Discworld Monthly Issue 215 May 2015
Table of Contents:
1. Editorial
2. News
3. Readers' Letters
4. DiscTrivia
5. Review: Witches Abroad - Monstrous Productions
6. Competition Result: Thief of Time in Welsh
7. Competition: Win a Discworld Emporium Care Package
8. The End
1. Editorial
Welcome to issue 215 and Discworld Monthly's 18th Birthday - yes, Discworld Monthly issue 1 was first published in May 1997, so it's now old enough to go down the pub! Today, April 28th would have been Terry's 67th Birthday. Happy Birthday Sir Terry wherever you are now. #GNU Terry Pratchett.
Rachel and I just got back from a wonderful weekend in Wincanton. It was an unofficial meeting of fans, a great get together, and a chance to talk to other people about Terry's life and death and what it means to us all. Some of the fans had brought one of Terry's hats to the event and we held a short moment of remembrance for the great man and also for Discworld fan Marie "Mazzie" Kirby who passed a couple of weeks before Terry - while Thomas Tallis was played though the PA system. It was very moving and I think helped many of us.
If you visit a play or a talk and would like to let the world know about it, please feel free to email your review to info@discworldmonthly.co.uk and we will consider it for publication.
Also if you have written an article that you think we might want to include in the newsletter please feel free to email me at the address below. We will of course give credit for anything we use.
--
Jason Anthony (Editor) info@discworldmonthly.co.uk
William Barnett (Deputy Editor / Proof Reader)
Richard Massey (Overseas Alignment Tester)
2. News
The release date for The Shepherd's Crown - The Last Terry Pratchett Discworld novel - has officially been announced. The Shepherd's Crown will be published on 10th September 2015. The novel was completed in the Summer of 2014. It is now available for pre-order and a collector's edition will also become available in September.
www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0857534815/87
Oxford's Story Museum will be having a Pratchett / Discworld focussed weekend on the 23rd & 24th May with the theme of Mort. There should be lots of fun for kids and grown-ups and the opportunity to dress up and be citizens at the Hiring Fair! [I've been invited to come to the event so you may even get to meet me - Ed]
www.storymuseum.org.uk/whats-on/discworld-weekend/
Short Story Anthology: Call for Submissions
In memory of Sir Terry Pratchett, Sorin Suciu and Laura May together with Alzheimer's Research UK are putting together an anthology of short stories to raise money for Alzheimer's Research UK. If you are an author (or suspect you have the makings of one!) and are one of the millions of readers out there who have been touched in some way by the writings of Sir Terry then visit the link below to find out more: discworldmonthly.co.uk/url/SSS215A
A Facebook event has been set up to celebrate Terry's life on his birthday April 28th. Its description reads: "In celebration of the Creator's life and work, and especially the big black hats, on his birthday, wear a black hat. Any size, any shape, just a black hat. And clothes. Obviously.
The idea of this event is to celebrate his life and his work, and to focus on the ways that he made the world a better place for so many of us, including the work he did for a number of charities. We would like to continue this work in his memory."
Here's the link to the RICE JustGiving page: www.justgiving.com/Terry-Pratchett
The event page is located at:
www.facebook.com/events/1590274791217220/
A Facebook group and online petition has been set up to get the Ankh-Morpork app which is currently only available for the iPad converted to work with Android devices. Random House Publishing released the app a couple of years ago but only for Apple devices despite the fact that Android tablets massively outnumber Apple tablets.
To help out, please visit the group and sign up for the petition and see if we can make it happen.
To find out more visit: www.facebook.com/groups/1508292149421043/?fref=ts
Backspindle Games will be releasing the long awaited Discworld Clacks game at the Irish Discworld Convention in October. I played an early prototype of the game back in the 2012 convention and really enjoyed it. Looking forward to getting a copy for our house!
