Sitcom Trials Autumn '09 Page 46

Quote: Declan @ September 30 2009, 6:32 PM BST

Hi Marc and everyone

The cost of the workshop is £40, which includes having your script read out by professional actors. James has offered to provide feedback on all the scripts at the workshop (provided we give him enough notice, ie don't turn up on the day!)

Email us at info@every1sacritic.com if you're interested. Or we could swap you for a mention in your next book:

"Jack Delaney slugged a double whiskey and poured himself another. He'd had enough of BBC script executives standing in his way. He wanted to know the truth. The truth, dammit.

His sitcom script, I'm a Catholic And It Hurts Like Hell, has been rejected again. But this time he wasn't taking no for an answer. He sent off a swift email to award-winning producers Declan Hill and Simon Wright of Every 1's A Critic. It had better work."

I understand there's an options clause for the (ab)use of your characters. Apologies in advance.

I'm looking forward to reading the new book.

Cheers, Declan

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Cheers Declan. I can't make it down for the 24th (I'm guessing this month?) but if I can bear the formatting agonies I might stick mine up in critique for general abuse!

Brand new #sitcomtrials trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kI2vAg-MZr0 (and did we mention tickets on sale now? http://bit.ly/1MLzMt )

The video looks all the more nifty when you watch it embedded in the sitcomtrials.co.uk front page, when all those little screens pop up at the bottom with other videos. Seriously, am I the only person who's really impressed by this modern technology?

Kev F

PS: And we're back on the Leicester Square Theatre's website: http://www.leicestersquaretheatre.com/lqt/show/S1254310007/The+Sitcom+Trials

Quote: Marc P @ October 1 2009, 7:44 AM BST

Cheers Declan. I can't make it down for the 24th (I'm guessing this month?) but if I can bear the formatting agonies I might stick mine up in critique for general abuse!

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Well Declan I couldn't afford the former so I went for the latter!

More news on the Sitcom Trials judging panels. I can confirm that the first night, Oct 19, will be judged by Katie Tyrell (BBC producer of shows from Clare In The Community to the Now Show), David Quantick (Blaggers Guide, TV Burp) and David Schneider (I'm Alan Partridge, The Day Today).

Judges for other nights include Bill Dare (producer from Mary Whitehouse Experience to I've Never Seen Star Wars), Robert Llewellyn (Red Dwarf), Iain Morris (Inbetweeners), Tom Price (comedian and you'll know him from Torchwood), John Finnemore (Cabin Pressure), Suzanne Gilfillan (prod Mock The Week), Kenton Allen (prod from Royle Family to Ideal), with more coming on board daily.

James looks likely to be able to tell you the line ups imminently. He's doing a cracking job against a very tight deadline, getting the directors wrangled and the casting together for 5 sitcoms a night starting in two Mondays time, so I hope we'll all be turning out to see the fruits of his endeavours.

Tickets: http://bit.ly/1MLzMt
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kI2vAg-MZr0

See you there

Kev F Sutherland
Executive Producer
THE SITCOM TRIALS http://sitcomtrials.co.uk

Sitcom Trials 10th Anniversary Season at the Leicester Square Theatre weekly from Mon Oct 19th 09. Grand Final Tues Dec 1st 2009

There's some brillaint judges this year. I really wish I got through.

I had a question about the selection process: –
There are twenty plays in the first round and ten in the second.
If there are five plays in each heat that means two and a half plays are going through from each heat to the next round. I was wondering how you'll be picking the half a play? Do the judges pick two from each heat (putting eight into the next round) and then the audience votes select the final two?

Quote: Fence @ October 4 2009, 11:33 PM BST

I had a question about the selection process: –
There are twenty plays in the first round and ten in the second.
If there are five plays in each heat that means two and a half plays are going through from each heat to the next round. I was wondering how you'll be picking the half a play? Do the judges pick two from each heat (putting eight into the next round) and then the audience votes select the final two?

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In each heat, the top two scripts picked by the voting panel are automatically put through into the next round. At the end of all the heats - two additional "wildcard" scripts will be picked based on a combination of factors, including audience votes and judge scores. It will give a second chance to any scripts that might have suffered from being in a very strong heat, or overlooked for another reason. The same thing will happen with the two semi-finals, with one extra script added to the four picked by the panel to go into the final.

Sounds good.

The line up of sitcoms has been announced for the first night of the 10th Anniversary Sitcom Trials season on Monday 19th October at the Leicester Square Theatre:

* Life as a Foreign Language
by John Barron and Olly Allsopp
Directed by Kym Suttle

* Long Term Sick
by Mark Brotherhood
Directed by Lydia Parker

* Prodigies
by Alex Kirk and Simon Messingham
Directed by Chris Lince

* The Not Gots
by Malcolm Duffy
Directed by Nick Ewans

* Alan Pob - Writing Wrongs
by Saul Wordsworth
Directed by Chris Fitchew

The judges for this first night are David (I'm Alan Partridge) Schneider, David (TV Burp) Quantick, Katie (Now Show) Tyrell and Steve (Eastenders) Keyworth. The audience vote decides which sitcom's ending is seen in each heat, and combines with the judges vote to select the semi-finalists.

Shows are at 6pm and 8.30pm at the Leicester Square Theatre every Monday till Nov 23rd, tickets are now available for the whole run from TicketWeb: http://bit.ly/4aldSO

Kevin, please bring it to Manchester.

lovin your new banner thingie.

James has announced the line up for the second heat of the Sitcom Trials:

Heat 2: Monday 26th October

* Assemblage of Evil
by Joe Deacon
Directed by Charlie Henniker
* Weathermen
by Kenneth Cheng
Directed by Ariella Eshed
* The Bar Boys
by Ben Glassman
Directed Katherine Hayes
* Therapy
by Tom Carter
Directed by Gavin McAlinden
* My Sister
by Robin Bailes
Directed by Matt Holt

Shows take place at 6pm (£5) and 8.30 (£10), the audience vote for the best and only see the ending of the audience favourite. Panel of industry judges vote, and their votes combine with audience votes to chose finalists. Judges tonight include Robert (Red Dwarf) Llewellyn and Michelle (2 Pints of Lager) Farr. Tickets at: http://bit.ly/1MLzMt

(And once more I seem to have stolen his thunder by posting the news first, sorry James, my finger got to the buzzer first).

Tickets for the first night of The Sitcom Trials, Mon Oct 19th, are now more than half full for both houses, so if you want to get in you'd better book now. Tickets at: http://bit.ly/1MLzMt

Heat 2 is standing at around a quarter sold, and as far as I can tell we've sold nothing for the subsequent shows, whose line-ups are not yet announced. This may well speak volumes for the make up of the audiences so far.

Just a reminder, that if you entered the Trials and weren't picked, and are coming along to the live shows (or planning to come along to the live shows), let me know in advance (PM me), and I'll re-read your script beforehand and give you a bit of LIVE free feedback if I'm not running around like a mad-thing.

And don't say we never do anything for you.

Prodigies, one of the 5 sitcoms in Monday's Sitcom Trials, has taken the initiative of setting up its own Facebook page to invite guests: http://bit.ly/3aDGuQ

It might be a good idea for other sitcoms that want to be well represented to consider doing the same?

Kev F

I have a hot tip for next years trials http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NjuMHg1BxM