Live From Studio 6B in Rockefeller Center
We had so many adventures in New York City last week! We hiked around Central Park (about eight miles on the hottest day NYC has seen all year) and wandered neighborhoods all the way from Battery Park back to our hotel in Times Square. We rode one of those double-decker tourist buses around to see as much as we could. From profound and reflective moments at the 911 memorial to a crowded cruise around the statue of liberty to the low-budget character costumes in Times Square and an entire day spent at Rockefeller Center, we saw it all.
But I have to say the best experience we had was visiting Studio 6B to watch Jimmy Fallon rehearse his monologue. Most people I’ve talked to didn’t even know you could go watch a monologue rehearsal, so now I feel it is my duty to inform the masses.
When we started planning our trip to NYC, the number one item on our list of things to experience was a taping of the Tonight Show. The day they released the tickets, we were in the queue an hour early. When we couldn’t get through, we were so disappointed, but then we heard that they also give away tickets to watch Jimmy rehearse the monologue a couple of hours before they tape the show. We weren’t expecting much, seeing as how the monologue segment is only eight minutes, but we figured it would be better than nothing.
It turned out to be WAY better. We checked in at the studio an hour early, got through security and then waited around in this really swanky lounge area where the walls were decorated with large screens that scrolled through different pictures from past shows. (It was almost embarrassing how many of them we’d seen.) Right before they led us into the studio, Albertina Rizzo (one of the talented monologue writers) gave us a brief rundown and told us that Jimmy rehearses in front of a live audience to test out the material. (She’s hilarious, by the way. Very entertaining.) Then they make changes to the monologue based on well the audience relates to the jokes.
When they brought us into the studio, Jimmy came out and greeted us. It was all pretty casual. He read the jokes off of the script and when we’d laugh enough, he’d ham it up and add original content to the joke. He also interacted with the writers and made notes on the script for later. As a writer, it was so fun to watch that creative process in person. All in all, I think we were in the studio for about a half hour, and we were still laughing when we left. It was fun to watch the show later that night and see what jokes had made the cut. What a great experience to add to our NYC adventures. The entire staff, from the check-in personnel to the security guards were friendly, professional, and so much fun! If you’re ever in New York and can’t get tickets to the Tonight Show, make sure to catch a rehearsal!
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But I have to say the best experience we had was visiting Studio 6B to watch Jimmy Fallon rehearse his monologue. Most people I’ve talked to didn’t even know you could go watch a monologue rehearsal, so now I feel it is my duty to inform the masses.
When we started planning our trip to NYC, the number one item on our list of things to experience was a taping of the Tonight Show. The day they released the tickets, we were in the queue an hour early. When we couldn’t get through, we were so disappointed, but then we heard that they also give away tickets to watch Jimmy rehearse the monologue a couple of hours before they tape the show. We weren’t expecting much, seeing as how the monologue segment is only eight minutes, but we figured it would be better than nothing.
It turned out to be WAY better. We checked in at the studio an hour early, got through security and then waited around in this really swanky lounge area where the walls were decorated with large screens that scrolled through different pictures from past shows. (It was almost embarrassing how many of them we’d seen.) Right before they led us into the studio, Albertina Rizzo (one of the talented monologue writers) gave us a brief rundown and told us that Jimmy rehearses in front of a live audience to test out the material. (She’s hilarious, by the way. Very entertaining.) Then they make changes to the monologue based on well the audience relates to the jokes.
When they brought us into the studio, Jimmy came out and greeted us. It was all pretty casual. He read the jokes off of the script and when we’d laugh enough, he’d ham it up and add original content to the joke. He also interacted with the writers and made notes on the script for later. As a writer, it was so fun to watch that creative process in person. All in all, I think we were in the studio for about a half hour, and we were still laughing when we left. It was fun to watch the show later that night and see what jokes had made the cut. What a great experience to add to our NYC adventures. The entire staff, from the check-in personnel to the security guards were friendly, professional, and so much fun! If you’re ever in New York and can’t get tickets to the Tonight Show, make sure to catch a rehearsal!
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