Iconic Television Personality Marc Summers to Launch National "Sneak Preview" Tour of Intimate Documentary Based on His Life During October
"On Your Marc" is a Look at Summers' One Man Show "The Life & Slimes of Marc Summers"
Beverly Hills, CA --(SPW)-- Iconic TV personality Marc Summers will host a “Sneak Preview Tour” of an intimate documentary film entitled “On Your Marc,” based on his 2016 one man play “The Life and Slimes of Marc Summers,” during October 2017. Summers will present the film in person across the USA in select venues, with many of those appearances coupled with an array of singular events, including performances by local bands, Q&As with special guests, celebrity hosts, interactive “Double Dare” style games, and various star singers. Stars Neil Patrick Harris, Ryan Seacrest, and Guy Fieri make special guest appearances in the film.
Please see: http://www.marcsummersmovie.com/about-the-film
During a remarkable career in show business, Marc Summers has hosted, or co-hosted, over 25 television series, having appeared on everything from ABC to Nickelodeon, CBS to Food Network, and Lifetime to FOX. During a multi-faceted career, Summers concurrently became a pop-culture icon, most notably tied into his longtime gig as the host of the hugely popular Nickelodeon TV series “Double Dare.” He also served as the host of Food Network’s long-running “Unwrapped.” In addition, Summers established himself as a producer of popular and successful reality TV series, as well as a businessman, author of a self-help book, and a stand-up comic. He was also the producer of two additional, long-running Food Network shows, “Dinner: Impossible” and “Restaurant: Impossible.”
To watch the promotional trailer for this film, see: https://youtu.be/N4Vq6Z2FXfI
In 2016, “The Life and Slimes of Marc Summers” marked the debut of Summers’ first-ever one man show. The play was co-written by Tony Award nominee Alex Brightman, who is currently starring in “School of Rock: The Musical” on Broadway in the lead role, and by rising Broadway star Drew Gasparini.
“On Your Marc,” directed by Mathew Klickstein, is a feature length documentary film in which Summers, an Indiana native, looks back on his life and “slimes”—a clever reference to the slimy green goo that became an iconic feature of “Double Dare,” which Summers hosted for eight years (1986 – 1994). The documentary combines a scrappy, “anything goes” appeal with an informative look at the nature of celebrity. Along the way, Summers reveals how he survived cancer, a recent, near-fatal car crash, and a crippling case of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).
Regarding “On the Marc,” Summers said, “I began my career as a professional magician and as a stand-up comic, with grandiose dreams of one day hosting ‘The Tonight Show.’ But that never happened. They always say you should have a Plan B at the ready – when I went to audition for ‘Double Dare’ I was on Plan R! I woke up one day, and suddenly realized I was hosting a kids game show! But in my head, I was hosting ‘Jeopardy,’ and the contestants just happened to be a little smaller.”
He adds, “I consider myself extremely fortunate to have been successful on television, as well as in other areas of the entertainment world. I greatly enjoyed appearing on-stage before live audiences during the run of ‘Life and Slimes’ – it’s what I’ve always enjoyed doing the most. And with a tip of my hat and a wink of the eye to the countless TV game shows I’ve appeared on, I truly hope that viewers who see ‘On Your Marc’ will get a sense of the joy and excitement that was behind every move I ever made, both within the entertainment industry and in real life.”
Mathew Klickstein, the director behind “On Your Marc,” said, “When you meet Marc Summers, there is no artifice there. He is authentic and genuine – there is something extremely compelling about that, especially in this day and age when you seemingly need to have some form of a ‘cult’ of personality to be a celebrity. Our goal in producing the ‘On Your Marc’ tour was to bring the movie directly to Marc’s fans. We can promise them they’ll be in for a memorable evening when they see Marc in person, and watch the highlights – as well as the dramatic incidents – that have comprised his remarkable life and career.”
“On the Marc” – 2017 Tour schedule
- Oct. 8: Los Angeles @ The Regent Theater/Downtown LA
For the LA Show: Local musician, comedian and TV producer/writer Kerri Dougherty will be hosting a Q&A between Marc Summers and the audience during this event. Dougherty wrote the “Double Dare”- inspired episode of ABC TV’s hit comedy series “The Goldbergs.”
- Oct. 12: New York @ Brooklyn Alamo
- Oct. 13: Philadelphia @ Trocadero Theatre (Presented by Preston & Steve/WMMR)
- Oct. 19: Austin @ Austin Alamo
- Oct 21: Baltimore @ Gordon Center for Performing Arts | Event to be Hosted by Pat Sajak
- Oct. 26: Chicago @ The Hideout Inn (Presented by Mr. and Mrs. Wednesday Night)
The Austin show will also be live streamed to Alamo Movie Theater screens based in these additional cities:
- Houston
- Kansas City
- Denver
- Loudoun
- Lubbock
- Dallas
- El Paso
- Phoenix
- Charlottesville
In 2012, Marc Summers decided to “tip his toes back into the waters” of acting in live theatre, and performed for a short time in the role of “Vince Fontaine” in a Long Beach Island (NJ) production of “Grease.” During the show’s run, Marc became good friends with fellow co-star Drew Gasparini, who in turn introduced him to Alex Brightman (now starring in “School of Rock: The Musical” on Broadway.)