The Backspindle Games website should soon have the game available to pre-order:
www.backspindlegames.com/clacks/
Following on from their successful productions of Carpe Jugulum, Mort and Going Postal the Thalian Theatre group will be performing Making Money in November and are looking to expand their team of actors. Readthrough auditions (very relaxed, I promise!) will be held on Tuesday 12th May, Thursday 14th May, Tuesday 19th May and Thursday 21st May at Laindon Community Centre, Basildon, Essex, with rehearsals every Tuesday and Thursday starting 25th August (yeah, we are planning well in advance for this, we wanna make it GOOD!!) and performances at the Towngate Theatre, Basildon with final rehearsals and 3 performances at the theatre in the week starting Sunday 8th November. If you're interested in joining us, either on stage or backstage, please come along or email me if you have any queries.
Hope to see you there!!
www.facebook.com/ThalianTheatreGroup?fref=ts
Paul Kidby's stunning exhibition 'Discworld and Beyond' has just opened at Gosport Gallery in Hampshire. For Gosport, he's added a painting never exhibited in public before entitled 'Discworld Massif' which is only going on to one other UK venue before heading abroad so it's well worth a visit now! Gosport Gallery is free admission, and the exhibition is open (Mon-Sat) until 30 May.
An online link to the gallery is here: discworldmonthly.co.uk/url/DAB215A You can see 'Discworld Massif' here in Paul's online shop: shop.paulkidby.com/discworld-massif-print/
Paul Kidby will be taking part in the Barons' Charter - the biggest ever mass participation public art event ever seen in the city of Salisbury. Much like the "oook bench" Paul will be painting one of the Barons with a Discworld theme. Keep an eye on Paul's Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/paulkidby?fref=ts and the Baron's Charter website at: www.thebaronscharter.org.uk/
SFX magazine Issue 260 features a short article about Terry Pratchett's life written by Rob Powers. A longer article with interviews with myself, Colin Smythe, Bernard Pearson and Rob Wilkins should appear in issue 261 written by Jonathan Wright.
The Guardian newspaper features an article about how fantasy fiction is becoming mainstream. It talks about many alternative universes such as those created by Tolkien, Pratchett, Gaiman and George R R Martin.
discworldmonthly.co.uk/url/FAN215A
Bookseller news from Lady Sybil
The Bookseller issue for 20th March 2014 carried several tributes to Terry.
On the front cover there was a box with the inscription:
TERRY'S TIME
Transworld M.D. Larry Finlay pays tribute to the late Sir Terry Pratchett, who passed away last week
The editorial on page 3, Balancing the Books, looks at "what the trade would like from the next government" and "there are five key areas of concern...Libraries we covered last week, but it is worth reading the obituary of Terry Pratchett, who said he received his education from a library (we simply cannot say this enough times)".
On page 10 there is an analysis of the week's charts, reporting that sales of Terry's books were 150% on last week, selling a combined 8,186 copies. The top sellers were Dragons at Crumbling Castle (1,000 copies) and Raising Steam in Corgi (725 copies). Digital sales also climbed 377% to 12,242 combined "e" copies, with The Colour of Magic selling 3,554 digital units.
Larry Finlay takes the whole of page 14 for his tribute, with a picture of the white-bearded Terry. "Not many people can expect the Facebook post announcing their untimely death to reach 23.1 million people within 24 hours, but then very few influence the lives of so many others as powerfully and as viscerally as Terry Pratchett did ...the outpouring of grief from both his readers and his many friends across the book trade has been quite overwhelming.."
Finlay continued to deal in superlatives. He wrote of the autographing tours, the long days they entailed, Terry's concern to meet the fans and listen to their stories, and his witty reports back to Transworld on his experience with different bookshops. He concluded with some words on Terry's many honours, culminating with his knighthood which led to forging his own sword; his campaigning for Alzheimer's research; and his legacy to his readers.
