Lawrence should be answering these questions.
Sitcom Mission 2024 Page 2
I kind of disagree with the whole idea of sending in episode 5 or whatever. The reader/judge might find a feature of the script doesn't make sense to them and mark you down, despite that feature being explained fully in the previous episodes. It needs to explain things as it goes along on a need to know basis which is the job of episode 1.
The reason we ask for 'Episode four' (or two, three, five and six) is that so many writers get bogged down in backstory and exposition in their premise pilot that there's nothing to laugh at. It's all information.
Having to write an episode in which the reader/viewer has already met your cast and understands your storyworld means that you can't introduce them again. Why would you? We've already met.
This is liberating. You're now free to get on with the plots. And the comedy.
If you are sendng us a pilot, make sure that you introduce characters through plot, rather than instead of plot.
Quote: Mikey Jackson @ 24th January 2024, 6:29 PMHi.
This year, will the shortlisted plays have a rehearsed read performance or a proper "acted out" stage performance?
Apologies for not answering this sooner. I've been pretty lax about monitoring this forum. Must try harder.
We found that when we performed proper acted out stage performances that it created a very uneven playing field. Some directors took rehearsals really seriously and spent a lot of time auditioning to find the best people, other directors frankly didn't.
So writers would quite justifiably complain that their script had been let down by a lazy director. It didn't have the same chance as the others.
So we decided on a rep company of actors that would read everything. It seems the fairest way, but If anybody out there has a better idea that is still within our very limited budget we would genuinely love to hear it.
Rehearsed readings aren't ideal, and I miss the live performances, but we need to prioritise being fair to our writers.
Simon
Can we supply hats, wigs, false moustaches etc to the actors to heighten the experience?
Quote: beaky @ 28th April 2024, 12:36 PMCan we supply hats, wigs, false moustaches etc to the actors to heighten the experience?
Fabulous idea!
We're doing a longlist show at the Canal Cafe on Wednesday 5th June. The reason we have a longlist show (of six scripts) before the industry one where we showcase just four is that we've learned that sometimes a script shines on the page, but dies on the stage. Until you put something in front of paying punters you don't know for sure what's really funny. It's bizarre, but true.
Here are the details: https://canalcafetheatre.com/our-shows/sitcom-mission/
See you there? Come along and tell us why we should have picked your script.
Monday 27th we'll be announcing our longlist for the Canal Café show.
Nothing's ever easy, is it? We haven't yet announced our pick for the Canal Café, so don't worry if you haven't heard from us. Nobody has.
Simon and Lawrence
Sorry about the delay.
We can finally announce the six scripts that we'll be performing for our longlist show at the Canal Café theatre, and they are:
All My Best Friends Are Metalheads by Amy Gray
Hitperson by Joshua Lingard-Smith
Lord it Over by Jack Stanley
Mourning People by Sean Fee
Strapped by Hannah Boyd-Piercy
The Irish Goodbye by Adam Hannigan
If you'd like to tell us why we should have picked your script/buy us a pint the show is on Wednesday June 5th at 7:30. Details are here: https://canalcafetheatre.com/our-shows/sitcom-mission/
Quote: simon wright @ 29th May 2024, 4:54 PMAll My Best Friends Are Metalheads by Amy Gray
Liking the Less Than Jake reference with this title!
Big takeaway from this year's entries: have a story to tell.
Why would I care what happens next, if nothing's happened?
Hi Simon. Will there be an honourable mentions like last year? To see how close some of the contestants got?
Cheers
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
Lawrence and I voted on each script with either a Yes, a Maybe or a No.
Some scripts attracted just one Yes. Some attracted two Maybes. And a couple gained both a Yes and a Maybe. I hope the categories are clear.
A Yes from one and a Maybe from the other
Relics
Heavy Petting
A Yes from one of us, and a No from the other
Sidequest
The Blow In
Castle Awesome
A Maybe from both of us
The Gadget Squad
Run Club
Good eSports
The Defenestration of Prague
Tight 5
Harmony
This is Grim
Stuck
My Lady Garden
The Fourth Kind
The Mayor
Maybe from just one of us and a No from the other
Bedbug
I do, do I?
Naughties
A Big Deal
Sheepskin
Fidget
Barely There
His Earthly Mouthpiece
Hangers On
Seams
Good Vibrations
AI For Dummies
Blood Pressure
Queen JJ VIII
Livewire
Intensive Cartoon Unit
Reality
Tattletale
Wedding Vendors
Fruitless
The Brownsfield Cover Guards
Timebenders
Fillers
Outdoorsing
Essence
Mash Up
MILF
Vagrant Frame' a Mind
Wasteland Britannia
Sitcom Mission 2024 Finalists
We're pleased to announce that the 4 scripts going through to our Industry Final are:
All My Best Friends Are Metalheads (Amy Gray)
At the turn of the millennium, teen metalhead Jessica is an ambitious and vainglorious edgelord dreaming of a rock 'n' roll life away from humdrum Norwich. But first she needs to get a tattoo.
Mourning People (Sean Fee)
A group of women with varying degrees of professionalism struggle to keep a funeral home afloat as they navigate their lives and loves and the intricate boxing of dead people.
Strapped (Hannah Boyd-Piercey)
4 friends try to save their lesbian bar/ community hangout space from closing, after losing the money they were raising for a deposit to buy it from the council.
The Irish Goodbye (Adam Hannigan)
When two bitterly delusional gay best friends decide they want to escape their tiny northern Irish town for a fresh start in Canada, how do they earn the money? By seducing grieving men at wakes... That's how.
It was an extremely tough call - one that took quite a bit of back and forth between the producers, our fantastic readers and of course taking into account the audience votes that were received during our public showcase.
As always, it was invaluable getting these scripts in front of an audience and hearing them performed live by our actors. The scripts and writing really comes alive with the right characterisation and pacing. As a writer, it's always incredibly helpful to hear what jokes land and which might need a bit of re-working. You also get an opportunity to hear what an actor might do once they get their hands on one of your characters and this gives a great insight into how your writing is coming across. It might even give you some extra ideas for where to take it.
Huge congratulations to the two other writers that made it through to the longlist, but didn't progress to the Industry Final:
Lord It Over (Jack Stanley)
An anti-capitalist campaigner has her world upended when she discovers her Dad secretly owned a vast portfolio of rental properties - and now she's inheriting them.
Hitperson (Joshua Lingard-Smith)
Francis has tried counselling, he's tried CBT, he's tried hypnotism - he's even tried The Secret - but nothing will rid him of the thought: he really, really wants these people dead. Now he just needs a reputable hitperson and 100 grand to make it happen.
We'll let you know the overall winner after our Industry Final on Weds 26th June. Good luck to the final 4!
Lawrence, Simon & The Sitcom Mission Team