In 1983 a party skit based on a political cartoon in Austin, Texas, inspired two men to make an entire production focusing on the same brand of comedy. Joe Sears, Jaston Williams, and Ed Howard became the creative comedic force behind what would later be called Greater Tuna. The two-man show depicts everyday life in the fictitious third-smallest town in all of Texas: Men, women, and children unknowingly spoof modern bigotry and intolerance, and no group is spared. The play, starring Sears and Williams, instantly found a large and appreciative audience across America. Tuna became so popular, in fact, that the original cast found itself playing off-Broadway for over a year. Those few remaining people who had never experienced Tuna in a theatre were soon to enjoy it as a Norman Lear HBO television special. Greater Tuna had become the most produced play in the United States in 1985: Professional and casual theatre groups alike clamored to show it. Tuna made its overseas premiere at the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland. Back in America, one production of Tuna ran for an unheard of seven years, and in 1990 and 1991 it was performed at the White House for President and Mrs. G. H. Bush. By 1994 the demand for more Tuna humor brought about the production of its sequel, A Tuna Christmas, winning Joe Sears a Tony Award nomination for Best Actor in a Play. A third installment has been added to the franchise, Red, White, and Tuna – it is currently running in NYC.