A NEW scriptwriting initiative to find burgeoning comedy writers from the Black community has been launched in Birmingham.
The comedy writing competition, Amplified, aims to provide a platform for witty writers from minority backgrounds and enable them to be seen and heard by the TV and film industry.
The competition, brought about by Transition Stage Company, will be broadcast via live stream or pre-recorded, depending on Covid-19 regulations, and members of the audience can vote for their favourite writer online.
The successful writers will then be selected by an esteemed panel of judges to receive a free script-writing masterclass.
Founder and Director of Transition Stage Company Natalie Adele Edwards-Yesufu, said: “I created Amplified because I want to find funny, diverse writers. I miss the late 90’s/2000s renaissance of diverse British sitcoms and shows like Goodness Gracious Me, Desmonds or The Real McCoy. These shows might not resonate with today’s youth, but it is time to change the storytelling narrative.
“Who are the next Asian and black minority comedy writers? We need comedy. We need light. This is my next crusade to find these diverse comedic British voices and put them in the mainstream!”
The judging panel includes a plethora of diverse professionals from the TV and film industry, including Sarah Asante – Commissionaire Comedy BBC and newly appointed head of UKTV Comedy; Darcia Martin – Director for BBC and Channel 4 TV Shows; Louise Le Puloch- French Kiss Productions; Anya Camilleri – Award-Winning Writer and Director; Martin Sketchley – Writers Guild UK; Chris Sudworth – Director of Artistic Programmes at Birmingham Hippodrome; Piero Basso AIC – Cinematographer and Chair of the Cinematography Program at New York Film Academy.
This year’s Enter Stage Write will also be produced into a TV format, a goal that has been accelerated due to Covid-19 pandemic, giving more budding writers access to unmissable opportunities within the industry.
Amplified follows in the footsteps of Transition Stage Company’s incredibly successful playwriting competition ‘Enter Stage Write’, where scripts are judged both by words on the page and theatrical performances on the stage.
Winners of the competition have since gone on to gain huge success and experience within the TV and film industry, leading to high hopes for the winners of Amplified to achieve similar success in the comedy industry.
To enter your literary work to Amplified, the closing date for the competition is July 30. For more information, please visit: Transition Stage Company.
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