So is anyone going Saturday? The workshop that is.
Sitcom Trials 2009 Page 8
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I can't. I desperately wanted to, but can't make it tomorrow. 
Dan
Hi guys
Two sell-out performances last week. Some tickets still left for this week but get them while they're hot.
The shows on March 18th will be:
Kwarfee by Charlie Boucher. Directed by Andy Pandini.
Directions for the perfect cup of Kwarfee:
Take one lovely young lady and place her in a coffee shop. Add a spoonful of mellow boss, a heap of excitable colleague, and stir. Allow to rest – all three should become firm friends. Take the plunge and throw in one romantic dream, a loyal best friend and an irritating ex. Pour and serve.
Charlie Boucher would like to use this biography to dispel the following myths:
She is not, and never has been, a boy
She is not pen pals with Alan Rickman
She doesn't like chamomile tea
And confirm the following facts:
She won the 1997 Channel 4 Lloyds Bank Film Challenge with her short film "My Dead Buddy", directed by Richard Clark
"Zauberjackl", a BBC Radio 4 afternoon play, was broadcast on Guy Fawke's Night 2008.
She does like a nice cup of coffee.
Andy Pandini is an actor and writer. As an actor he's done TV, theatre, film, a stint as a standup comedian and an embarrassing ad for Challenge Jackpot. As a writer, he's written for the Sitcom Trials, Radio 4 and Redroofs, and has had three short films commissioned. This year, he'll stage his first play "The Mass Suicide Club" on the London fringe. He appeared in this year's Sitcom Trials in "Alf n Dick", which won its heat and is through to the quarter finals. This is his directorial debut. Oh, and he has two sitcoms he'd like you to read. http://www.AndyPandini.com
Canteen Culture by Chris Ovidu. Directed by Daniel Frankenburg.
Canteen Culture is about a delivery company at the cutting edge of the High St. A player that services its outlets from a state-of-the-art warehouse supported by world-class systems in white vans driven by madmen.
Chris Ovidu says: 'I've been writing for about 20 years and would love to get something published before I die. Not trying to put anybody under any pressure, but I do have a slight cough...'
Daniel Frankenburg is a writer and director who has worked in TV for a number of years. After earning his crust at the BBC and ITV he made the leap to comedy with a directorial debut of interactive comedy "How to play the ukulele in under an hour" at the Gilded Balloon on the Edinburgh Fringe last year. The run was critically and financially a success; Comedy website Chortle.com even awarded it 4 stars. Since then he has frequently directed sketch shows at London's Canal Café Theatre and has developed into a fully fledged writer with a sitcom in development with Baby Cow productions.
The Museum by Chrissie Bullock. Director Anna Bennetts.
Easy-going Kate and Bob, the man who irons creases in his socks, stand shoulder to shoulder against the rising undead, with only the tea-obsessed 1940s forces pinup Mrs Simpson and mentally unstable curator watching their backs. The BBC described an early version of The Museum as "overly ponderous." Strap in Auntie; this one's a little more pacey...
Chris Bullock is a writer who, in an act of rebellion against herself, chose a career in science. Her creative interests also include science communication and writing and performing sketch comedy as one half of The Deviant Attack. Chris lives and breathes the Museum, to the extent that she can tell you what Bob and Kate had for breakfast.*
Chris' unimpressive writing accolades include a rejection letter from the BBC and winning the Woodchurch C of E Primary School prize for creative writing on 2 consecutive years, by writing about a singing pineapple. But she does have a PhD in marine geophysics, so it's not like she's been hanging around.
*It was kippers and strawberry frosted Pop Tarts respectively
Anna is a writer, director and actor from Perth, Australia, where the main place you find live culture is in student refrigerators. She wrote and directed the award winning short film Unlock for Channel 4 and SBS (Australia) and the short comedy Chiko Roll: An Australian Oddyssey, which recently screened at Rotoreliefs in London. Plays include political comedy/drama The Speechwriter, which enjoyed a sell-out season at the Blue Room Theatre in Perth 2007 and allegedly helped get rid of dead wood Prime Minister John Howard. Her black comedy Delusion of Doubt will be part of Lost Theatre's one-act festival at the New End Theatre in May.
Where Have All The Girls Gone? by Ben Glassman. Directed by Clare McKenna.
