise I would have been walking backstage and just kind of pretending I was in a bathroom, but I could stand in a real bathroom. It was cool.
Angela [00:41:34] I did not see the bathroom set.
Jenna [00:41:36] No, no, no. Literally 12 people. Like, our director, Susan Booth, she'd always be like, "Okay, Jenna, exit to the bathroom. 12 people will get to see what you're doing in there. So don't forget, you gotta keep acting while you're in there!"
Cassi [00:41:47] Wow, that's so cool. Oh, and Jim gave me something to give to you two.
Jenna [00:41:53] He did?
Cassi [00:41:53] Yeah, he gave me the daily call sheet for the pilot.
Angela [00:41:57] Oh wow!
Jenna [00:41:59] Wow! And it's like the - Oh my goodness. You know what? I have this as a digital thing. This is the call sheet for it says "day 2.5 of 5.5."
Angela [00:42:14] So day two of the pilot.
Jenna [00:42:15] Here's what it says under set dressing. It says that they're gonna need a coat rack, a Homer Simpson doll, an office plant, and a Billy Bass fish on the wall.
Angela [00:42:28] I didn't realize the Billy Bass fish went that far back.
Jenna [00:42:29] It does, I guess. Alright, well listen, since we're giving gifts, I have stuff that people gave me at the stage door for all of you. Angela, I'm going to start with you. Jackie gifted us the cutest Chicago-inspired sweatshirts. She makes these on her Etsy shop. It's called "Jacqueline Louise, Please." She made you a Chicago deep dish pizza sweatshirt.
Angela [00:42:56] Oh, deep dish pizza sounds really good right now.
Jenna [00:42:57] She made me a Chicago hot dog. I loved the Chicago hot dogs when I was there, so I'm very excited that she gave me the hot dog one. In her note, she said, "I knew not to give you the deep dish one because nothing compares to emos." So there you go, lady. Also, Stephanie C made us each key chains. Here's the story: she told me that she had sent some to us way back when we were at Earwolf. She asked me if we got them. She said it was around the time we were transitioning and she was worried they got lost in the move. So she was hand delivering new ones to us. Stephanie, I have to tell you something. When I finally unwrapped these, we did get your first set of key chains and now we all have two key chains from you.
Cassi [00:43:44] Yay!
Jenna [00:43:45] And we love them. Mine has a little engraved quote on it that says, "What one man can do, another can do."
Angela [00:43:51] I love it. Mine says, "Lady, thanks for all the laughs. I hope to meet you in real life someday. So you will chat me up like we're old friends."
Jenna [00:43:59] Oh, I love it, it's so great! I also got some gifts from Ben and Sarah. They have a company called "Just Bee." Angela, they gifted you a candle. It smells so good. Sam and Cassi, you each get a little diffuser. One of them is white birch and one of them is peony and mahogany. Do you guys have a choice?
Jenna [00:44:27] Cassi, which one do you want?
Cassi [00:44:28] I'll go white birch. Sorry, Sam.
Angela [00:44:32] She's closest to the mic, Sam. She gets to pick.
Cassi [00:44:34] Oh, it smells so good.
Jenna [00:44:36] And I also have some treats. I had to bring in some Garrett's popcorn for all of us. You guys know about Garrett's Popcorn, right?
Cassi [00:44:46] No.
Jenna [00:44:46] What?
Angela [00:44:46] We don't, I'm not making it up.
Jenna [00:44:47] Oh my gosh.
Sam [00:44:49] Yeah, I know Garrett's Popcorn. I love Garrett's popcorn.
Angela [00:44:51] What?
Jenna [00:44:52] Thank you.
Sam [00:44:52] It is the perfect mixture of sweet and salty.
Jenna [00:44:55] Yes, this is it. Thank you, thank you Sam.
Sam [00:44:57] My pleasure.
Angela [00:44:58] Jenna feels so validated. Cassi and I are like, "Nope."
Jenna [00:45:03] Okay, they're famous for their caramel corn, their cheese popcorn, their regular popcorn, but the Chicago mix is where you mix the cheese and the caramel together.
Angela [00:45:14] What?
Cassi [00:45:14] Oh my god.
Jenna [00:45:15] That's the one that I became slightly obsessed with, and that's one I brought back for you guys.
Angela [00:45:22] [unconvinced] Cheese and caramel?
Cassi [00:45:23] I'd give it a try.
Jenna [00:45:23] It's good. Don't worry. Also, this gal from Germany brought us all German chocolates. She brought them all the way to Chicago, but she didn't sign her name on the card. Here's what she did write. "Dear Office Ladies team, you've been good this year, so German Christmas came early. Signed Belschnickl. Who, by the way, is not a thing in Germany, lol."
Angela [00:45:48] All right, well I have a few things I wanted to share, too. First of all, from the convention, I wanted a read a card that we got. It's addressed to Angela, Jenna, Cassi, and Sam. It's from Rachel N. Here's what she had to say: "Angela, Jen, Sam, and Cassi. Thank you all for the Office Ladies podcast. You're creating such a fun and interesting show that brightens up my day, as well as countless others. I originally started listening because I'm a big fan of The Office, plus a huge sucker for anything behind the scenes.
