The Sitcom Trials 2012 Page 10

Hi there!

Just to let you know (if you didn't already) that there's a meeting for the Bristol Sitcom Trials on the afternoon of Sunday 15th April, 2pm, Oxford pub, Oxford Street, Totterdown.

We'll be discussing plans for the next show, which has now been confirmed to take place at the Wardrobe Theatre, on Friday June 29th.

This show will be entirely written by the Bristol team, so if you've a script you'd like to be read by the team, please bring multiple copies. If not, then any ideas you might have, for characters/situations or whatever will be just as useful, given the tight deadline we face. Most of all though, please come along to have fun - the more of you the merrier. And I'm especially interested to hear from actors who can guarantee a commitment to the June 29th date. Input from actors as these scripts get written/rehearsed/re-written is particularly useful, so please feel free to join in the process of creating sitcoms.

See you on Sunday!

--Vince

Morning,
You say that it's going to be 'entirely written by Bristol team'
Does this mean that for this one, there won't be the chance to upload scripts and do the whole voting thing that happened last month?
Thanks
Neil

This time around we have to upload empty scripts so the actors can fill them in.

Would be interested in knowing if anyone with sitcoms at the Trials had any approaches from agents, production companies, producers etc as a result of their comedy being showcased? Or maybe people in past Trials had some joy?

All the best

Alan

Quote: Trinder @ April 11 2012, 6:49 AM BST

Morning,
You say that it's going to be 'entirely written by Bristol team'
Does this mean that for this one, there won't be the chance to upload scripts and do the whole voting thing that happened last month?

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There's the chance to upload scripts and have them voted for online and selected thus for the Eurovision themed Sitcom Trials in London on May 24th, deadline for scripts is Sat 5 May.

As for the Bristol team doing the next show inhouse - and I realise a few regular readers of this thread are ahead of me already, they can already anticipate exactly what I'm going to say, you know something nostalgic about how that's how we used to do it "back in the day" and how I love championing regional production and if anyone wants to start their own Sitcom Trials or comedy writing group in their area I'll encourage them and help them if I can - then I'd like to say - and some of you are ahead of me again here, you're thinking "he's going to include some video clip of The Sitcom Trials from back in its glory days, probably something with Miranda Hart in cos we haven't seen one of those for ages, and then I bet he'll say something that's partly flattering but also making an unfavourable comparison with The Sitcom Mission, you watch, I bet that's what he does next" - I'd like to say... I've totally forgotten what I was about to say. But then, you knew I was going to say that, didn't you?

Kev F Sutherland
Executive Producer
The Sitcom Trials

Forthcoming shows: London May 24
Bristol June 29
Manchester July 20

Fair enough. What about Manchester?

I know you've got the Eurovision one coming up, but I don't think I've got time to get something new done by then and I can't think of a way to shoe-horn Eurovision into the thing I'm working on at the moment.

No worries, my first experience of these was a few months ago, and I really enjoyed the whole thing. I'm just pleased they come round reasonably often.

I tell you what though, if I wasn't living a life of desperate commuter hell, I'd absolutely set one of these up in Brighton....ah well, maybe when my lottery comes in.

Quote: Alan O'Brien @ April 11 2012, 12:09 PM BST

Would be interested in knowing if anyone with sitcoms at the Trials had any approaches from agents, production companies, producers etc as a result of their comedy being showcased? Or maybe people in past Trials had some joy?

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Sitcom Trials Spring 2009 finalist Julie Bower's The House on Cedar Street got a BBC Radio Pilot, and December 2009's winners McNeil & Pamphilon used their win in the publicity for their next two Edinburgh shows which has seen them doing well as writer-performers. Here's a page of testimonials by writers whose scripts were in the 2009 Sitcom Trials finals.

I'll refrain from mentioning Miranda Hart's solo sitcom's origins in the 2001 Edinburgh Fringe Sitcom Trials - oh no I won't, see what I just did there - or from going back over in laborious detail The Sitcom Mission, which has concentrated very much on forging industry links and presenting a showcase for their finalists, and of course offering a cash prize and a commission.

Various Sitcom Trials over the years have proved good opportunities to test material, and a number of actors have been spotted and employed as a result of their appearance in the shows. The opportunity to meet fellow creators and industry professionals has also been a recurring feature. Creating and performing partnerships have been formed at the Sitcom Trials, not to mention two marriages. Surely I've told you about our Sitcom Trials weddings before now? Oh. Sorry, no time right now. Later.

Quote: Trinder @ April 11 2012, 12:18 PM BST

Fair enough. What about Manchester?

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I'm hoping Manchester will be taking open script submissions, yes. Their very first show, in 2010, was all done in-house, but since then they've staged open submission shows. News on that front coming soon.

Kev F

Cheers Kev - nice reassurance :-) Like Trinder, I too have been mulling over setting up one, in Dorset/Hampshire - maybe Sitcom Trials will be the new Fight Club ;-)

Quote: Alan O'Brien @ April 11 2012, 12:43 PM BST

Cheers Kev - nice reassurance :-) Like Trinder, I too have been mulling over setting up one, in Dorset/Hampshire - maybe Sitcom Trials will be the new Fight Club ;-)

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I hope not. Fight Club has always had a rather unhealthy attitude towards self-promotion.

If you want to set up a Trials, or a comedy-creating group, I'll give you all the advice I have. Finding your performers is the hardest part, some places e=being home to more actors than others. The Bristol team actually has members who travel from, I believe, Dorset (there are certainly members who come up from Devon and London) so if you build it they will come. The Manchester team are all more local, and in London you can't throw a stone without hitting an actor.

I'd love to see a Sitcom Trials (or other comedy-creating troupe of this ilk) in Cardiff or Glasgow. Anyone?

So, if you want your script considered for staging in London on May 24th as part of the Eurovision Sitcom Contest, just upload it to the files: http://tv.groups.yahoo.com/group/SitsVac/files/

Currently standing at no entries, so the field's wide open. Just tweak your scripts to make them even remotely Eurovisionistic, and you're on the running.

Kev F

Figured out a way to get Eurovision into mine...it'll be in next week.

then I guess that when all the scripts are in, we'll know that the time's arrived for making your mind up.

Come on Hump!

A reminder that we're still looking for scripts for the Eurovision themed Sitcom Trials in London on May 24th, deadline for scripts is Sat 5 May. Only three entries last time I looked, so the field's wide open.

Kev F Sutherland
Executive Producer
The Sitcom Trials

Forthcoming shows: London May 24
Bristol June 29
Manchester July 20

I'm posting one soon, Kev - and I remember there were quite a few late entries for the last ST too. Still, if there are only 4 scripts I guess I go through by default ;-)

Alan

Quote: Alan O'Brien @ April 26 2012, 10:27 PM BST

Still, if there are only 4 scripts I guess I go through by default ;-)

Alan

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I wouldn't bet on it...

Quote: RedZed333 @ April 27 2012, 5:14 PM BST

I wouldn't bet on it...

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Don't then.