Sitcom Trials Bristol Feb 22 - report & pix
The first Sitcom Trials of 2013 took place at The Wardrobe Theatre, Bristol in front of a packed audience, showcasing five sitcoms, all chosen from online entries, with the audience voting for their favourite.

Bristol Sitcom Trials cast Feb 2013 (l-r): Louisa Smith (actor/director), Gary Colman, Anna Gallagher, Laura Ollerton, Naomi Carter, Danna McAleer, John Lomas, Lewis Cook.

The five sitcoms in contention were:
Unimpoverished Youth by Oliver Ley
Theatre by Andrew Tate
Face-Time by Brian Teles
Cliff and Elaine Fall Out by Aaron Caris
Midnight Music by Neil Tollfree

And the voting was very close with just one vote separating the top three, as chosen by the audience. The results were:
In third place Unimpoverished Youth
Runner-up Cliff and Elaine Fall Out
and the winner was...

Face-Time by Brian Teles.

A splendid show all round, with a marvellous audience whose laughter should hopefully come across well in the video that will be appearing later, and the highest quality of scripts and performance. It is worth noting that the winning sitcom, Brian Teles Face-Time, had been the most popular online entry for last Autumn's Sci Fi Sitcom Trials then failed to make the cut when it was given table-readings in both Bristol and London. Following a rewrite it has triumphed on the night, so extra congratulations for a very successful bit of development by producer Vince Stadon and his team.

The winning Pitch Fest entry (the audience's suggestions for sitcoms) was The Narcoleptic Family Robinson, written by author of tonight's runner-up sitcom Aaron Caris, who had travelled down from Manchester for the show (btw the Manchester Sitcom Trials return later this year).

Thanks to everyone who came to the show, and to producer Vince Stadon and director Louisa Smith for their outstanding work, and for letting me (Kev F, the show's creator) host the show. The video should be appearing soon, stay tuned.

Here is a video taster of the Sitcom Trials from Bristol Feb 22 2013 (read the full report here)

A reminder everyone, the deadline for The Sitcom Trials So You Think You Write Funny is March 31st. The details are here.

Announcing The Sitcom Trials - So You Think You Write Funny 2013

The Sitcom Trials returns in force in 2013, with the ultimate competition to find the best new situation comedy talent in Britain. And this year we have joined forces with the UK's longest running comedy new talent competition - So You Think You're Funny.

Since it began in 1988, So You Think You're Funny? has kick-started the careers of dozens of the country's top stand-up comedians including Peter Kay, Dylan Moran, Lee Mack, Tommy Tiernan, Sarah Millican, Rhod Gilbert to name a few, with heats held across the country and a grand final at the Edinburgh Fringe. Now the Sitcom Trials are offering that same opportunity to sitcom creators.

The Sitcom Trials has been running since 1999, showcasing brand new sitcoms in a competition format. Its first Edinburgh Fringe show in 2001 at the Gilded Balloon starred Miranda Hart in a self-penned sitcom set in a joke shop, with a little blonde-haired sidekick and a fanciable chap in the café next door (sound familiar). The following year's show starred future Perrier-winner Laura Solon. If you think you could follow in those illustrious footsteps, now is your chance.

The Sitcom Trials - So You Think You Write Funny is open to writers and writer-performers whose comedy writing has never before been broadcast on national TV or radio.

You are invited to submit a 10-minute sitcom script (to guidelines, below). The entries will be selected by our panel of script reading judges, and the lucky shortlist will be showcased on stage, by our teams of professional actors, and voted for by the audience and a panel of judges from the comedy industry. The 5 scripts that prove most popular in the heats will be performed in the grand final at the Edinburgh Fringe where one sitcom will win a cash prize and a development deal with Gilded Balloon Productions.

If you are a writer-performer, whether an actor, a comedian, or a sketch-team, and you wish to perform the competing sitcom yourself, then that is fine. You're asked to submit a YouTube demo of your performers along with your script entry, it's as easy as that.

Oh, and did we mention The Sitcom Trials - So You Think You Write Funny is completely free to enter?

The deadline for script & video submissions is midnight March 31st 2013 and all details can be found at the website sitcomtrials.co.uk

The Sitcom Trials 2013 Script Guidelines:

Sitcom Trials scripts need to be written for a maximum of 4 actors, with no more than 3 of the same sex. This can be varied only if you are performing your own script & can supply the entire cast.

The format needs to be a script of approx 10 minutes duration ending in a "cliff-hanger" moment (e.g. the ad-break moment, leaving the audience wanting more). The script then needs a denouement scene of no more than 3 minutes max. What will happen is the audience with see the first "half" of all the sitcoms in contention, then only see the ending of the winner (of the audience vote on the night). That way the audience never get bored by anything they don't like, and they're never more than 10 minutes away from something they might prefer.

Scripts can be laid out as TV, radio, stage or movie scripts, whichever the author prefers.

They can be sent as word document or pdf document. Please avoid other formats if at all possible.

Top tip: These scripts are to be performed on a minimal theatre stage, with few if any props, so it is best not to enter scripts that rely heavily on visuals, or on a filmic treatment. Scripts written with radio production in mind would work best in this limited stage environment. For examples of how previous Sitcom Trials performances have worked, see the many video clips at sitcomtrials.co.uk

Submission:

Scripts can be laid out as TV, radio, stage or movie scripts, whichever the author prefers.

They can be sent as word document or pdf document to scripts@sitcomtrials.co.uk

Include your name, mailing address, contact email, and which location you could best attend if your script is shortlisted for performance: Manchester, Bristol or London.

