It's A Funny Story

Anyone can tell you that the road to fame is a hard one. There are many struggles that stand between starting out and catching that elusive big break. Making it in the entertainment business requires patience, determination and lots of ambition. The upcoming film Sleepwalk With Me paints a comically accurate portrait of what it takes to be successful in the world of standup comedy. It centers on a protagonist who was so consumed with the stress of it all that he began sleepwalking. But, to understand the story we must back up, and begin at its origin.

Mike Birbiglia is a nationally touring comedian whom you may know from his numerous appearances on Comedy Central, The Late Show with David Letterman and This American Life. However, about six years ago, before all the fame and glory, Mike was at a major life crossroads: he was on the verge of getting engaged while trying to figure out if he could really earn a living as a comedian. While maintaining a surface-calm, Mike manifested his fears in his dreams, and began sleepwalking. With a flair for the absurd – or rather the comedic – Mike’s sleepwalking was so outlandish that he once stood up on his nightstand and began accepting a gold medal in a traditional Olympic ceremonial fashion.

It was around this time that his brother, Joe Birbiglia, decided to step in and help; he began to manage both Mike’s career and his company, Secret Public Productions. Joe, who spent years working as a writer, runs Secret Public Productions from an office above Tortilla Flats, right here on the East Side. The walls of his workspace are a testament to the success of the brothers’ partnership. Filled with posters, press passes, screenplays and books, Joe’s relics signify how far the Birbiglias have come in the six years since Joe has joined the team. Mike has said goodbye to his anxiety-laden nights and hello to an exciting career on stage.

While Mike’s accomplishments in standup are stellar on their own, it’s his transition from jokes to storytelling that has begun to define his career. Mike made his theatrical debut in 2009 with a one-person show that was produced by Nathan Lane and chronicled his sleepwalking episodes. After much critical acclaim, the show was turned into a book called Sleepwalk With Me & Other Painfully True Stories. Following the success of the book adaptation, the Birbiglia brothers took it one step further: With the help of Ira Glass, host and producer of This American Life, they made their first feature film, Sleepwalk With Me.

From that Hope Street office, Joe helped pen the script, which has gone on to win the NEXT Audience Award at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, and was also selected as a “Festivals Favorites” at the South By Southwest Film Festival in Austin, Texas. Sleepwalk With Me is now being distributed by IFC Films. After the hype garnered at the festivals, Mike and Joe began a grassroots campaign to get the film shown throughout the United States. Initially, it was set to open in 24 theaters, but through the help of This American Life (and Mike’s many fans), the film will open on 80 screens, with one of them being in Providence.

On Friday, September 7, Sleepwalk With Me will premiere at the Cable Car, leaving us East Side residents in an enviable position of going out supporting the effort and having a few hundred laughs in the process.