Quote: Chappers @ 19th May 2015, 11:00 PM BSTYou could always enter Sitcommission.
You can enter scripts into The Sitcom Trials in Cardiff, Birmingham, Manchester or Glasgow, regardless of where you're based.
London and Bristol Trials are planned, but don't hold back with your scripts. Enter now, it can't hurt.
What's the deal with voting this time round?
Quote: Von1 @ 25th May 2015, 9:26 AM BSTWhat's the deal with voting this time round?
This isn't an official answer, but for Cardiff and Manchester it's along the lines of posting an entry. i.e. as per Kev F's OP:
Quote: Kev F @ 23rd April 2015, 8:55 AM BSTTO ENTER THE CARDIFF & MANCHESTER SITCOM TRIALS:
1) You'll need to join the Facebook Sitcom Trials Group here*.
2) Go to the Group Files here, and follow the instructions marked "Sitcom Trials Summer 2015, how to enter a script (READ BEFORE ENTERING)"
*Joining the Facebook Group is different from Liking the Sitcom Trials Facebook page, though you're advised to do both. The Group is a closed group & therefore more private.
For Manchester/Cardiff they've asked that you read 5+ scripts and put scores/reviews in a single file and upload it to the Facebook group.
No idea for Birmigham, as that was apply by email, so I suspect it may be closed shop decision by the Birmingham cast and crew. (So now's probably the right time to point out how much I've always loved Twitch's work, since seeing his wigga rapper at The Frog & Bucket, just before I started doing comedy. ) 
I'll just mention that the voting closes at midnight on Friday night (though I think Kev F said you'll probably have till Saturday morning realistically).
Thankyou to everyone who read, reviewed and voted on the scripts in the online script selection for the forthcoming Sitcom Trials in Cardiff and Manchester. Here are the results, totalled and checked by Judgement Dave. Every YES vote scored 2 points, a MAYBE vote scored 1 point, and a NO vote scored minus 1 point. This table shows the results when writers votes for their own scripts are discounted:
Rank Score Title
1 25 Agent of LOVCRAFT
2 18 My Boss Was in an Indie Band
3 14 The Magic Men
4 11 The Matchmakers
5 9 Ann Dram
6 7 The New 20
6 7 Thrift
8 6 POPSCENE!
9 5 Blue Door
9 5 Bringing in the Sheep
9 5 Serenity House
12 3 Yesterdays News
13 2 Jehovah the Hill
13 2 Malibu Crush
15 -1 Secret Agents
16 -2 Mentalectro
17 -3 Death Runs a Cornershop
18 -4 Their Majesties' Secret Services
19 -5 Boys in the Band
20 -6 NEGATIVE
20 -6 Reis & Paul
22 -9 Ruther Edge
23 -15 A Different Band of Brothers
24 -16 What was your porn name Darling?
The votes, including votes for the writers own script, are at the foot of this post. I propose the selection for the shows be made on the table above, and not the one including writers votes for themselves.
I shall now be talking to the Manchester and Cardiff teams about which scripts they would like to showcase from the favoured top end of the chart. We will report back as soon as we can as to which scripts are to be performed where.
Birmingham's script were sent directly to producer Aaron Twitchen , who will be making the decision on which scripts they will be showcasing. Stay tuned for details.
All the best, and thanks again everyone.
Kev F Sutherland
Executive Producer
The Sitcom Trials
Read more at http://sitcomtrials.blogspot.com/#ZOydYPwoiK3zWsEX.99
Very happy to come 3rd. This is 4th attempt and previous tries all lead to minus points at the end of voting. But goes to show how helpful (some of) the comments are if youre will to listen
Cardiff, Manchester, Birmingham Sitcom Trials updates
On Tuesday night the Cardiff Sitcom Trials team, aka Dan Mitchell and A Boxfull of Comedy, had a reading of some of the scripts that have been shortlisted for their forthcoming show. They also gave a brief reading to the script which ranked lowest in the online poll, the results of which you can see in the video above.
(This script, I have subsequently learned, was a deliberate exercise in writing the most offensive piece possible. Elliot and his co-writers will be delighted to learn they've succeeded).
The Boxfulls read some of the most popular scripts from the online shortlist, including a couple of their inhouse creations and have three scripts still to read at another meeting before they make the decision as to which scripts they'll do on July 28th.
Two of the favourite scripts, Agent of LOVCRAFT and Matchmakers, are written by Cardiff writers, one by a member of the cast, so they look most likely to make the final show, and went very well in the reading.
Other scripts read on Tuesday were My Boss Was In An Indie Band, The Magic Men, and Bringing In The Sheep.
The Manchester team have expressed an interest in performing:
The Magic Men
Ann Dram
The New 20
and Thrift
- in their show on June 21st. A final announcement will be made soon.
