By KAYLIN PICKETT
BG Independent News
Toledo is on its way to becoming the new Scranton, Pennsylvania, with “The Office” spin-off “The Paper” being set in the city. To celebrate, Imagination Station hosted a premiere event for the first two episodes of the show.
“The Paper” is a follow-up of the hit sitcom “The Office,” where the documentary crew that made Dunder Mifflin famous discovers the failing newspaper, the Toledo Truth Teller. The show follows the staff of the paper as they strive to revive the publication to its former glory under their new editor-in-chief, Ned Sampson, played by Domhnall Gleeson.
The night of the premiere, a group of local businesses hosted a community viewing of the first two episodes. Destination Toledo, Toledo City Paper, Jupmode, FilmToledo and Imagination Station sponsored the event.
The event was located in the Imagination Station Key Bank Discovery Theater and was open to the public. The night kicked off with a Toledo and “The Office” trivia tournament, with the top four winners earning prizes from the sponsors of the event.
At 8 p.m., the show began. Laughs and applause could be heard throughout the theater with every reference to the Toledo area and clever joke cracked by the characters. Teryl Hatcher and her husband, who volunteers at Imagination Station, are both fans of “The Office” and enjoyed this new take on the concept.
Eric Strayer, the host for the night and a marketing specialist at Destination Toledo, hopes that this show will bring the attention that “The Office” brought Scranton to Toledo and the surrounding areas. With the proximity and community between Bowling Green and Toledo, he believes that what is beneficial for one can help the other.
The full season of “The Paper” is available to stream on Peacock now.
