Summer Course: Last of the Red Wine

Thursday 12, Friday 13, Monday 16 August, 11am–4pm & Thursday 19 August, 7pm

With artist Mel Brimfield, director and comedy writer Chris Head, artist Hayley Newman, Writer in Residence Sally O’Reilly, curator and writer Niru Ratnam and artist Bedwyr Williams.

Despite straightened times we might find more reason to laugh at than lament the state of art. Instead of dwelling on sobering budget cuts, rejoice in the farce of artspeak, the tragicomedy of the auction house and the slapstick of incomprehensible performance. Join Sally O’Reilly and a select crew of wry artists, artworld insiders and comedy writers in devising scenarios and scripts for a sitcom based in the artworld.

We ask that you jot down ideas before the workshop so that we will have a wealth of material to work with. Essentially, you should be looking out for awkward or embarrassing situations, which you may have heard about or experienced yourself, and characters who are somehow unyielding or oblivious to what is happening around them.

Session 1: Thurday, 11am-5pm
Niru Ratnam leads the morning session, relating artworld anecdotes and characters from his curatorial exploits in the public and commercial sectors. This aim of this session is to ensure that the artworld is accurately represented, that misconceptions and clichés are avoided in the script.

In the afternoon Hayley Newman leads a workshop to develop characters and scenarios from the group’s own experiences. The session focuses on bizarre but credible situations and ingenious nuances of characterisation.

Session 2: Friday, 10am-5pm
Chris Head starts the morning by imparting such nuts and bolts of scriptwriting as how to create narrative structure and dramatic and comedic scenarios. He will then work with the group on material generated so far, identifying and expanding on the most promising characters and storylines.

In the afternoon Mel Brimfield and Sally O’Reilly examine vintage episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm and Reginald Perrin. The group will then stitch fragments together and extend plot lines into a single episode.

Session 3: Mon, 11am-5pm
Bedwyr Williams presents some of his own baroque scenarios to demonstrate how absurdism is rife in the everyday. The morning workshop will focus on comedic vignettes, plot and character embellishment. The afternoon session focuses on writing and finessing naturalistic and vernacular dialogue.

The script will then be sent to Chris Head, who will nip, tuck and polish it before handing it on to the readers.

Public reading: Thur, 7pm
A group of professionally trained and enthusiastically amateur performers from stage, screen and visual art backgrounds perform the script to an audience. Workshop participants are welcome to take part in the public reading.

Further developments of the sitcom
The project will undergo a second stage of development at the ICA in Feb 2011, when a group of impro comedy actors will enact a material for a further episode, based on the scenarios developed at the Whitechapel Summer School. This will be videoed, edited and pitched to television commissioning editors. Workshoppers are invited to participate throughout.


Concessions, members, patrons, associates and exhibition patrons are kindly asked to show proof or ID when collecting tickets on the day.

Image: Serge de Sazo, Untitled, 1969

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