The Bookseller was not yet done; tucked away in the June children's fiction preview was a note that Dragons at Crumbling Castle will be out in paperback at 6.99 GBP.
www.thebookseller.com/news/terry-pratchett-dies
Lady Sybil
The Independent featured a review of Slip of the Keyboard a while back but we missed it. You can read the review entitled A Slip of the Keyboard by Terry Pratchett, book review: The jolly elf's angry side.
discworldmonthly.co.uk/url/SOK215A
Uncle Tom's (a Wincanton pub) now has a new pub sign. Created by Richard Kingston who works for the Discworld Emporium. The new sign references "The Mended Drum". Can't wait to look at it in person at the weekend...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-31984861
Tributes to Terry - a summary:
Ian Stewart has written a tribute to Terry at: www2.warwick.ac.uk/newsandevents/news/magician
Novelist Nick Harkaway writes "Terry Pratchett: above all, he was funny" in a tribute article in The Guardian. discworldmonthly.co.uk/url/GUA215A
The Guardian also features a series of tributes from readers of the newspaper, some of which are quite moving: discworldmonthly.co.uk/url/GUA215B
Andy Sawyer was asked to write a tribute to Terry for the Liverpool University website. The article can be located at: discworldmonthly.co.uk/url/LIV215A
Terry Pratchett knew the art of a good signature is a tribute written by Alan Titchmarsh:
discworldmonthly.co.uk/url/TEL215A
Steve Adams writes about Terry before he "became" Terry for the South Wales Guardian:
discworldmonthly.co.uk/url/SWG215A
John Gilbey remembers the gifted, generous and genial creator of the Discworld universe in The Times Higher Education website: discworldmonthly.co.uk/url/THE215A
Jeff Sorley created a web comic in tribute to Terry: discworldmonthly.co.uk/url/WEB215A
Alison Lesley talks about Terry's religious beliefs for World Religion News: discworldmonthly.co.uk/url/WRN215A
Judy Christie for The Shreveport Times: discworldmonthly.co.uk/url/SPT215A
Alice Ritchie for Business Recorder - discworldmonthly.co.uk/url/BRE215A
Melissa Kammere in The Times News - discworldmonthly.co.uk/url/TTN215A
Jessica Sager at The Bell Ringer - discworldmonthly.co.uk/url/TBR215A
Coffee Power Machine have released a number of Discworld Pixel Art Tributes - discworldmonthly.co.uk/url/CPM215A
Good Reads - Financial Times - discworldmonthly.co.uk/url/GOO215A
Elizabeth Alway (Guild of Fans and Disciples) letter in The Guardian - discworldmonthly.co.uk/url/GUA215C
Gramarye (The folklore magazine from the University of Chichester) issue 7 can now be pre-ordered at: discworldmonthly.co.uk/url/CHI215A
This issue includes:
'Land Under Wave: Reading the Landscapes of Tiffany Aching', Jane Carroll
'Jacek Yerka's Rhetoric of the Impossible', Joe Young
'The King's Amulet', Rosalind Kerven
'The Seal Wife', Judith Woolf
'They Say England Has No Folktales', Jacqueline Simpson
'My Favourite Story When I Was Young', Sadhana Naithani
A review of Veronica L. Shanoes' Fairy Tales, Myth, and Psychoanalytic Theory: Feminism and Retelling the Tale, Naomi Wood
A review of J.R.R. Tolkien's Beowulf: A Translation and Commentary, together with Sellic Spell, Tom Shippey
A review of Daniel Gabelman's George MacDonald: Divine Carelessness and Fairytale Levity, Colin Manlove
A review of Marina Warner's Once Upon a Time, Martine Hennard Dutheil de la Rochere
A review of Malcolm C. Lyons' Tales of the Marvellous and News of the Strange,Ruth B. Bottigheimer
A review of Adam Roberts' The Riddles of The Hobbit, Jane Carroll
A review of Jelena Curcic's Serbian Fairy Tales, Joanna Coleman
A review of Jonathan Walker's Five Wounds: An Illuminated Novel, Robin Furth
A review of J. R. R. Tolkien: The Forest and the City, Alaric Hall
Issue 7 will be printed at the beginning of May. Subscribers and pre-ordering customers are guaranteed a printed copy. Pdf and Kindle versions will be available after this.
The Mary Sue reports how donations to Dementia Research have surged in the wake of Sir Terry Pratchett's death.
www.themarysue.com/terry-pratchett-research/
Nantwich Oxfam shop got a large donation of Terry Pratchett books the day he died and are now trying to track town the anonymous donor.
discworldmonthly.co.uk/url/TNN215A
Discworld Dates...
