Discworld Monthly Issue 236 December 2016
Table of Contents:
1. Editorial
2. News
3. Upcoming Book Releases
4. December Events
5. Future Events
6. Recurring Monthly Fan Meetings
7. Readers' Letters
8. DiscTrivia
9. Review: Carpe Jugulum at the Seagull Theatre, Lowestoft, Suffolk
10. Review: Wyrd Sisters - Newport, South Wales
11. Discworld Emporium Luggage Competition
12. Discworld Diary Competition Result
13. Going Postal Play Comparison
14. The End
1. Editorial
Welcome to issue 236. This month we are very pleased to announce that we have had some new product designs approved just in time for the festive period. We now have two new Hogswatch-related designs: our Hogswatch Piggy and Hogfather designs are available as badges, keyrings, fridge magnets and mugs. We also have the Hogswatch Piggy available as a luxury mouse mat.
Visit: discworldmonthly.co.uk/shop
We've just got back from a wonderful weekend in Wincanton for the Gathering of Loonies event where while having a huge amount of fun the charity auction raised an amazing 1,107.01 GBP which Rachel and I dropped off at RICE (one of Terry's favourite charities) on the way home. Rachel (not the same one) from RICE said "Thank you to everyone that contributed to this amazing amount. The continued support in memory of Sir Terry Pratchett is very much appreciated." We loved seeing the plaque on the wall in the entrance foyer that stated: "RICE - The RICE Centre was opened by Terry Pratchett, Author on 5th December 2008" and goes on to state "RICE - The Research Institute for the Care of Older People is a charity dedicated to carrying out research and improving health and life for older people and their families."
Discworld Monthly is a fan-run volunteer organisation that is partially funded by online sales of our fully licensed and authorised products. Please take a look at our range of pin badges, keyrings, fridge magnets, car "cling" stickers, mugs and mouse mats at: discworldmonthly.co.uk/shop
All profits are used to pay for prizes, postage, travel expenses, web site fees, domain renewals and various sundry costs that we have to cover to keep everything going. Without your ongoing support and sales of Discworld Monthly items we would not be able to continue to produce the newsletter.
You can also if you so wish donate directly to the Discworld Monthly paypal account info@discworldmonthly.co.uk
Want to ensure you get all the latest news direct from Discworld Monthly between issues? Then visit the Discworld Monthly Facebook page and hit the "Like" button. The page is an announcement-only page and is always the first place we post new information.
www.facebook.com/DiscworldMonthly
We include all our back issues on our website at discworldmonthly.co.uk where you can also find Terry Pratchett quotes, a full bibliography and links to articles we have written over the years.
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 us at the address below. We will of course give credit for anything we use.
Please let us have any submissions for issue 237 of Discworld Monthly BEFORE Friday 23rd December 2016.
- Jason Anthony (Editor and Wizzard) info@discworldmonthly.co.uk
- William Barnett (Deputy Editor / Proofreader)
- Rachel Rowlands (News Hound / Feature writer)
- Richard Massey (Space Pilot)
2. News
We've seen a number of Broken Drum pubs around England but one, The Broken Drum micro-pub in London, appears to be directly influenced by Terry's writings. From the line on its website about not employing a troll on the door to its choice of charities: Alzheimer's Research and The Organutan Foundation it is clear that this broken drum cannot be beat. We haven't been but with its selection of real ales it might well be worth a visit if you are ever in London.
www.facebook.com/thebrokendrum42
Are you into Geocaching? Then you might want to go to N50 E000 to visit a Discworld cache. [We've not verified this as we really don't understand what any of that means - Ed]
geocaching ... GC6W19R_discworld
The Josh Kirby Estate will be launching the long awaited line of Josh Kirby Discworld Phone Cases. There will be 13 designs in the range and they will be available from joshkirbyart.com
There will also be a Limited Edition print (limited to 100) from joshkirbyart.com to be released on Friday the 25th Nov 2016
Offer: Starting on Black Friday and going until December 31st, the Josh Kirby Estate will be offering a promotional discount on your purchase of 100USD or more. Use HOLIDAY2016 during check out.
