A few weeks ago, I sat down with Maxwell Meyers and Eduardo Foss at Back to the Grind to talk about the Fake Actors Guild, their ongoing series of live table reads based on shows like Bob's Burgers and Futurama. If you have seen one of their flyers and thought, “Why would I go watch people read a script,” you are not alone. That is usually the first reaction.

A "Table Read" is film industry speak for when actors sit around a table a read a script all together. It's a critical, early collaborative step in episode creation to hear the dialog, gauge the flow, and identify any areas that need revision.

I know. You're thinking, wow, sounds incredibly boring. While that is technically what a table read is, it is also not really what the Fake Actors Guild are doing. They have taken this concept and turned it into a hilarious, interactive experience, that feels more like hanging out with all your friends and reliving some of your favorite TV show episodes.

Fake Actors Guild started during the pandemic, when Maxwell and Eduardo found themselves in Riverside after a family emergency, cut off from their usual social circle and trying to stay connected with friends back in Portland. Like a lot of people at the time, they turned to video chat. One night, someone suggested reading a script together, specifically an unproduced Star Wars script that had been floating around online.

“We had too much fun,” Eduardo said.

That turned into reading other scripts. When it was Maxwell’s turn to pick, he chose Futurama, and the idea stuck. It was simple, it was social, and it gave them something to do together that felt a little more structured than just hanging out on a call.

The jump from online hangout to live show happened after Maxwell got connected with Back to the Grind and was offered the chance to host something. He pitched the idea.

It took a minute for people to understand it.

“I think some people expect us to just sit there and read a script,” Maxwell said. “And I have now provided evidence that we’re doing so much more than just that.”

The format is technically a table read, but in practice it is closer to a live performance with just enough structure to hold everything together. They have rehearsed enough that they bring life to their characters, but there is still room for some improvisation, and some surprises, not just for the audience, but for each other.

“It kind of feels electric,” Maxwell said, describing the energy of reading something live, even if the cast already knows the material. “Like, we’re all feeling that ‘oh, here we go’ at the same time.”

Their first official show was a reading of Futurama’s “A Flight to Remember,” the same episode they had practiced at home with friends. That show was also tied to someone who had encouraged them early on, Anthony Harris, better known locally as Tonelle Jenkins.

“We call him the patron saint of the Fake Actors Guild,” Maxwell said.

Tonelle pushed them to actually try the idea in front of an audience. Not long after that first show, he passed away, but they were able to tell him what it had become.

From the beginning, the shows have been tied to fundraising. Early performances supported Riverside LGBTQ Pride, and over time they have expanded to include other local organizations like Rainbow Pride Youth Alliance, Music Changing Lives, the Trailer Project, and Redlands Free Market. Not only does the troupe support local organizations, but the overall atmosphere is one of support for people in the community and for the drag queens, and vendors that come together to make the night fabulous!

For Maxwell, the setup makes sense.

“I could have just handed someone some money,” he said. “Or I could do a song and dance about it with all my friends and then people somehow give us more.”

A big part of what makes the show work is how flexible it is. There is no fixed cast, and roles are not locked in the way they would be in a traditional production. Actors try different characters, swap roles between rehearsals, and sometimes end up doing something completely different than what was originally planned.

“You can find someone who sounds exactly like the character,” Maxwell said, “or someone who does something different that’s just as funny.”

Both approaches show up in the same performance.

There are also performers who come in without knowing the material at all and just figure it out as they go, which sometimes ends up being the highlight of the night.

That unpredictability is part of the appeal.
“The beauty is in its imperfection,” Maxwell said.

In more recent shows, they have also started incorporating drag performers, including both drag queens and drag kings. That addition has shifted the tone a bit and opened the door to a wider range of performances and audiences.

Eduardo pointed out that the drag king community, in particular, has brought a level of energy that people do not always expect. “The level of talent is extraordinary,” he said. At this point, Fake Actors Guild sits in a kind of in-between space. It is not quite theater, not quite improv, not quite a drag show, but it pulls elements from all of those. It is also very clearly rooted in Riverside’s local arts scene, even if that was not the original goal. “It’s kind of like we all find our weird community,” Maxwell said. That community shows up in how the performances run. People step in when something goes wrong. New performers get folded into the group quickly. Regulars come back and take on different roles each time.

Sometimes that means things get a little chaotic. At one show, a performer had to leave mid-performance and someone else jumped in from the audience and took over the role without stopping the scene.
“She nailed it,” Maxwell said.

Those kinds of moments are not outliers. They are part of the experience.

Looking ahead, there are bigger ideas in play. They have talked about doing shows outside of Riverside, possibly taking the format to places like Cathedral City. There are also shows they want to tackle but have not yet figured out how to pull off, including American Dad and Over the Garden Wall.

They have also considered something like Riverside Pride, though that would require figuring out sound and outdoor logistics. For now, though, the focus is still on building what they already have. The shows are getting bigger, the audiences are growing, and more people are getting involved behind the scenes.

Maxwell summed up the biggest hurdle pretty simply.
“The first thing that goes through your mind is, why would I want to do that?” he said.

And then you see it once, and that question tends to go away.

Over the next few weeks you can see what all the fun is about. The Fake Actors Guild will be taking on Steven Universe in their next series of shows starting June 19, at Back to the Grind ( get BttG tickets here ), and then June 26 at the Raincross District ( get RD tickets here ).

They will also be taking their show on the road in July with a Golden Girls table read at the One Eleven Bar in Cathedral City, benefitting the Transgender Health & Wellness Center. Get those tickets here.

If you want to make sure you never miss out on the fun, follow them on instagram @thefakeactorsguild.