This section will contain events that you need to keep in your diary. Entries will remain until they go out of date. New entries will include the word [New] next to them. If this section gets too large we will start pruning entries.
From issue 190 onwards recurring monthly meetings have been moved to their own area at the bottom of the dates section.
[UK] In the October half term of 2015 Uppingham Theatre Company will be putting on an amateur production of Terry Pratchett's Wyrd Sisters.
We will be holding read through / auditions at 7:00pm on Monday 4th May, Wednesday 6th May, Monday 11th May and Wednesday 13th May, in the upstairs front room of Don Paddy's Market Place, Uppingham. Tickets for our production will go on sale in May.
[UK] Witches Abroad will be performed at Eynsford Village Hall (North Kent, UK). Show dates are 8th, 9th, 15th & 16th of May with a matinee each Saturday, with a total of 6 performances.
Friday 8th & 15th - 7.45pm
Saturday 9th & 16th - 3.00pm & 7.45pm
Online www.riversideplayers.co.uk
email enquiries@riversideplayers.co.uk
telephone 07704279948
Discount Code 'ESME15' until 23rd April 2015 [oops - Ed]
[UK, NEW] We will be celebrating Discworld Monthly's 18th birthday at a meet up in Reading, Berkshire on Saturday 9th May 2015 at The Wild Lime Bar in Friar Street, Central Reading from 14:00 until later in the evening.
www.facebook.com/events/727566100694594/
[UK, New] Wyrd Sisters will be performed by the Shiphay Amateur Dramatic Society in Torquay, Devon from 14th - 16th May. Tickets cost 6 GBP, 4 GBP students and 3 GBP under 16.
Tickets are available from: 07913 109672
discworldmonthly.co.uk/url/SAD215A
[UK, New] The Phoenix Players will be performing Wyrd Sisters at the Phoenix Theatre, Station Road, Bordon, Hampshire, GU35 0LR on the 15, 16, 22 & 23 May at 7:30pm.
Tickets cost 9GBP / 8 GBP (members / concessions)
Box office 01420 472664
Email: info@phoenixars.co.uk
Book online at: www.phoenixarts.co.uk
[UK, New] The Brighton University Drama Society is coming to the Brighton Fringe for the first time with their production of Wyrd Sisters. Set to be the society's largest and most ambitious production, Wyrd Sisters will take place from the 28th to the 30th of May at 19:30 in the Brighthelm Centre. Expect a large cast of witches, wizards and thespians mixed with witty dialogue and satire in this fantasy retelling of Shakespeare's Macbeth. It is the second time the group has travelled to Pratchett's Discworld, following the success of "Mort" in 2012 with its "wit, charm and plenty of dramatic showmanship" (Ben Miller, The Argus). A percentage of proceeds will be going to The Research Institute for the Care of Older People (RICE) in honour of the late author.
Directed by Robert Dan and Conor Young
Presented by the Brighton University Drama Society
Play Dates: May 28th - 30th
Times: All shows 19:30
Brighthelm Church & Community Centre, North Road, Brighton, East Sussex, BN1 1YD
7GBP; 5GBP Concessions
Suitable for all ages
Reservations: http://boxoffice.brightonfringe.org/theatre/9181/wyrd-sisters"
[DE, New] The English Drama Group will be performing Carpe Jugulum on June: 4th, 6th, 8th, 10th, 16th, 19,th 24th at 6:30pm in the canteen of the Potsdam University at the first floor at the New Palais (Neues Palais) Campus of the Potsdam University. And June 29th at 7:30pm we are playing at the Hans Otto Theatre in Potsdam.
The prices at the university will be 5 euros or 3 euros on discount.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/EDGpotsdam
[NL] Cabbagecon 3 proudly presents: the Assassins' Guild orientation weekend.
Ever wanted to be a member of one of the most prestigious guilds in Ankh-Morpork? Now is your chance! The famous Assassins' Guild has announced that their orientation weekend in 2015 will be held at Cabbagecon 3, the Dutch Discworld convention. Representatives of four of the Guild Houses will be present at the convention to see if the convention members have the skills and dress sense necessary to make it as an Assassin.