[00:46:17] I started off a fan of the show and have since become an even bigger fan of you all. It's so cool getting to hear from so many of the cast and crew members and getting to know you all as human beings in such a relaxed and down-to-earth manner. This podcast has brought the show home. It's evident how much of a family you all are. Your on-screen chemistry was always incredible, but your real-life chemistry is refreshing. I know nothing about creating a podcast, but there has to be so much work going into it from all of you. Thank you for putting in the time and energy, as well as your hearts and souls. Listening always boosts my mood. Rachel."
Jenna [00:46:53] Thanks, Rachel.
Angela [00:46:53] Isn't that a great card?
Jenna [00:46:54] Yeah, that's really sweet.
Cassi [00:46:55] Yeah, that's really thoughtful.
Angela [00:46:56] I just love that.
Jenna [00:46:57] I got a lot of cards and notes from people as well, and it was really sweet. They would say, "I didn't want to forget what I wanted to tell you." I read them all and they just, they were really touching.
Angela [00:47:07] We also got a lot of gifts at the convention. I'm going to list a few, like these napkins with stitching that say, "Cassi Sass." What's up, Sam? You got some Sam Sass? And then also Jenna. Sarah from Gig Harbor, Washington made us the most adorable crochet dolls of our The Office characters. She also said if she were asked the call sheet questions that her answer for, "tell us a place you've been to that you absolutely loved" would be to tell us to go to Monteverde in Costa Rica. She said there is a hummingbird gallery with dozens of feeders and hundreds of hummingbirds gather there. I looked it up and oh my God, I wanna go.
Cassi [00:47:46] Wow.
Jenna [00:47:47] Great!
Angela [00:47:49] Then from my cookbook tour, I have to share with you, lady. I met a gal named Leah. She's so talented and she made us these gorgeous necklaces. On her card she said, "Office Ladies has been my happy place for years." That's so sweet. I also have lots of other gifts and cards from the convention. I have a whole box for you, Jenna.
Jenna [00:48:12] Oh, thank you. Thank you, everybody. I absolutely loved my stage door meet and greets. It sounds like you guys had a great time at the convention and, Angela, on your cookbook tour.
Angela [00:48:23] Before we wrap up here, I wanna give a few shout outs (we all do) to everyone we met at the convention. It's such a big event and it really wouldn't be possible without the amazing people that work and volunteer at it. So special shout out to them. To the people at my booth, Cat and Betty Jean. To Arnold, for organizing the convention. To Randy, she sent me so many pictures. Thank you, Randy.
Cassi [00:48:46] Yeah, everyone was so cool and kind. I actually interviewed Betty Jean, who Angela mentioned earlier. She used to cosplay as Pam. Here's her sharing her experience as a volunteer.
audio clip - Betty Jean [00:48:58] My name is Betty Jean, I'm from Brooklyn, New York.
Cassi [00:49:02] Great! How long have you been volunteering for the Office convention?
audio clip - Betty Jean [00:49:04] This is my second year volunteering. I've attended all four. The first two, I was cosplaying as Pam, and then I just got a glimpse of all of the love and labor that goes into the convention behind the scenes. I was delighted to find out that they were open for volunteers. So it's been the greatest volunteer gig of my life.
audio clip - Cassi [00:49:22] That's awesome. So what is it like being a volunteer?
audio clip - Betty Jean [00:49:25] I mean, it really boils down to going where you're needed. You never know what's going to happen. From you might get placed handling admissions, you might be dealing with merchandise, you might be welcoming vendors, you might be a celebrity handler and helping hold space for really amazing interactions between fans and the cast and crew that they came to meet. So you never know, there's never a dull moment. I've gotten so many stories out of this. I'm a minister by trade, so I'm constantly writing stories into sermons, including about humor affecting our life. I can't even believe the thousands of stories that I've gotten to hear at this convention, fans pouring their heart out to the cast and crew themselves about how the show has changed their lives and how it's had a decades-long impact on them. So this is the stuff I live for, and now being able to pay it forward for other fans and help create the space, It's amazing.
Angela [00:50:18] Isn't that special?
Jenna [00:50:20] I love what she said about collecting stories as a minister. I think that's so cool. I just love that she volunteers. Did you know that theater ushers are also volunteers?
Angela [00:50:32] No, I didn't know that.
Jenna [00:50:33] Yes, most theater usher's, that's a volunteer thing. They do that in exchange for getting to see the plays and musicals for free.
Angela [00:50:42] I would have done that, for sure.
Jenna [00:50:44] Yeah, so everybody be nice to your ushers.
Angela [00:50:48] Yeah. They're volunteering.
Jenna [00:50:48] Exactly. And put your phones away.
Angela [00:50:51] Well, yeah.
Jenna [00:50:52] So that they don't have to crack down.
Angela [00:50:54] For sure. Well, before we go, Cassi, I know there was one last thing that you wanted to share with us. I'm actually so curious about it. You hinted about it to me. So go ahead.
