The idea came to me as I was getting up from my meditation pillow. Suddenly, I imagined a group of volunteers from around the world meeting on Zoom to plan a nonprofit’s annual dinner. I thought it would be fun to improvise the meeting, with each volunteer inspired by an accent I’ve been working on as an actor. Right away I improvised the whole thing. By the time I finished, I realized I had a pilot episode of a solo web series.
Annual Dinner is a character-driven comedy about a group of volunteers from around the world who spend 9 months planning an annual dinner in Los Angeles for an animal advocacy non-profit. When the planning's done, everyone meets in LA for the big night. Throughout the series we learn about each character's life and go through mishaps on the night of the dinner.
One thing that was important to me about this series is that all conflict is within the characters themselves rather than with eachother.
Yes! The first episode was completely improvised, and the rest of the series follows the same spirit. I work from a loose outline to make sure I hit a few key story points, especially in Episodes 7 and 8, where the plot gets a little more involved. But there are no scripts or memorized lines. Everything is made up in the moment.
Yes! Every character in Annual Dinner is played by me, Casey Carroll. I also directed, filmed, and edited the series, making it a true one-person production.
The series has nine episodes, following the characters through their journey from the first planning meeting to the big dinner.
Each episode is approximately 9 to 12 minutes long.
The series premieres Sunday, October 25. New episodes will be released every Sunday.
You can watch the series on the Casey Carroll TV YouTube Channel. Follow along on Instagram at @caseycarrolltv for episode announcements, character introductions, and behind-the-scenes content.
Absolutely! The series is intended for a broad audience, with humor that viewers of all ages can enjoy. Some episodes touch on topics such as mental health and divorce, and these subjects are handled with kindness and care.
There are several ways to support the series, including making a contribution to help cover the costs of production, marketing, and everything that goes into bringing an independent project to life. Click here to learn more and support the series.
Thank you for being part of this journey. Every bit of support means so much!