Halloween live

Altogether now - Hallo, my name's not Ian.

Edinburgh Sock Puppets?

We've done a string of gigs in the last week, some better attended than others. Hull had a good turnout, Barton an even better one. But our show on Thursday, it has to be admitted, had the poorest turnout of the week. Why would that be, I wondered. Until I saw our show's listing in the programme and on the poster outside the venue...



(click to enlarge) Edinburgh Sock Puppets? Edinburgh Sock Puppets? Who the bloody hell are the Edinburgh Sock Puppets?

Somehow, through Chinese whispers which none of us can explain, we ended up with a listing in the programme which contained our photo, and our quotes and reviews, but a totally different name. (They'd amended the website and did their utmost to publicise our show). The audience were lovely by the way, small but perfectly formed.

Halloween - I done a pumpkin

It's a tradition, I made a pumpkin:

Another fine tradition of mine is posing, cheesily, beside the drawings I've done on the flipcharts as part of my Comic Art Masterclasses.


(The above was at Dean Close School in Cheltenham, the school that gave us the Reverend Marcus Morris, hence the unusual inclusion of Dan Dare in the mix)





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Brand new Socks gig guide - and this one's good

The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre have a brand new gig guide, and this time it's a good'un! Check this out:



Just last week we set up a Facebook calendar, but it wasn't attractive to look at, showing a whole month with badly laid out type for the events, and just blank space if nothing was on. This new gig guide, courtesy of Ents 24, lists all our gigs, links to ticket buying, and enables the viewer to get alerts about new tour gigs and post to their own Twitter and Facebook accounts. Hands down Ents24 have produced the best interactive gig guide I've come across and I hope this is going to serve us well for the 2012 tour which, if I haven't mentioned it yet, will include a month at The Adelaide Fringe in Australia (stay tuned for details).

Barack O'Llama & other stories - comics by kids

Yet more covers of comics produced by kids in my Comic Art Masterclasses, these in schools in Dublin, Hampshire and North Somerset. Click to enlarge and to see more. So many more.



I travel all round the country, nay the world, teaching kids how to draw comics. By the end of a morning or afternoon they've produced a comic to take home and I've drawn their faces. If you'd like me to come to teach your kids, please get in touch.

RECOMMENDED COMIC BOOKS & GRAPHIC NOVELS for Comic Art Masterclass students, teachers and librarians

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Comic Art Masterclasses Hull Saturday

Kev F's Comic Art Masterclass comes to Hull Truck Theatre this Saturday.

Create a comic in just two hours with the writer and artist from The Beano, Doctor Who, Marvel comics and so much more.

11am or 2.30 session, tickets only £6.50 Booking line: 01482 323638 £6.50

Manchester Sitcom Trials result

Thanks and many congratulations to the fabulous cast of Friday night's Sitcom Trials in Manchester and to the audience, however small and perfectly formed that audience may have been.

And the winner, based on the audience vote, was....

The Mad Axe Man & Her by Debbie Rayner

Here's a video giving you a snapshot of the show:



The voting looked like this:

Tragic Life of Roger Bulwark - 4 votes
Mad Axe Man & Her - 5 votes
As Plain As Day - 0 votes
Leaping Tiger - 3 votes
Doing It For The Kids - 1 vote

As you can see, that's only a total of 13 votes, a result of a very disappointing and surprising turnout for this show. But the audience were small and perfectly formed and subsequent consultation with the rest of the team agreed with the audience's decision, making Debbie's script the clear winner. It will now be prepared for a full stage outing some time in the next season.

Thanks to all the writers who submitted work, and all the actors who took part. See you all next time.

Kev F
Producer
The Sitcom Trials

Comic Masterclasses at South Ham & Backwell

Two chances for young artists out there to join in with my Comic Art Masterclasses if they live in or near North Somerset or Basingstoke

Monday 24th October: Kev F's Comic Art Masterclass at South Ham Library
Create a comic in just two hours with the writer and artist from The Beano, Doctor Who, Marvel comics and so much more.

10am or 1.30, 7 years & older - totally FREE!!
South Ham Library
Paddock Road, Basingstoke RG22 6QB
Telephone: 01256 336047 (booking line only)

Tues 25th and Weds 26th October: Kev F's Comic Art Masterclass at Backwell School
Create a comic in just two hours with the writer and artist from The Beano, Doctor Who, Marvel comics and so much more.

Tues 25th 10am or 1pm, for age 10+ £7 per session
Weds 26th 10am or 1pm, parents & children age 7+ £10 adults, £2 kids
Backwell School, Backwell, Bristol BS48 3BX

Telephone 01275 465942 or email mdavis@backwellschool.net



Demo video: http://bit.ly/8ZVYS0
Website: comicfestival.co.uk

RCA Secret exhibition

Every year for the least seven or eight years I've been honoured and flattered to be invited to contribute to the RCA's Secret exhibition. Artists submit works drawn on identical sized postcards, and the buyers bid on the pieces without knowing who the artist is. Works by the likes of Heather and me are displayed alongside anonymous works by such luminaries as Tracey Emin, Peter Blake, Grayson Perry, Manolo Blahnik, Anthony Caro, Quentin Blake, and many more.

Today I got my allocated three postcards sent off, having been reminded by a delightful email received from the people who bought one of my past entries (they said mine was better than the Anthony Caro they also bought, though I hope they've not insured them for the same amount). After the cards have all been auctioned, the creators identities are revealed. Here are my 2010 efforts (click to see all three):



UPDATE: Here's me being interviewed for this year's RCA Secret blog, with scans of other previous entries.

Sitcom Trials Manchester Oct 21st

The Sitcom Trials to which we have all been building up on various forums (primarily here on the British Comedy Guide Forum - warning, there be trolls) takes place this coming Friday in Manchester. 

 Also the winning sitcom from July's Manchester Sitcom Trials, Checkpoint Dave by Vince Stadon, is being performed in full at the Lass O'Gowrie on Thurs 20th and Fri 21st Oct at 5.45pm. Tickets £2.50 The 5 sitcoms being showcased by the team are As Plain As Day by Richard Dowling Doing It For The Kids by Ian Clarke Leaping Tiger by Dave Powell Mad Axe Man & Her by Debbie Rayner Tragic Life of Roger Bulwark by Luke Cedar Sitcom Trials videos inc TV series and last final 

 PS (Sun am): I've just received an email about The Sitcom Trials which begins "I only stumbled across this from a brief remark on "The One Show" [BBC 1, Friday Oct 14] about the current competition, which I realise has already been closed for entries." The One Show? Did the Sitcom Trials get mentioned on The One Show? By whom? I must know more!