If you intend performing your own script, include a link to a YouTube (or other online) clip that shows the performers in question. If they are performing the script that's entered, that may be more helpful (but not essential).

The deadline for script & video submissions is midnight March 31st 2013. Any questions, ask here at the Forum.

Kev F Sutherland
Producer
The Sitcom Trials
sitcomtrials.co.uk

How many scripts can each writer enter?

I'm thinking about entering this for the first time this year. Quick question. Does the script have to be 10 minutes long including the denouement scene? Or is it 10 minutes, and then a further 3 minutes for the denouement scene?

Thanks.

Quote: PurpleRonnie @ March 12 2013, 3:26 PM GMT

How many scripts can each writer enter?

View original

This wasn't stipulated in the rules so, I guess, as many as you like. But be reasonable.

Quote: Martin H @ March 12 2013, 8:07 PM GMT

I'm thinking about entering this for the first time this year. Quick question. Does the script have to be 10 minutes long including the denouement scene? Or is it 10 minutes, and then a further 3 minutes for the denouement scene?

Thanks.

View original

Ten minutes plus the denouement.

Quote: Kev F @ March 12 2013, 8:56 PM GMT

Ten minutes plus the denouement.

View original

I thought so, but thought I'd double check. Cheers!

This may be a stupid question but I'll ask anyway - As their are only 4 characters is it possible to have two separate scenes going on with a crossover situation or will that be hard to translate as it's going to be performed on stage?

Does anyone know - Are you allowed to enter the same script for this competition as the Sitcom mission? Obviously it would be a slightly more condensed version but is it worth doing or is it not encouraged?

Cheers

Quote: Joe Scholes @ March 17 2013, 2:28 AM GMT

Does anyone know - Are you allowed to enter the same script for this competition as the Sitcom mission? Obviously it would be a slightly more condensed version but is it worth doing or is it not encouraged?

Cheers

View original

There's nothing to stop you entering the Mission and the Trials, they're totally separate shows who, to be honest, would probably never know if you'd entered both. If you get into the finals for both you could have fun comparing and contrasting the two. Statistically it's pretty unlikely that'll happen.

Quote: PurpleRonnie @ March 13 2013, 7:32 PM GMT

This may be a stupid question but I'll ask anyway - As their are only 4 characters is it possible to have two separate scenes going on with a crossover situation or will that be hard to translate as it's going to be performed on stage?

View original

If you've seen a live Trials performance, or been involved in any stage show, you'll be able to work out how difficult some things might be. By all means set a challenge for the director and the actors, but beware of making a) a rod for your back, b) hostages to fortune, and c) any excuse for me to use cliches like that ever again.

Kev F
Sitcom Trials

Fans of and entrants in The Sitcom Trials should be interested in the range of Sitcom Trials scriptbooks available on Kindle. And, having had them out there for the past year, you'll be all the more delighted to find the range of books has now been reduced in price.

Situation Murder, our spin-off series of comedy murder mysteries, containing five complete stories for interactive performance, is now just £1.36 on Kindle.

And the compendium of three episodes of political sitcom The Lavender Millbank Mob is now only 77p.

Also at 77p are our classic scripts Kiss Me Son Of God, Go Wild In The Country, the three-episode collection of the Tony Robinson vehicle Didn't You Used To Be..?, and double-bill of Dead Air and Clarice. Writers hoping to master the Sitcom Trials format for their competition entries would benefit from a glance at these scripts, as would anyone who wants a laugh at some genuinely funny writing from our bulging archive.

Hi Kev,

Just clarifying the 'written for no more than 4 actors' clause. I have a sitcome which has 4 main characters and a couple of incidentals. No more than 4 on stage at any one time and the incidentals could, in the context of an Edinburgh-style staging or staged reading, be played (as they say on Radio 4) 'by members of the cast'. Would this be acceptable? I think all 4 characters bring something to the table so would be loathe to have to cut.

I'm nervous because I don't trust the internet. Submitted the other day, how do I know it's been received? Is there a meant to be an acknowledgement email or anything?

Quote: Trinder @ March 23 2013, 6:09 PM GMT

I'm nervous because I don't trust the internet. Submitted the other day, how do I know it's been received? Is there a meant to be an acknowledgement email or anything?

View original

You're supposed to get a reply from me. It is possible, since I've been working with the Socks in Glasgow since Thursday, I simply haven't downloaded your entry and therefore replied yet. If you've not had a reply by the deadline, chase me, you won't get left out of the reading.

Quote: Ponderer @ March 22 2013, 11:16 AM GMT

Hi Kev,

Just clarifying the 'written for no more than 4 actors' clause. I have a sitcome which has 4 main characters and a couple of incidentals. No more than 4 on stage at any one time and the incidentals could, in the context of an Edinburgh-style staging or staged reading, be played (as they say on Radio 4) 'by members of the cast'. Would this be acceptable? I think all 4 characters bring something to the table so would be loathe to have to cut.

View original

When the readers are selecting the scripts, and there are two equally funny scripts in competition, the one that can be performed by the 4 available actors will have the edge over the one where the 4 available actors have to double up in parts. Something that can't be performed by 4 actors will have to be irresistibly good for the script reading panel to suggest it'd be worth getting another actor in to perform it. It's not impossible, but you are making things harder for yourself if you've written a script with too many actors in.

I like to remain flexible, because The Sitcom Trials is all about finding great new comedy, and it's not about enforcing rules & regulations above all considerations. But sometimes, eg when a small group of script readers are chewing their way through a mountain of scripts of variable quality, the rules and regulations can suddenly feel like a good way of making your job easier.

Thanks Kev. That seems fair.