The girls are having a party in Karen's room and the boys aren't happy: Jonny wants to be allowed in, Charlie wants to be allowed out, Greg wants to have a boys' night in, and Tom decides he'd like to be a girl.
We asked Ben Glassman for a biog, and he came up with 'Ben wrote this play.' A man of few words, then. Luckily, they're all good ones.
Clare McKenna has mostly directed fight scenes and movement for 'other people'. She has devised and directed 'undercover'. When she first started acting she also did it 'undercover', until caught out and exposed by the Irish Independent. Issues? Maybe a few. Who knows. Only time will tell. For the past few years her involvement with the Young Vic Young Directors has been a fantastic way at looking at the theatre from this angle. Mix this with a bit of bullying and lots of support from Simon & Declon, 7 great actors and a few fab friends, and you have this - a first time try out from 'under' the covers with a little dab of perfume! Enjoy.
It'll be great to see you all tomorrow, have fun and come and say hi.
Declan and Simon
Anyone going to this? I'm in town and may pop along to this or to see The Trap.
Dolly's at the 5pm one so you might see her coming out!
EDIT: I mean 'coming out of the theatre'. There is no big 'I am gay!' performance, as I realise that may have initially read.
Dan
Quote: swerytd @ March 17 2009, 5:27 PM GMTDolly's at the 5pm one so you might see her coming out!
EDIT: I mean 'coming out of the theatre'. There is no big 'I am gay!' performance, as I realise that may have initially read.
Dan
Oh, you never know.... 
I'm going to cheer on my mate Chrissie's submission, The Museum.
Quote: Dolly Dagger @ March 17 2009, 9:12 PM GMTOh, you never know....
I'm going to cheer on my mate Chrissie's submission, The Museum.
Hi Dolly, Chrissie's probably forgotten but we had a quick chat at the initial trials get together and I remember her telling me about The Museum. Sounded good. Wish her well on my behalf. I won't be there unfortunately.
I'm also cheering on (from afar) Steve McNeil in Canteen Culture as he was in mine and is an excellent comic actor.
But good luck all round and I hope you enjoy the show.
Jx
And for the first time this season I'll actually be there myself next week. It's been really weird having The Sitcom Trials taking place and having absolutely no involvement at all, so can't wait to feel involved once more.
By the way we're just approaching the 10th anniversary of the invention of The Sitcom Trials. I was running the shows as Situations Vacant, simple non-competitive sitcom showcases in Bristol and London, when in summer 1999 (while walking in the grounds of Wells cathedral) I dreamt up the whole competitive sitcom notion. Must check the diary to find when the 10th anniversary show should be. I think it was October 1999, and it featured a sitcom written by and starring Mark Olver and Russell Howard (not interesting, but true).
See you all next week.
Quote: Kev F @ March 19 2009, 7:13 AM GMTMust check the diary to find when the 10th anniversary show should be. I think it was October 1999, and it featured a sitcom written by and starring Mark Olver and Russell Howard (not interesting, but true).
It was still "Situations Vacant" when I was involved back in October '99, but it may have been after that eventful series of shows (including the awesome Nun-based Sitcom, Mark Ashley's randomly generated sitcom scripts, the afformentioned Mark Olver vehicle, and my first and last stage acting performance) that you decided to change the format.
Hello everyone, BTW
James
Was anyone at last night's show? I was at the earlier performance but was still by the bar until just before the 2nd started. I was dressed like a cossack version of Abba...
Quote: Kev F @ March 19 2009, 7:13 AM GMTAnd for the first time this season I'll actually be there myself next week. It's been really weird having The Sitcom Trials taking place and having absolutely no involvement at all, so can't wait to feel involved once more.
Kev F http://sitcomtrials.co.uk
Will you be one of the industry experts on the judging panel?
Kev will indeed be an industry judge, along with former Trials writer Steve Keyworth, Have I Got News For You and Chucklevision writer George Poles, radio producer Carol Smith and RDF Comedy Unit's Jacqui Sinclair.
A write-up of last night's show will follow soon.
Cheers, Declan
Declan, there was no (official!) write-up of last week's anywhere (as far as I can find!)
Dan
There was a small one but not enough really. I'll come up with a joint one this arvo.
Cool. Ta
Dan