“Lorraine of Terror” Begins…

Sometimes, making this show is more hectic than anything we could put onscreen.

Since our last episode, we’ve juggled the departure of several cast members, the tragic last days of some broken equipment, and the descent of Batman into our fair city (and into the schedules of many of our cast members, who are featured extras and stand-ins throughout the filming of The Dark Knight Rises).

But perhaps most complicated of all is the news that Affogato — the cafe where we film the show — will almost definitely be closing at the end of August.

(Side note: anybody want to buy a cafe?)

All of which sounds crazy, right?

In fact, it’s not unlike the upheaval that Ben, Dierdre, Gary, Madison, Reggie and (the newly-unemployed) Sam are going through with their new boss, Lorraine, suddenly in charge of the cafe.

So, while we could just drop you into our new storyline headfirst, we’re going to treat you better than that: we’re going to roll things out slowly. Because, frankly, there’s a lot of change headed your way over these next nine episodes, including:

* several new characters making their debuts

* a few old favorites saying their final goodbyes

* a new location (?)

* a new website (?)

… and, of course, a DVD.

These last 9 episodes will wrap up The Baristas’ first season, and then they’ll all be made available on DVD, which will include behind-the-scenes footage, director and cast commentaries, deleted scenes, a “lost” episode and more.  Those of you who were fans of our previous show, Something to Be Desired, may recall that STBD was never released on DVD, so this will mark the first time you can (legally) bring Glenn, Dierdre, Sam and Astrid into your living room (digitally, anyway).

And then, if we’re all lucky (and well caffeinated), it’ll be on to Season Two…

… if we — and Affogato — survive Lorraine of Terror.

Stay tuned.

Story Contest: Tell Us YOUR Best Real-Life Coffee Shop Story (and We Just Might Film It!)

Rich Mathis (Erik Schark) is UnimpressedThe Baristas takes place in a cafe with a huge cast of screwballs who each have their own problems. And, honestly, we could write about the comic flaws of Dierdre, Sam, Astrid and Rich forever — and we just might.

But now we want to hear all about your strangest coffee shop tales!

If you ever worked in a cafe — or even sat in one for ten minutes — you know coffee shops are the modern answer to an Old West saloon: crazy characters, strange brews, and the vague sense that anything could happen at any time.  And it usually does.  Probably to you.  And that’s what we want to hear.

Whether you’re a real-life barista, a devoted customer, or you just had a craving for a latte at the best (or the worst) possible time, we want to know about it!  (And we just might film it.)

Here Are the Rules:

1. Write your craziest / funniest / strangest personal tale of caffeinated truth.

2. Email us your story by midnight on Thursday, June 30th.

3. You can send as many stories as you want, but email each one separately.

4. We’ll read them over the 4th of July weekend.  (Happy holiday!)

5. We’ll post our five favorites on The Baristas blog on Wednesday, July 6th.

6. Those 5 winners will each receive a swag bag bursting with Baristas goodies!

And, even better…

If we really dig your story, we just might shoot our own version of it on an upcoming episode of The Baristas!  And that means you’ll get a “Story by” credit, which is your gateway to fame and fortune!*

* Okay, so maybe not fortune.  But you’ll get to see Ben, Gary or Madison live vicariously through you, and that’s a reward all its own…

So what are you waiting for?  Start scribbling!

Like Us on Facebook and See More of the Show!

We’ve filmed more footage for The Baristas than we’ll ever be able to fit into our weekly episodes. That means we have a lot of scenes that no one will ever see, and that’s a shame, because we hate to squander comedy.

So now we have a solution.

For every 100 new fans who “like” The Baristas on Facebook, we’ll post a new deleted scene. And, in honor of our 300th fan, we’ve already posted our first clip.

So if you like The Baristas, “like” us on Facebook too — and don’t forget to tell your friends about us! More fans = more show!