Thespian

On his 50th birthday, a once promising comedian with a flat lined career decides to quit comedy and go back to his roots as a serious actor. In season two, Adam's struggles to remain creatively relevant while dealing with issues at home. Meanwhile, his acting coach/former lover deals with her own issues of sobriety and the relationship with her daughter.

  • Marc Unger
    Director
    Go with the Dog, The Filchaks Take a Gamble, The Brothers Nobody
  • Maria Unger
    Director
    Thespian season one
  • Marc Unger
    Writer
    Adam's Rock, Go with The Dog, The Filchaks Take a Gamble, A Comic's Relief, several one man theater shows
  • Marc Unger
    Producer
  • Maria Unger
    Producer
  • Mike Forostiak
    Producer
  • Richard Zane
    Producer
  • Diane Wolcott
    Producer
  • MARC UNGER
    Key Cast
    "Adam Kelner"
    Veep, Friends, Kringle Time
  • Sasha Carrera
    Key Cast
    "Petra Antonelli"
  • Nikki Estridge
    Key Cast
    "Abby Kelner"
  • Christopher Walker
    Key Cast
    "Chuck West"
  • Greg Crowe
    Key Cast
    "Tom the Jogger"
    Eighth Grade
  • Matthew Bowerman
    Key Cast
    "Greg Mullin"
    SNL, The Wire, The Night Watchmen
  • Project Type:
    Web / New Media
  • Genres:
    Dramedy, Comedy, Drama
  • Runtime:
    16 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    February 1, 2021
  • Production Budget:
    30,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital, Canon C300mk11
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Baltimore Next Media Festival Online
    Baltimore
    United States
    January 22, 2021
    Winner Best Writing
  • Seoul Web Fest
    Seoul
    Korea, Republic of
    August 21, 2021
    Asia premiere
    Nominated Best Dramedy
  • London Intl Film Fest
    London
    United Kingdom
    June 12, 2021
    Winner Best Web Series
  • Vancouver Independent Film Fest
    Vancouver
    Canada
    July 10, 2021
    Finalist
  • Seattle Film Festival
    Seattle
    United States
    June 29, 2021
    Official Selection
  • Miami Short Film Festival
    Miami
    United States
    November 19, 2021
    Official Selection
  • New Jersey Web Fest
    New Jersey
    United States
    September 18, 2021
    East Coast Premiere
    Official Selection- Marc Unger Nominated Best Actor
  • Minnesota Web Fest
    Minneapolis
    United States
    September 25, 2021
    Great Lakes Premiere
    Winner Marc Unger Best Dramatic Performance, Nominated Best Dramedy, Nominated Best U.S Web Series
  • Flickers Rhode Island Intl Film Festival
    Providence, Rhode Island
    United States
    Semi Finalist
Director Biography - Marc Unger, Maria Unger

Marc Unger's been an actor, writer, director and national headlining comedian for over 25 years. He's directed several theater pieces, a short film called "The Filchaks Take a Gamble" which screened at the Sarasota Film Festival as well as Cinequest Online. "Thespian" is the culmination of all his acting, writing and directing experience and hopes to hell people like it.

Maria Unger- Maria has been a special needs teacher for over 10 years and has an MFA from Johns Hopkins University. Thespian is her first foray into directing.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

We're extremely proud to have completed a second season of Thespian and just in awe of how much support we've received from fans of the show. The key for us was to expand the story beyond the first season scope, adding storylines for characters and growing the Universe beyond just Adam and his travails as an actor. Our crew is dedicated and passionate about helping us get the look and feel we're striving for and we all believe strongly that what we've created has a deep, layered soul and an honesty we feel resonates with people of any age, gender or ethnicity. On the surface, yeah, it's about a middle aged guy struggling in his return to his roots as a serious actor but, particularly in season two, it's much more than that. It's about family and commitment, perseverance and struggling to remain relevant as you age. It's about love and grief... oh, and it's really funny too. We hope you agree.