NEWS

Brooke Bagnall Breit is now a comedy actor and a creative director at Jackbox games.

If you have a connection to Davidson, you probably watched Mr. Throwback, a television comedy/mockumentary starring Davidson College’s own Steph Curry. But what you might not know is there was another Davidson actor on the show—Brooke Bagnall Breit—who played Helen, one of the Mocktails, in two of the episodes.

Brooke moved with her family to Davidson in the early 1990s when she was entering the fifth grade at Davidson Elementary. She also attended Alexander Middle School, and after graduating from Charlotte Catholic High School in 1999, she went to college in St. Louis and eventually moved to Chicago in 2004.

I had the joy of meeting Brooke and her mom Barb shortly after they moved to Davidson. For several years, I taught horseback riding lessons to Brooke, and she spent a few days every week at our farm in Huntersville. I helped Brooke find Freddy, an adorable Welsh pony, who she and her mom adored. My husband Joel and I also became close with Brooke’s family, and we often went to see her perform in Davidson Community Players productions.

Recently, I had the pleasure of catching up with Brooke. I asked her about her comedy career and her memories of Davidson. Here’s what she shared:

Brooke’s Time in Davidson

Brooke riding her pony, Freddy, with her mom, Barb, watching along the rail.

What were some of your first impressions of Davidson?

I remember being so taken by Main Street and the Soda Shoppe. It really was such a wonderful place to grow up.

Did you go to many basketball games?

I went to a lot of Davidson basketball games. I was even a “ball girl” briefly, wiping up the sweat off the court!

What are some of your favorite memories from your time in Davidson?

I feel like I was so fortunate to be a part of so many things while I was there. I remember riding horses, performing with the Davidson Community Players, and honestly just soaking in all of the benefits of being in a small college town.

Brooke’s Comedy Career

Can you give me a rundown of where you’ve been and what you’ve been up to since you left Davidson?

I went to college at Washington University in St. Louis. I also spent a year in Baltimore working for a theatre company in the education department before moving to Chicago. After a few years doing improv comedy in Chicago, I was hired by the Second City Touring Company and was fortunate to perform comedy all over the country. Eventually, I got the opportunity to perform on one of the resident stages at Second City in two original revues. I have also performed in many other improv groups including Whirled News Tonight and Improvised Shakespeare (both at iO Chicago). For the past six years, I have worked at Jackbox Games, which is a video game studio in Chicago. We make party games, so it was a surprising but somehow perfect use of all of the skills I’ve acquired through twenty years of improv. On the personal side, I still live in Chicago with two kids, a husband and a dog.

I remember you loved comedy even as a kid. What propelled you to pursue it as a career?

I have always loved comedy, but I think I was too practical to think I would make an actual career out of it. But I guess never say never! I took some risks in auditioning for some opportunities and feel very fortunate. I think I auditioned for Second City for three or four years before actually getting my foot in the door.

Can you connect the dots with your career and how it led to the acting opportunity on Mr. Throwback? How did you get the job? How did you find out you got it?

Another very cool thing about Chicago is that a lot of things film here. I have representation that submits me for opportunities, so I have appeared in some small roles on TV and in commercials. I was in a Geico commercial about a yard sale not too long ago, and that played a lot, so I was getting a lot of kind texts from folks that saw it. I actually auditioned for a different role in Mr. Throwback originally, but the casting agency then had me read for the role I ended up booking. I taped myself at home, and when I read that part, I thought, “Oh wait, I might actually get this one”. It was so ridiculous and right up my alley.

Was this job similar or different from what you’d been doing?

I don’t do a lot of TV/film work, so it’s honestly so much fun when I do occasionally book a role. Because it isn’t my every day, it does feel like I’m pretending to be an actor for a few days. But I’ve been lucky to have done it professionally enough times to at least pretend like I know what I’m doing.

What was a typical day like on the set? How many hours a day? How many days a week? How long did it take to film the season? Where was it filmed? And did you have to stay there for the duration? Or were you coming and going?

My role only required a few days of shooting, and some of the days were pretty short, depending on what scenes they had planned. They don’t always film things in chronological order, so you might be squeezed in with a bunch of scenes you aren’t in because of that particular location. I think I filmed one day and then came back a few weeks later for my second episode. It was easy because the shoot locations were not far from my house!

I imagine it was a lot of fun and a lot of work. Can you elaborate? 

It was a dream. The director was an absolute comedy hero of mine (David Wain from “The State” and “Wet Hot American Summer”), so I was losing my mind a little bit on set. Also, the other two actors that I performed with (David Pasquesi and Tracy Letts) are Chicago legends, so it was incredible to just be a part of this motley crew.

What exactly is a mockumentary?

A mockumentary is basically a comedic take on a documentary style of filming, so you’ll typically see a mix of scenes and interviews, mirroring the style of a traditional documentary.

Did you have comedic license or latitude on the show?

We improvised a lot. We had a script, and the incredible writers were on set while we were filming, so we would film what was scripted but then there are moments where we riff and play off of each other. One of the most fun moments was the scene where Dave and I get left at the car and start talking about how we are going to get home. All of that was improvised in the moment. Also, that party scene! You develop a level of trust and support with the other actors, and there’s a lot of freedom to find the funniest take on things.

What was your favorite thing about being on the show?

Everything. I can’t really put into words how much fun it was to film. The people I was performing with and the people behind the camera were all geniuses and just kind, creative people.

Do you know if you’ll be coming back for a second season?

Let’s hope so! The world needs more from the Mocktails!!

Did you get a chance to work with Steph?  

Unfortunately, none of my scenes were with Steph, so I never got to meet him! I heard that he was wonderful to work with, but our paths never crossed during production. Fingers crossed for a second season and a storyline that involves Helen meeting Steph!