Our guest of honour is translator Venugopalan Ittekot, who will give an exclusive presentation about a very special project.
Cabbagecon 3 will be held at hotel Val Monte in Berg en Dal (near Nijmegen) in the weekend of 27 and 28 June 2015. More information can be found at www.dutchdwcon.nl
Team Cabbagecon 3
[UK, New] Elaine Boot is arranging a Discworld meet-up in Nottingham on Saturday, July 11th from 14:00 to 23:00 at Wollaton Hall Deer Park And Gardens, Wollaton at the picnic area (please provide your own picnic).
At 17:00 I suggest we split in to smaller groups and go for a meal.
At 19:00 We all meet in the Trip To Jerusalem pub up by Brew House Yard Museum and stay to around 23:00.
Come in fancy dress if you wish. Having something or wearing something Discworld will help us identify one another and using the phrase 'The turtle moves' will help too.
People do not have to attend both park and the pub, they are welcome to attend just one.
Both of the places can be reached easily by public transport and an all day bus ticket costs 3.50GBP. If you travel in groups of 2 to 4 on Nottingham City Transport Bus (NCTX) you can get a group rider for 4.50GBP.
There are plenty of places to stay, there is even Travelodge Maid Marion Way.
Contact Elaine Boot freddyboot@yahoo.co.uk
www.facebook.com/events/438230283003902/
[US, Updated] Updates on The Great Discworld Fan Gathering at Sasquan 2015 which takes place from August 19-23, 2015 at Spokane, Washington, USA.
There is lots and lots of work going on behind the scenes regarding Discworld programming and events for Sasquan but much of it is a surprise, at least for now. But here is what I can tell you:
1. Sasquan is making ribbons for DW fans to wear on their badges so they can find one another. These will be purple and will say, "Ook".
Traditionally, the Seamstress Guild makes up their own ribbons which have their motto: Nil Volupti sine lucre. The guild will give these out at the parties they're hosting at Sasquan.
Discworld fans will be pleased to note that, in addition to all the great experiences offered by a Worldcon, Sasquan will be hosting Discworld programming, events, a Discworld exhibit, guild meetups, and our fabulous Seamstress Guild parties.
2. There is a million to one chance that we might, just possibly, if the stars align, be able to announce that some very special Discworld guests will be joining us at Sasquan. To say any more at this time would bring me to the attention of the Assassin's Guild.
3. We are looking for good photos of Terry taken by fans at Discworld conventions and other events to be used for a memorial in his honour. I've created a group board on Pinterest for fans to post their photos of Terry Pratchett. The board is here: Fan photos of Terry Pratchett - if you would like to participate, please join Pinterest (it's free) and ask for an invite.
www.pinterest.com/itbodes/fan-photos-of-terry-pratchett/
4. Here are the Membership maps (along with facts and figures) for those attending Sasquan / WorldCon 2015 - Join us at The Great Discworld Fan Gathering at Sasquan and make friends all over the world.
Sasquan has recently welcomed new members from Chile, Estonia, Hungary, India, and Romania, North Dakota, Newfoundland, Saxony-Anhalt, and Yukon.
5. One of the Guests of Honour is David Gerrald, who, aside from his many accomplishments, is also a huge Terry Pratchett fan. Mr Gerrald has recently started a group called Just Us. These are Discworld fans who perform random acts of kindness at conventions and other events. We'll have more on this movement and what it might mean at Sasquan next month.
We hope to see you there.
D.J. Connell
Discworld Liaison, Sasquan / Worldcon 2015
Chair, North American Discworld Connection
Founder, Seamstress Guild of North America
Co-founder: Dark Clerks of North America
[UK, New] Wadfest 2015 - The Library. Wadfest 2015 takes place over the weekend of 21st~ 24th August 2015.
Once again Wadfest will be at Wood Green, The Animal Shelter, King's Bush Farm, London Road, Godmanchester, Cambridgeshire, PE29 2NH
[DE] With a 1000 camels the German Discworld Convention moves to the mysterious continent of Klatch! Make room in your schedule from September 10th to 13th in 2015 for the fourth German Discworld Convention at Castle Ludwigstein. Be there when it's getting hot!
