WOB's Jordan C. Allen Stars in New Webseries

By: Feb. 05, 2013
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Over the years, many in the Way Off Broadway family have gone on to appear in countless productions around the country on national tours and on Broadway. Now, for the first time, a WOB alumnus will be starring in a national webseries as Jordan C. Allen plays the role of Wyatt in Cinevore Studios' Nerd vs. Geek.

Jordan first appeared on the WOB stage during the summer of 2011 as Seaweed in the blockbuster musical Hairspray. This was his first stage appearance in the area after moving to Frederick from the West Coast. Since then he has appeared in a number of productions including Chicago, The Rocky Horror Show, Jekyll & Hyde - The Musical, Footloose, and as Angel in Stocking Productions' Frederick-area premiere production of RENT. Currently, Jordan is starring as the Genie in Disney's Aladdin in Way Off Broadway's Children's Theatre.

Not only is Jordan one of Way Off Broadway's hottest performers, he is the face of the theatre's "Famous in Frederick" Campaign. Along with friend and fellow actor Leah Bebee, they help Way Off Broadway launch FamousInFrederick.com in the summer of 2012.

Performing for nearly his entire life, Jordan has appeared on television screens and advertisements in homes across the country. His earliest work was in commercials and ads for Kraft Foods, Kohl's Department Store, and JC Penney. And in 2002, he played little Michael Reed in the motion picture Joshua starring F. Murray Abraham and Tony Goldwyn of Amadeus and Ghost fame, respectively.

In Nerd vs. Geek, this longtime performer takes on a brand New Medium. Produced by Philadelphia-based Cinevore Studios, the new series asks the eternal question: do you consider yourself a nerd? Or a geek? Or neither? Which is better, playing as a dinosaur in a video game, or going to a real-life museum to walk amongst their remains? Each of the characters in this upcoming web series struggles with these same questions, as they try to balance their love of all things intellectual and creative with their attempts to fit into a society that treats blue-painted sports fans as gods amongst men, but anime cosplayers as worthy of ridicule.

The series touches on every aspect of nerd/geek culture, including video games, comic books, math, science (fact and fiction), cartoons, board games, card games, theater, TV, and movies. It is a fiction steeped in the often true, even-more-often-sad actual lives of the series' two head writers.

In the series, Jordan plays Wyatt, an intelligent and smooth nerd. The most outgoing of the shows characters, Wyatt is brutally honest and will cut you to shreds with his quick wit, but is still a fierce defender of his friends when opposed by actual nerd/geek "haters."

Filming of the webseries began in Philadelphia during the end of 2012. At the time, Jordan was also appearing in Way Off Broadway's Season's Greetings: An Empire Christmas. During the overlap in his schedule, Jordan found himself filming in Philadelphia during the day, on stage in Frederick at night, and back on the set in Philadelphia the next morning. Just to turn around and make it back to Frederick for the curtain again in the evening.

"Jordan Allen is one of the most talented people I have ever been fortunate enough to work with," says Justin M. Kiska, Way Off Broadway's President & Managing Director. "Not only do I love seeing him onstage, he is also one of my favorite people. He's just a great guy."

Way Off Broadway's Executive Producer, Bill Kiska, added, "He's always so much fun to have around and he is such a hard worker. We're very lucky to have him at Way Off Broadway."

Nerd vs. Geek's premiere episode, "Craigslist," began airing on Cinevore's YouTube channel and the blog site AlmostNerdy.com January 28th. New episodes will air every two weeks. With the first half of the season already filmed and waiting to air, following its holiday break, filming will begin on the final five episodes of the season next week.

Cinevore Studios is a boutique Production Company based in the Greater Philadelphia Area. Previous projects that have graced the front pages of YouTube, MySpace, and College Humor include the web series "OverAnalyzers"; the infamous "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Pizza Taste Test"; the controversial music video "Piece of Meat", and an array of award-winning short films. They've also assisted in productions including "Blobtown," a documentary about the 1950′s Blob film; "Living in 8 Bits," a webseries about video games; and the upcoming "Angry Video Game Nerd: The Movie."

The Way Off Broadway Dinner Theatre has been a leader in the region's performing arts community since it first opened in 1995. Under the direction of the Kiska Family since 2002, Way Off Broadway has produced such productions as A Funny Thing . . . Forum, Guys & Dolls, Steel Magnolias, Oklahoma!, Grease, Fiddler on the Roof, The Odd Couple, A Chorus Line, Lend Me a Tenor, The Sound of Music, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Evita, Cats, The Full Monty, South Pacific, and Hairspray, as well as the regional and/or area premieres of Neil Simon's The Goodbye Girl - The Musical, Jerry Herman's La Cage aux Folles, the musical comedy The Wedding Singer, Mel Brooks' The Producers, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and The Drowsy Chaperone. Located along Route 40 West, the Golden Mile in Frederick, the theatre also produces a one-of-a-kind children's lunch theatre, as well as a number of special events throughout the year.



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