The fourth Craft of Comedy Writing Conference will be at Venue Cymru, Llandudno, on April 8 and 9 and is for anyone who watches comedy on TV or online or listens to radio comedy and thinks ‘I could do that’.
The two-day event will start on Friday evening with the screening of an episode of the award-winning BBC show ‘Peter Kay’s Car Share’. This will be followed by the programme's breakout star Sian Gibson, who plays Kayleigh Kitson, talking about her role.
Sian will be joined by the sitcom’s co-writer and co-creator Paul Coleman and producer Gill Isles. There will also be a question and answer session for delegates to get tips on the process of taking comedy characters from the page to the screen.
Other confirmed speakers for the weekend include Sioned Wiliam, Commissioning Editor of Comedy for Radio 4, James Cary, one of the writers of the comedy drama ‘Bluestone 42’ and Ged Parsons, one of the writers on ‘Have I Got News For You’. More names will be announced in the run-up to the conference. Delegates will be able to meet producers, writers and performers to pick up advice on how to break into the business.
This year's conference will close with the inaugural David Nobbs Memorial Trust Dinner on the Saturday evening. This charity, being set up in memory of the late David Nobbs, creator of Reggie Perrin and countless other comedy characters, will support new comedy writing in the UK.
Steve Doherty, Artistic Director of the conference and Managing Director of Giddy Goat Productions, said the event was starting to become part of the comedy industry’s calendar. “It’s a great opportunity for writers, producers, directors and commissioners to meet and talk in an informal way - and even better for people who’d like to build their skills in any of those areas.
“In recent years we’ve had delegates from across Wales and the whole UK and we look forward to welcoming them again. Working at Venue Cymru is great because the team are so professional - they help the day run like clockwork so delegates get the most out of their time there.”
Sarah Ecob, General Manager of Venue Cymru and Conference Director, said she was delighted to be in partnership with Giddy Goat Productions again this year, delivering the conference for the fourth time. “We already have some impressive industry names lined up with more in the pipeline and are looking forward to another weekend of stimulating presentations and panels as well as the popular networking opportunities such as the Comedy Quiz on Friday night. We would like to thank our funding partners, particularly the Arts Council of Wales, for making this fantastic event possible.”
Tickets for the conference are on sale here with an Early Bird offer of £40 for students and £65 full price (Early Bird closes March 4). After that tickets are £50 and £75. All tickets include a networking lunch.
Tickets for the David Nobbs Memorial Trust Dinner are £25 (three courses and an after-dinner speaker) to be purchased separately from the Venue Cymru website.
A limited number of rooms at a special discounted rate are available at the Craft of Comedy Conference Headquarter Hotel, The Llandudno Bay.
Car Share picture copyright Goodnight Vienna Productions/Matt Squire.