Registration has started on our homepage.
Join the Facebook page to receive further updates:
www.facebook.com/ScheibenweltConvention
[IRL, Updated] The Irish Discworld Convention 2015 will take place in Cork, Ireland at the Cork International Hotel from the 2nd to the 5th of October 2015. Join us as a Special Constable for the Watch Open Weekend.
Visit www.idwcon.org or see the Facebook group at: www.facebook.com/groups/idwcon/
[UK, New] Wyrd Sisters is being performed by Uppingham Theatre Company from Thursday 29th - Saturday 31st October 2015. Tickets cost 10 GBP including 2 GBP charity donation to Rutland Reminders. Tickets are available in person only from Uppingham Sports and Books, 9 High Street East, Uppingham and online at wegottickets.co.uk
[UK, New] Sadly there will be no Discworld Emporium run Hogswatch event this year, but there will be a fan run "Gathering of Loonies - Winter Event" on the same days. November 27th - 29th in Wincanton. The Guild of Auctioneers have declared there will be a traditional charity auction. More news will be provided as we get it.
www.facebook.com/groups/373578522834654/
Recurring monthly meetings:
[UK] The Broken Drummers meet at The Monkey Puzzle, Paddington, London, W2 1JQ, England at 7pm. For more information contact Helen Nicholls on helennicholls@yahoo.co.uk
Unless otherwise stated the Drummers meet on the first Monday of each month.
The Drummers are always happy to welcome new visitors. You can find out more about the Drummers at www.brokendrummers.org/
[Perth, AU] The Perth Drummers have changed their name. They are now known as the Treacle Mining Corporation in honour of their beloved state. They still meet up to celebrate the works of author Sir Terry Pratchett, and welcome any fans of science fiction and fantasy.
Join them for their monthly discussion of Discworld, Terry Pratchett and all things sci-fi and fantasy. They meet the first Monday of each month, subject to holidays, and all are welcome.
The group meets up at Carpe Cafe, 526 Murray Street, Perth, WA. Meeting at a cafe means they are under-18 friendly!
For details follow them on Twitter @Perth_Drummers, Instagram perth_drummers, and facebook www.facebook.com/groups/Perth.Drummers/
Otherwise message Alexandra Ware directly at alexandra.ware@gmail.com
Unless otherwise stated the group meets up on the first Monday of each month.
[AU] Sydney Drummers normally meet on the first Monday of every month.
We meet at the NEW venue, 3 Wise Monkeys, 555 George Street, Sydney, 2000 from 6:30pm
For more information contact Sue (AKA Granny Weatherwax) on kenworthys@yahoo.co.uk
[UK] On the first Friday of every month there will be a meeting of WOTS - Omnian Temperance Society - Wincanton branch - to be held at The Bear Inn from 7pm. New members or visitors from other places always welcome.
discworldmonthly.co.uk/url/WOTS182
[Adelaide, AU] The City of Small Gods is a group for fans in Adelaide and South Australia. We have regular monthly dinner and games nights, longer games days, plus play outings, craft-y workshops, and fun social activities throughout the year. For more info and to join our mailing list, visit: cityofsmallgods.org.au
[Brisbane, AU] The Pratchett Partisans meet monthly at either Brisbane
or Indooroopilly to eat, drink and chat about all things Pratchett. For
more info about their next meetup, check out: www.meetup.com/Pratchett-Partisans/
or www.facebook.com/groups/pratchettpartisans/
3. Readers' Letters
If you have any letters or comments, please email them to info@discworldmonthly.co.uk
We assume any correspondence is eligible for use in the newsletter unless otherwise stated, including the sender's email address. We may edit your letters by passing them over a small quantity of raw narrativium.
It is vitally important that you don't pass off other people's work as your own. If you use information from other resources please let us know so we can give proper credit.
* From: "Fredrik Olsson" tacstickgaming@gmail.com
Hi, I'm a big fan of the Discworld series (haven't read everything but I am catching up) and I have just started broadcasting a cooperative Let's Play series where we will play the early Discworld point and click adventures.