Birmingham's team, aka Aaron Twitchen and Foghorn Improv, have drawn up a shortlist of the favourites from the scripts that were sent directly to them (they didn't do an online vote). They are:
Both Sides Now - Rachel Sambrooks
My Boss was in an Indie Band - Mark Hibbett ***
Mary Godmother - Dan Sweryt
Friday Nights - Arthur Burke
The Cleaners - Richard Constable & Roger Sanders
Thrift - Ashley Freize ***
(The asterisks show scripts that are also being done by Cardiff or Manchester). Aaron will be announcing the final line-up for Birmingham's July 3rd show shortly.
Congratulations to all the writers who've entered scripts, and thanks to the team leaders and performers in Cardiff, Manchester and Birmingham for the sterling work they've done so far.
A reminder that scripts ate still wanted for the Glasgow Sitcom Trials, details here, deadline August 8th.
Kev F Sutherland
Executive Producer
The Sitcom Trials
Check this out... https://youtu.be/e_xVPF-Q2Ik
I like that it's my friend Dai in that photo
The Sitcom Trials in Manchester held their first Sitcom Trials of 2015 on Sunday night, at marvellous new venue The Kings Arms in Salford. Click on the video to see highlights.
They performed 4 scripts - The New 20 by Mark Green, Ann Dram by Daniel Page, Thrift by Ashley Frieze, and The Magic Men by Tom Smith. And the winner was...?
(Spoiler alert - go on watch the video)
The winner of the audience vote was The New 20 by Mark Green. The next Sitcom Trials is in Birmingham on Friday July 3rd, see you all there.
Sitcom Trials Birmingham this Friday July 3rd.
The 5 sitcoms in contention are: Friday Nights by Arthur Burke
Both Sides Now by Rachel Sambrooks
Mary Godmother by Dan Sweryt
The Cleaners by Richard Constable & Roger Saunders
My boss was in an indie band by Mark Hibbert
Book now at: http://tinyurl.com/tribm15
Reminder - deadline for Sitcom Trials Glasgow is August 8th
Are you a budding sitcom writer in Scotland?
We are delighted to announce that Glasgow based comedy team Beyond A Joke will be hosting The Sitcom Trials' inaugural Glasgow show* at YesBar on September 8th 2015.
We are currently doing an open call for scripts and Glasgow's head honcho Colin McQuaid has taken on the onerous task of receiving all your scripts. So please read the submission details below, and send them to the address shown. The deadline for scripts is Saturday August 8th.
Full details below:
Plebs"
Interested? Take a look at the brief:
The Sitcom Trials wants situation comedy scripts that a small group of actors can perform in a live environment with minimal staging in front of an audience, who will hopefully laugh! Ideally these sitcoms will be so marvelous that the TV and radio industry representatives in the audience (should there be any) will snap them up immediately.
Your script must have no more than four main characters and a first 'half' of less than ten minutes. This first half should ideally end in a cliffhanger, or something that leaves the audience wanting more. It must then have a second 'half' of no more than five minutes long; after the audience have voted, the top two favourites will battle it out and perform their second 'half!'
Scripts will be performed by the regular team of Beyond A Joke comedy, and a selection of other local professional actors.
Entries are also welcomed from writer-performers, ie people who wish to perform their own scripts. In this case, could you include YouTube clips of you in action so we know what to expect.
Please put your name, email address, and the title of your sitcom on the first page of your script, and send it as a PDF or Word file. Entries must be submitted to beyondajokelive@gmail.com by midnight Saturday 8th August 2015.
Have we found the new Still Game? The new Rab C Nesbitt? The new Gary Tank Commander? You decide.
*PS: In fact this is the second Sitcom Trials to take place in Glasgow. The Trials touring show came to Glasgow on March 12th 2005, hosting a Sitcom Masterclass and a show at The 13th Note featuring special guest Janey Godley (here's a blog about how it went). It'll be good to be back.
The inaugural Cardiff Sitcom Trials took place on July 28th 2015 and was a resounding success, as you'll see from the video clips above. The sitcoms showcased were:
Mentalectro by Timothy Collins
Goosey: Scott SuterJamie: Dan MitchellGray: Dai HillVarious: Rachel Helena Walsh
Bring in the Sheep by Terry Milligan
Frank: Charlie SmithMr Singh: Dai HillBert: Paul GingellJoe: Dan KissCyril: Scott Suter
My Boss was in an Indie Band by Mark Hibbett
Susan: Rachel Helena WalshMarla: Chantal Erraoui The old guy: Dai HillMatt LeeSarah BreeseDan Kiss
Matchmakers by Cameron Loxdale & Mat TroyNathan: Matt LeeHannah: Chantal Erraoui Mr. Priam: Alex NagleBrendan Rand: Dan Kiss
Agent of LOVCRAFT by Paul H Hunt & Mat Troy
(Full video here) Vaughan Wylliams: Paul Gingell Rick Dedalus: Denis LennonBev: Chantal Erraoui Cliff: Alex Nagle
And the winner was...
https://www.youtube.com/embed/-rcg0ImYqos
...Agent of LOVCRAFT, (full video here) by quite a wide margin, though every script was well received and brilliantly performed by an outstanding cast in a very impressive venue (the studio at St Davids Hall, Cardiff). Especial thanks to producers Dan Mitchell and Charlie Smith. (Not, as he's credited on the video, Charlie Porter. Because we do our regular shows at Porters, that's his name in my phone, and it was getting late as I edited that bit of video. Sorry).