The three men became close friends, and for the next two years, Gasparini and Brightman would meet with Marc Summers for countless meals, during which time they would tape record his reminiscences from throughout his life. Marc revealed to them both the funny, offbeat and fortuitous circumstances behind his successful TV career, as well as many deeply personal issues which he’s had to overcome during the past several years.
Following the success of Gasparini/Brightman’s co-written play “Make Me Bad,” which had been performed in Bloomington, IN, Producing Artistic Director Chad Rabinovitz learned that the two men were working with Marc Summers. Rabinovitz bought the proposed new collaborative play from Summers/Gasparini/Brightman sight unseen. Thus, “The Life and Slimes of Marc Summers” was conceived. The new play was first presented on April Fools Day - April 1, 2016 - in Bloomington, IN, at the Bloomington Playwrights Project.
About MARC SUMMERS
In the history of the television medium, very few people can lay claim to having hosted over two dozen TV shows. Marc Summers, truly an entertainment industry "Renaissance Man", can state that lofty achievement as fact. TV shows hosted or co-hosted by Marc have criss-crossed both broadcast and cable TV networks - he's appeared on everything from ABC to Nickelodeon, from CBS to Food Network, and from Lifetime to FOX.
In 2015, Marc served as Executive Producer of a special TV show about sharks for Discovery Network’s “Shark Week.” The show, shot in Cuba, marked the first time in over 50 years that American and Cuban scientists worked on a joint project together. In 2014, Marc celebrated a major career landmark: His 25th television series, "Rewrapped," made its debut on Food Network. Marc appeared on every episode of the new series as the show's Head Judge during that show’s two season run.
In addition to his prominence in front of the camera, Marc Summers has also been successful in his career as a stand-up comedian, an author, and an executive producer. His company, Marc Summers Productions, was responsible for producing two very popular series on Food Network: "Dinner: Impossible," and "Restaurant: Impossible." Both shows were hosted by internationally renowned Chef Robert Irvine.
A native of Indianapolis, Marc moved to Los Angeles during the golden era of stand-up comedy. Appearing at such LA landmarks as The Comedy Store and The Improv, he stood shoulder to shoulder during his stand up years, sharing stages with such future legends as David Letterman, Jay Leno and Robin Williams.
His popularity on the comedy circuit would lead him to his next pursuit: hosting a TV game show. Marc credits TV personality Bob Barker and “The Price is Right” for helping establish this new career direction. During the early 1980s, March was a much in-demand “warm up” comic, performing his material in front of live studio audiences prior to tapings of sitcoms and talk shows including “Hour Magazine,” “What’s Happening Now,” “Webster,” “Star Search,” “Alice,” and “SOAP.”
Marc’s career shot into high gear in 1986, when Nickelodeon hired him as the host of “Double Dare.” That show became so successful, it helped firmly establish both Marc as a popular TV personality, as well as the newly formed network itself. “Double Dare” was syndicated within two years, and even enjoyed a brief broadcast network run on FOX in primetime, as “Nickelodeon’s Family Double Dare” in 1988.
Concurrent with, and following, the tremendous run of “Double Dare,” Marc became a familiar presence on the TV screen with countless celebrity guest appearances on such shows as “Scrabble,” “”Super Password,” “Lingo,” “Win, Lose or Draw,” and “The Hollywood Squares,” and later, ‘Couch Potatoes,” “What Would You Do?” and ABC’s “Home Show,” to name only some.
Marc was also the longtime host of Food Network's "Unwrapped," the longest running series in the history of that channel. "Unwrapped," which also ran on Cooking Channel, was a program that each week uncovers behind-the-scenes details on classic American food, from peanut butter and chocolate syrup to French fries and bubblegum. "Unwrapped" enjoyed a very successful 15-year run.
In recent years, Marc has firmly established himself as something of an icon within American pop culture: He's appeared in a music video by the band Good Charlotte for their song "Last Night," which used "Family Double Dare" as the motif for the video; as a voice over actor, he has played himself on "The Cleveland Show," "Robot Chicken," and "Sanjay & Craig," and continues appearing on such popular talk shows as "The View," "The Chew," the "Howard Stern Radio Show," and many others.
Marc Summers Productions is based in Philadelphia and Los Angeles -- Marc regularly splits his time between those two cities. He is on the Board of Directors of Alex’s Lemonade Stand, a charity which fights against childhood cancer. He and his wife, Alice, have two children: Matthew, who is the Executive Producer of Food Network’s popular “Cutthroat Kitchen” series, and Meredith, who tours the U.S. as a singer and performance artist, as well as a Grandson.
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