The first broadcast was this Thursday (09/04-2015) and I have uploaded it to YouTube for people who missed it.
I thought some of you guys might be interested in watching it and participate in the next stream (April 16th) and help us out :)
Youtube link: youtu.be/5KqYNMQYKyU
Twitch link: www.twitch.tv/tacstick (this is where the live events happen)
* From: "John Gosden" johngosd@gmail.com
With regards to The Long Earth
I would very much like other readers' opinions of this as it has left me rather puzzled. I will say no more at present.
With great sadness at the loss of a man I never met but always thought of as a friend.
* From: "David Sewell" DavidR.Sewell@gmail.com
Discworld contingent for 2015 Tucson All Souls Procession?
I no longer live in Tucson but have been planning to be there for this year's
All Souls Procession, a unique public ceremony with roots in the Mexican Day of
the Dead traditions but re-purposed as a parade-memorial for all those who have
gone before:
allsoulsprocession.org/history
This year it would be more than appropriate to have some sort of presence
there to honour Terry Pratchett. I'm not much of a costume-maker and left to my
own devices will probably just wear my Unseen University hoodie and skull
makeup, but I could imagine a costumed group with Death, Albert, Susan, Mort,
Death of Rats, more? I'd be happy to hear from anyone thinking along the same
lines (though it would be best for someone local to organize, if it happens),
* From: "Iain Mackenzie" iainmackenzie@emailmac.co.uk
It's sad that Terry is no longer gracing our planet. He left an elephant sized footprint in the sand.
But here is a question, where is Terry now?
Well! In a kitchen at a party with his arm round Death's shoulder. He asks Death in his quizzical and jovial tone, "Where can you get a good curry and a pint?"
A fitting image to remember him by.
4. DiscTrivia
Once again thank you to Rachel Rowlands for coming up with five challenging questions for you to ponder this month.
The (hopefully correct) answers can be found at the end of this issue.
5. Review: Witches Abroad - Monstrous Productions
Monstrous Productions - Gate Theatre - Cardiff, South Wales
Witches Abroad is Monstrous Productions' fifth Terry Pratchett production and also a UK premier of this particular adaptation by Renoir (rather than Stephen Briggs - don't worry Stephen, Monstrous Productions will be performing your adaptation of Night Watch in October).
It should be noted upfront that it has been a very long time since I last read Witches Abroad so my memory of the story is patchy to say the least.
Under Amy Davies' expert direction the three lead roles were performed brilliantly by Ellen Warren as Granny Weatherwax, Zoe Azzopardi as Nanny Ogg and Lowri Belson as Magrat. Both Ellen and Zoe, though very young actors, managed to convey the experience and age of Granny and Nanny with style. It has to be noted that all the cast were very good, special mention should go to Dominique Workman as Mrs Gogol (who managed to keep up the creole accent throughout) and Caroline McCann whose Lilith had just the right amount of menace. We also loved the way Tony Beard as Jason Ogg read the letters he received from his mother.
The production made good use of the large stage area and the limited sets allowed quick changes that made the production move along at a good rate, given that this is a dialogue-heavy story - not a production for flash bombs and chases.
The Gate Theatre appears to be a converted church and seems well suited for productions with large casts such as Witches Abroad. My only criticism of the venue were the uncomfortable pews... I may take a cushion with me for Night Watch in October.
I really enjoyed this adaptation and would heartily recommend visiting Night Watch in October if you get the opportunity.
For more information about Monstrous Productions visit: www.monstrousptc.com/
For Wales On-Line's Review see: discworldmonthly.co.uk/url/WOL215A
6. Competition Result: Thief of Time in Welsh
Last month to celebrate Discworld Monthly's move to its new home near Swansea, South Wales, we found a Welsh copy of Lleidr Amser (Thief of Time) published by RILY publishing to give away. Thief of Time, to our knowledge, is the only Discworld book to be published in the Welsh language.
We asked you to tell us either of the other two Terry Pratchett (non-Discworld) books that had also been translated in Welsh. Just for the fun of it we asked you to give us the titles in both English and Welsh.