Next Sitcom Trials: Glasgow October 8th, Manchester October 25th.
The scripts have been chosen for the inaugural Glasgow Sitcom Trials on September 8th, and they are..
AFTER STEVEN by Gary Brown and Graeme James
BRING ME SUNSHINE by Conan Peters
COMMONERS by Adrian Maitra
POPSTARS: INDIANA by Neil Tollfree
THE SHOP THAT SELLS EVERYTHING by Michael Beck
Colin McQuaid and the Beyond A Joke team will be performing these 5 sitcoms in competition, with you the audience choosing the winner, and tickets are on sale now.
And as if that weren't enough, the show will be MC'd by Sitcom Trials creator Kev F (last seen MC-ing the Cardiff and Manchester Sitcom Trials, and currently flyering for the Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre at the Edinburgh Fringe).
The Glasgow Sitcom Trials, at Yes Bar, 14 Drury St Glasgow G2 5AA
Sept 8th, 8pm. Only £5
The cast of September 7th 2015's inaugural Glasgow Sitcom Trials, with producer Colin McQuaid (centre) and creator and host Kev F (front left). The drawing on the flipchart is supposed to be Jack and Victor from Still Game. Yes it does.
The first Glasgow Sitcom Trials took place at the Yes Bar in Glasgow on September 7th 2015. The five sitcoms in contention were:
THE RETURN OF IVORY SHADOW by Neil Tollfree
THE SHOP THAT SELLS EVERYTHING by Michael Beck
COMMONERS by Adrian Maitra
AFTER STEVEN by Gary Brown and Graeme James
BRING ME SUNSHINE by Conan Peters
And the winner of the audience vote was Bring Me Sunshine by Conan Peters.
The Pitch Fest winning entries, which have sadly slipped from memory and long since into a bin, earned their authors drawings from the flipchart by your host Kev F of Baldrick, Trigger (looking more like Humphrey Bogart than anything else) and Jack & Victor from Still Game (above)
The Best Of.. warm up game was to decide which was the best Moustache In A Sitcom. The winner was Basil Fawlty's. Beating, as you can see, George out of George & Mildred, Ned Flanders, Peter Sellers in The Pink Panther (?), Rene in 'Allo 'Allo, Freddy Boswell out of Bread, David Brent, Lord Melchet in Blackadder, and Mr Mackay out of Porridge.
For some reason I've never bothered to record the flipcharts or the results from the Best Of... games before, which is a shame, as I've been doing it at the top of every Sitcom Trials since at least 2004 (including throughout that year's Edinburgh Fringe run). What classic creations have disappeared into the ether, we can only imagine.
NEW: Video of the night. And do please enjoy the highlights from the most recent shows in Cardiff, Manchester, Bristol, London and Edinburgh.
The next Sitcom Trials is a Halloween Special in Manchester on October 25th, scripts will be called for shortly. Watch this space.
HALLOWEEN SITCOM TRIALS - Scripts now wanted
Announcing a brand new Halloween Sitcom Trials, taking place in Manchester on October 25th 2015 at the Kings Arms, Salford. And your scripts are wanted now.
We want sitcom scripts that we can perform in the tried and tested Trials format (a 10 minute sitcom ending in a cliffhanger with a 3 minute payoff scene, to be performed by no more than 4 actors, you'll see details in the files). And this time, though you can write your sitcom on any subject, we're particularly looking for scripts with a Halloween or horror theme.
If you want to enter a sitcom, go to the Sitcom Trials Facebook group (not to be confused with the Facebook page) where you will see the Files. Upload your script to there (as a PDF or .doc) and it will then be subjected to an online script reading, open to all. You will be invited to join in with this script reading and you will be asked to vote on the scripts in contention.
The deadline for script entries is midnight Saturday October 10th, after which we'll have a week to vote on them and choose the scripts to be performed by Sean and the Manchester Trials team on Sunday 25th. (The show will also include at least one sitcom devised by Sean and the team).
Think spooky, think tricky, think treaty, and we look forward to reading your script entires.
Kev F Sutherland
Exec Producer, The Sitcom Trials
GLASGOW SITCOM TRIALS - video clips
The Glasgow Sitcom Trials video highlights clip is online here. And you can see clips of all five contenders in full:
THE RETURN OF IVORY SHADOW by Neil Tollfree
THE SHOP THAT SELLS EVERYTHING by Michael Beck
THE COMMONERS by Adrian Maitra
AFTER STEVEN by Gary Brown and Graeme James
BRING ME SUNSHINE by Conan Peters