‘Comedy history’ The Evening Standard
‘Really fun night out’ Time Out
The Shows on April 15th will be:
Welcome to the Jungle by Peter Higgins. Dir Kamaal Hussain.
A charity shop, somewhere in the North of England. Barbara loves working there. Mary… doesn’t. Will the chance discovery of a priceless artefact amongst the usual pile of donations be her ticket out of here? Or not?
MARY Rachel Marwood
BARBARA Jacqueline Fenton
CLIVE Alastair Watson
MRS CULVERHOUSE Annalie Wilson
WOMAN Clare Kissane
THE MAN Andrew N. Hill
Peter Higgins lives in London. His short stories and articles have appeared in Tales Of The Decongested II, Litro, Pen Pusher and First Edition. Welcome to the Jungle is his first attempt at writing a sitcom.
Kamaal Hussain is a freelance actor and director. His work as an actor includes, Habibi in The New Statesman, with Rik Mayall, Ali in The Retreating World by Naomi Wallace and the statutory appearances in Casualty and The Bill. As a director, his work includes Macbeth at Forced Entertainment Studios, Sheffield; Brimstone & Treacle at The Y Theatre, Leicester; The Snow Queen at The Leicester Haymarket Studio; The Red Shoes at The Garrick Theatre, Altrincham; The Hypochondriac at The Library Theatre, Sheffield and Blood Wedding at The Theatre on The Green, Sheffield. He is currently working on an adaptation of Homer's The Odyssey, to be performed on the streets and transport of London (and in a kebab shop!).
Kwarfee by Charlie Boucher. Dir. 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.
ASH David McCusker
AMY Charlotte-Elizabeth Talbot
LENO Matthew Clancy
JEANETTE Laura Evelyn
MELINDA Angela Bleasdale
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
The House on
Cedar Street by Julie Bower. Directed by Maggie Inchley.
Laurence and Elliot have been living together at 49 Cedar Street for some tine now-and it shows. Laurence does his best to look after Elliot and read him bedtime stories, and in return Elliot keeps his room tidy and always eats his greens before pudding. Their home is a haven of peace and contentment, with comfy sofas, story books and lovely biscuits.
That is until Hannah crowbars her way into their life, a walking collection of neuroses who keeps using the word ‘bra’ as if it was nothing. And so it becomes the three of them against the world: a world that continually tries and fails to break their innocent and charming relationship.
THE HOUSE ON CEDAR STREET: The Outside World Need Not Apply
LAURENCE Steven Cree
ELLIOT Barry McGee
HANNAH Lucy Le Messurier
NEWSREADER Tara Flynn
REG Graham Elwell
Julie Bower has written for several sketch shows on the comedy circuit, (venues include Hackney Empire, Pleasance Islington, Leicester Comedy Festival) and she has had material broadcast on BBC7 and BBC Radio 4. Her first short film was produced with Borough Production funding starring Jeremy Swift, Ben Crompton and Kulvinder Ghir, her second was a finalist in the Kaos Short Screenplay Competition and she was recently selected for a BBC Writersroom scheme aimed at developing emerging screenwriters. She has had plays produced at the Pacific Playhouse, the Covent Garden Theatre Museum and Citylit Theatre, Chicago. She is currently developing a range of new projects with producers across television, film and radio.
Maggie’s first professional production, The Zoo Story won the Acting Excellence Award from The Stage in Edinburgh. Her other work includes True West, Killer Joe, Justin Edward’s Jeremy Lion For Your Entertainment at the Chocolate Factory, and Bash, which won a Gold Award at the Henley Fringe Festival. Maggie has directed several pieces for the Sitcom Trials, including Here Comes the Science Bit by Steven Keyworth and Sweet As by Symon Parsons. She is Associate Director of the Comedians Theatre Company and works with sketch comedy double act Teak Show who will be performing at the Gilded Balloon at this year's Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
The Boot Room by John Gradwell. Dir Emma Blundell.