Cassi [00:51:06] It was my favorite question that I always asked at the end of every interview and it was, "Scott's Tots, do you watch it or skip it?"
Jenna [00:51:15] So many people tell me they skip it.
Angela [00:51:18] Aw, we did such a great breakdown of it, too, with B.J. Novack.
Jenna [00:51:22] I know, I know.
Angela [00:51:24] Well what did people say?
Cassi [00:51:25] Yeah, so all of the responses were so different. So I made a little compilation and here it is.
Cassi [00:51:32] Scott's Tots, do you watch it or skip it?
audio clip - convention goer 1 [00:51:34] It's the only episode I skip.
audio clip - convention goer 2 [00:51:36] I definitely watch it. It's, like, one of the funniest episodes. How could you not watch it?
audio clip - convention goer 3 [00:51:40] You know, it completely depends on the mood, but I'm gonna say skip.
audio clip - convention goer 4 [00:51:45] Sometimes I skip it, but other times I don't because Stanley's reaction to that whole thing is just beyond - It's so funny.
audio clip - convention goer 5 [00:51:51] Oh, no, I watch.
audio clip - convention goer 6 [00:51:53] It's painful. That is a painful episode to watch.
audio clip - convention goer 5 [00:51:56] It's hard to watch.
audio clip - convention goer 6 [00:51:57] It is hard to watch.
audio clip - convention goer 7 [00:51:59] I watch it, but I cringe. .
audio clip - convention goer 8 [00:52:02] Watch it. You never skip an episode. Even if you're like cringing, you're like, "Oh, Michael, why?"
audio clip - convention goer 9 [00:52:09] Oh, I watch it. I know, yeah, there's a cringe factor for sure. But it's, like, you know, that's just part of it.
audio clip - convention goer 10 [00:52:14] Both. I watch it and skip it.
audio clip - Cassi [00:52:17] Depends on your mood?
audio clip - convention goer 10 [00:52:18] Depends on the day, yeah.
audio clip - convention goer 11 [00:52:20] I definitely watch it. It's like one of the funniest episodes. How could you not watch it?
audio clip - convention goer 12 [00:52:24] In between.
audio clip - Cassi [00:52:25] In between, depends on the mood?
audio clip - convention goer 13 [00:52:27] Watch it, but it's cringey.
audio clip - convention goer 14 [00:52:30] I watch it and I laugh. I think it's pretty funny.
audio clip - convention goer 15 [00:52:33] I watch everything, you can't be a fan and skip anything. That's just how it is, you gotta get through it.
audio clip - convention goer 16 [00:52:39] Watch, obviously. In my Scott Stott's t-shirt.
audio clip - Cassi [00:52:43] Oh, love it!
Jenna [00:52:46] So it sounds like more "watch its" than "skips it."
Angela [00:52:49] I think I relate more to the people that are like, "It depends on the day."
Cassi [00:52:52] Yeah.
Angela [00:52:55] Well, a big thank you to everyone who showed up to meet us and shared with us about their love of The Office and Office Ladies. I really love and treasure this community of folks so much.
Jenna [00:53:05] Yeah, thank you and thank you Jim McDermott for talking to Cassi and sharing about your experience of working as a set dresser and just hello right back at you. Also, thank you to everyone who waited at the stage door after Ashland Avenue. You were all so polite and patient and kind. When I would go to take a selfie with someone, all the other people they would duck down and get out of the way to make it a good shot. It's what you're talking about, its just a community of good folks. It was an honor to speak with all of you. So thank you. And in fact as a way to say thank you for all of your support Angela and I want to do an Office Ladies merch giveaway. Angela, tell everybody how it’s gonna work.
Angela Yes. We appreciate y’all so much and we thought it would be really fun to some merch giveaways. Our first one is going to be a holiday merch box dropping in December. We’re going to give away 5 boxes of goodies.
Jenna So five different people are going to get one of these merch giveaway boxes.
Angela [00:53:38] That’s right. We’re going to announce it on our Instagram OfficeLadiesPod when it goes live. So be on the lookout for all the details there.
Well, there you go. That is our fan convention and stage door episode. Thank you, Cassi, for compiling all those audio clips and traveling with me to New Jersey.
Cassi [00:53:47] Oh my goodness.
Angela [00:53:48] We'll always have New Jersey, Cassi.
Cassi [00:53:49] Yeah, we'll always New Jersey.
Angela [00:53:51] Alright, you guys have a great week.
Jenna [00:53:53] See you later.
audio cue [00:53:56] [outro music plays]
Jenna [00:53:56] Thank you for listening to Office Ladies.
Angela [00:53:58] Office Ladies is a presentation of Audacy and is produced by Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey.
Jenna [00:54:03] Our executive producer is Cassi Jerkins. Our audio engineer is Sam Kieffer and our associate producer is Aynsley Bubbico.
Angela [00:54:11] Audacy's executive producer is Leah Reis-Dennis.
Jenna [00:54:14] Office Ladies was mixed and mastered by Bill Schultz.
Angela [00:54:18] Our theme song is "Rubber Tree" by Creed Bratton.