If you answered either: Joni A'r Meirwon (Johnny and the Dead) or Dim Ond Ti All Achub Y Ddynoliath (Only You Can Save Mankind) your entry was considered correct.
Of all the correct entries we randomly selected Nigel Jones of Carmarthen. We were particularly impressed that Nigel sent the full email in both English and Welsh (like all official paperwork in Wales). We'll get your copy off to you as soon as possible. Just need to wrap it up and tie it to a sheep that's heading your way.
7. Competition: Win a Discworld Emporium Care Package
The lovely people at the Discworld Emporium have offered us a "Discworld Emporium Care Package" to give away this month. We don't actually know what is going to be in the care package other than one of their wonderful new "Millennium Hand and Shrimp" t-shirts.
For your chance to enter the competition simply send the answer to the following question, along with your t-shirt size (S, M, L, XL, XXL) and full postal address to competitions@discworldmonthly.co.uk before 20th May 2015. Your address will only be used if you are one of the winners and only for sending out your prize - once prizes are sent out all address details will be destroyed. Entries received after the closing date or sent to any other address will be ignored. No more than one entry per person will be accepted. Multiple entries will be banned. Answers to the questions must not be posted to any websites before the competition ends. The judges' decision is final.
8. The End
Discworld Monthly would like to thank the Pixel Fairy for hosting our mailing list for us free of charge. For more information about the Pixel Fairy visit her website at thepixelfairy.uk
* eBook Editions *
Since issue 166 we have produce a version of Discworld Monthly that is formatted better for the Amazon Kindle eBook reader and since issue 186 we also produce an ePub version for other eBook readers such as the Kobo, Nook and Sony readers.
You can download either version from discworldmonthly.co.uk/ebooks.php
The eBook releases may take a day or two to appear on the website after the main issue is sent out as it requires a bit of extra processing to get it working.
* Contact Information *
We prefer information to be sent via email, but can accept information via post at the following addresses:
Email: info@discworldmonthly.co.uk
Post: J Anthony-Rowlands (DWM), 20 Cambrian Place, Pontarddulais, Swansea, SA4 8RG
* Latest Book Information *
Raising Steam
- UK Paperback: www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0552170461/87
- US Paperback (pre-order): discworldmonthly.co.uk/USISBN/0804169209
The Long Mars:
- UK Hardback: www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0857521748/87
- US Hardback: discworldmonthly.co.uk/USISBN/0062297295
- UK Paperback: www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0552169358/87
- US Paperback: discworldmonthly.co.uk/USISBN/0062297309
TURTLE RECALL: The Discworld Companion
- UK Hardback: www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0575091185/87
- UK Kindle: www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00A3BO8MM/87
- US Hardback: discworldmonthly.co.uk/USISBN/0575091185
- US Kindle: discworldmonthly.co.uk/USISBN/B00A3BO8MM
* Subscription Information *
To subscribe to Discworld Monthly simply enter your email address in the form on the Discworld Monthly web page. Our web site contains all back issues and links to other Pratchett sites.
Current circulation approximately 19,500.
To unsubscribe please follow the instructions at the end of this email.
If you have any problems un-subscribing visit our removal help page.
* DiscTrivia Results *
* Obtaining Terry's Books *
If you are looking for Terry books or videos over the net, simply visit our web page at discworldmonthly.co.uk and follow the merchandise link at the top of the page.
* Supporting DWM *
Discworld Monthly was created as a totally free newsletter and will continue to remain so for as long as it continues. However, the costs of maintaining the website, postage, travel etc. adds up. If you feel you would like to make a small contribution towards these costs please consider doing so via www.paypal.com
My account for Paypal is info@discworldmonthly.co.uk
Thanks
* Small Print *
We make no effort whatsoever to ensure the information in this newsletter is accurate or even legal. Remember to always exercise caution when passing your credit card details over the Net (or over the phone for that matter). All trademarks are recognized as the property of their respective owners, whoever they may be.
* Thanks *
Thanks for reading this issue of 'Discworld Monthly'. We hope you enjoyed it. If you have any comments or suggestions for the future of this newsletter please email: info@discworldmonthly.co.uk
GNU Terry Pratchett...