Anyway, my husband and I attended a taping of the Oprah book club show on February 18, 2011. We were told to wear bright colors and arrive at the studio between 11-11:30am. We got there around 10:45 and found a line of people outside. We parked in a lot across the street, and by the time we walked to the studio, the line had moved indoors. We stood around for about an hour, and then what proceeded next reminded me of getting checked in at the airport. Our IDs were examined, purses searched, and body scanned. There's a strict policy about no cameras or phones allowed, so my husband had to hand over his iPod and reclaim it after the show.
We were then taken upstairs to a holding area and given two forms to fill out. One was to give Oprah ownership over any images they may take of us while we're in the audience; it was also full of some other legal stuff, such as not writing and publishing anything about the taping and what took place (this doesn't count, does it?). The other was an index card with questions about what we thought of the books (Great Expectations and Tale of Two Cities) and about the author (Charles Dickens). We were asked to come up with questions we'd like to ask the Dickens expert, Jane Smiley.
The taping didn't start until 2pm, so we waited forever (or two hours). There were a couple flat screen TVs hanging on the walls that played a recap of Oprah show moments and there were pictures hanging of Oprah and her famous guests, but other than staring at those, there was nothing to do but wait.
While we waited, there was a taping going on, and apparently, we were being too loud. The noise kept echoing into the studio where they were taping, and this lil' old lady who worked there kept trying to shush everyone up. Poor lady. She wasn't very successful.
Eventually, we were called to be seated. Friends and family of Oprah employees got called and were seated first. Audience members who were specially selected by Oprah's producers to have a speaking role were among the first to be called too. There was also actors from a Les Miserables touring group that came and were seated. And then after that, we were called by numbers. My husband and I were #87 and #88.
I was surprised at how small the actual studio is. On TV, it looks fairly big, but it's quite small, although it holds about 300 people. My husband and I sat towards the back but were still no more than 50 yards away from the stage. So every seat is pretty much a good seat. A lady came out and started "hyping" us up for the show. She made us get up, dance, and showed us how to participate in the discussion. Lots of cameras all around.
I was sitting near the entrance where Oprah would be coming out onto the stage, and I could distinctly hear her talking to someone out in the hallway. Then one of the producers said, "Okay, Oprah's coming!" And all of a sudden, we went into "taping mode."
Oprah came out, and everyone stood up and clapped. She was very genuine, personable, and talked a lot to the audience. I gotta say she looks a bit heavier in real life than she does on TV. Jane Smiley was then introduced and came out onto the stage.
You can watch the entire book club discussion on her website. To sum it up though, it was interesting. I've taught Dickens for 8 years, but there were a few new things I learned about him. Jane Smiley did a great job in explaining the complexity of Dickens, his Victorian world, and his writings. I never knew he was quite the hero!
The taping went straight through for an hour. There were no breaks. Afterwards, Oprah stayed to talk to the audience some more. She expressed how bittersweet it was that her show would soon come to an end, but she was glad to have time away from the strenuous schedule of show tapings.
Overall, it was a good experience--definitely something new. So now I can check off attending an Oprah Show from my bucket list. :)
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