Oxford academic Gordon Pine is visiting struggling non-league football club Antcliffe FC (known as the Stumps) to check out if it’s worth his millionaire dad saving it. However oily chairman Malcolm Pringle has his own agenda, involving building apartments on the club site (the buy-to-let market remains surprisingly robust in this isolated northern outpost). Gordon immediately falls for club secretary Kerry Sherwood and together they decide to scupper Pringle’s plans.
WILLIE Martin Ritchie
KERRY Emma Keele
PRINGLE Charles Neville
GORDON Freddy Drabble
John Gradwell is a former north west evening newspaper reporter and sub-editor. He has had a six-part sitcom broadcast on Radio 4 and a Saturday Play on the same station. Three of his crime dramas have been on German radio and two of his scripts reached the third round of the previous two British Short Screenplay competitions. He was also a finalist in this year's Red Planet Screenwriting Prize. As a supporter of Bolton Wanderers, he recognises the difference between good comedy and lumping it forward to nobody in particular.
Emma Blundell has worked as a writer and director at the Old Red Lion, Theatre 503 and for the Soho Theatre Writers’ Festival, amongst other London venues. She was the Artistic Director of Little Jo Theatre, a devising company in Newcastle upon Tyne and is currently the Artistic Director of Out of Order Theatre. She regularly works with writers to develop scripts and has directed for Practicum Theatre and as an associate director for joinedupwriters, both of which are new writing companies. Other directing credits include Death and the Maiden, Titus Andronicus, The Bald Prima Donna and the British premier of the Broadway show Fat Men in Skirts.
Your Compere
Andy Fox graduated from Mountview Academy in 1984. He then spent many years working as a comedian and compere on the comedy circuit. He was resident compere at The Comedy Cafe and was also a regular at Jongleurs and has toured all over the UK and Netherlands.
As an actor he played Blakey in Hull Trucks production of Toast, Scrooge in A Christmas Carol for Jacksons Lane, Highgate and a tour of Stereo for Arc Theatre.
Andy has also written and performed in his one man show The Story of Love and Hate a celebration of Robert Mitchum. This Summer he will be directing Anorak of Fire for Planet Rabbit Productions.
Running the show
In charge of all things technical is our wonderful Stage Manager Deb Jones. She manages to stay calm whatever is thrown at her (and with 32 shows that’s an awful lot).
THE SITCOM TRIALS WED APRIL8th.
Report by Declan Hill.
Hello again my comedy chums
A completely packed and sold-out and we had to put more chairs out evening last night, with four very strong entries and again, it's such a shame we had to lose two of them. I'm starting to feel like Bruce Forsyth, and not in a good way.
First up was All I Need is a F**k Buddy written by, directed by and starring Lydia Parker, then Toys by Imran Malik, directed by Jamie Harper, Graeme Knowles's Trainspotting directed by Andrew Shepherd and finally Alf And Dick by Michael Everett directed by Bruce McNeal. Judges were Jane Lamacraft, James Wren and Hannah Mackay.
The judges saw two clear favourites, and there was one point between Trainspotting in first place and Toys in second, so we'll see them in the semi-finals. The audience vote agreed with the judges, with Trainspotting and Toys out in front. Farewell to F**k Buddy and Alf And Dick, you gave us many moments of fun and you'll be sadly missed.
It's great to see some familiar faces supporting us each week, please say hello, I won't bite and it'll be good to put names to faces.
Next week is selling well, so if you want to come get your tickets asap.
If you want to write for us next year and improve your chances of getting in the Yes pile by loads and loads and loads, why not come to our How To Get In The Yes Pile workshop in central London on May 23. You'll have your work read out by professional actors and have insights that the vast majority of entrants won't have. Contact us on info@every1sacritic.com for more information.
Love and peace to you all. And remember, secret documents are secret for a reason.
Declan
Fancy writing for The Sitcom Trials? We regularly hold workshops about writing for The Sitcom Trials. For details email us at info@every1scritic.com
5 o’clock show tickets £5.00
7 o’clock show tickets £10/8 concs.
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