Backspindle Games have a Christmas offer which readers of the newsletter might like to take advantage of. The offer is for a copy of Clacks together with their new travel/pocket filler game called Codinca that is apparently perfect for round the coffee table.
The offer costs 39.99 GBP plus postage. Just remember to get your orders in soon as last posting for Christmas is 20th December for UK, 16th December for Europe and 10th December for the rest of the world.
Backspindle Games have also announced that the final ever print run of their Discworld board game Guards! Guards! is now in stock. Orders will include a limited edition bookmark - one of four characters beautifully illustrated by Stephen Player. This will be your last chance to order brand new copies of the game.
www.backspindlegames.com/guards-guards/
The Burton Mail has recently published an article about a Terry Pratchett book signing in November 2000. It's a fun retrospective view on Terry in his heyday.
discworldmonthly.co.uk/uid/841
3. Upcoming Book Releases
* UK Releases *
The Carpet People (with Mark Beech cover) is due for release in paperback on 5th Jan 2017.
ISBN-10: 0552573361
ISBN-13: 9780552573368
The US edition of Terry Pratchett's Discworld Colouring Book will be released on 25th April 2017.
discworldmonthly.co.uk/USISBN/1481498460
Author Joanne Harris (via Twitter) has confirmed she has written a new introduction for Wyrd Sisters. We don't have a release date for this yet but we suspect it will be sometime in 2017.
The new paperback editions of Mort and Guards! Guards! with introductions by Neil Gaiman and Ben Aaronovitch will also be released in 2017.
4. December Events
[USA] 'Cosmic Comedy: The Social Satire of Sir Terry Pratchett' will run from Sept. 12 through Dec. 7 in the Bookers' display area in Mantor Library, 116 South St, Farmington, University of Maine.
The event is made possible by The Shiretown Bookers (The Community Friends of Mantor Library) in affiliation with the University of Maine at Farmington.
The Shiretown Bookers are a group of book lovers and collectors who support the university library by fostering its relationship with the community. The group provides exhibitions and lectures on literary subjects throughout the year. All exhibitions and lectures are free.
For more information, email reidbyers@gmail.com or call 609-306-1002.
discworldmonthly.co.uk/uid/831
[New: UK] Midhurst Players presents Wyrd Sisters as adapted by Stephen Briggs.
Location: South Downs Centre Memorial Hall, North Street, Midhurst, GU29 9DH
Dates and Time: Wednesday 30th November to Saturday 3rd December at 19:30
Tickets: Adults 10GBP, Under 18s 6GBP.
Web: www.midhurstplayers.co.uk/productions/wyrd-sisters/
[UK] Woodlands Drama Group presents Mort as adapted by Stephen Briggs.
Location: Harrogate Studio Theatre, 6 Oxford Street, Harrogate, HG1 1QF
Dates: 1st - 3rd December 2016 at 7:45pm (extra matinee on Saturday 2:30pm)
Tickets: 10GBP on 01423 502116
Box Office: discworldmonthly.co.uk/uid/829
[USA] The Side Quest are having a Hogfather Book Club evening.
Location: The Side Quest Bar, 17900 Detroit Avenue, Lakewood, Ohio, 44107
Date: Tuesday 6th December at 20:00
Facebook: www.facebook.com/thesidequestbar/
[USA] The Friends of Embry Hills Library are holding a discussion about The Wee Free Men on Tuesday the 20th December at 6.00pm EST. All are welcome.
Location: Embry Hills Branch Library, 3733 Chamblee Tucker Rd, Atlanta, Georgia 30341
For more information: www.facebook.com/events/291552774561868/
5. Future Events
[New: UK] Southampton University Players presents Monstrous Regiment as adapted by Stephen Briggs.
Location: Nuffield Southampton Theatres, University Road, Southampton SO17 1TR
Dates: Tues 31st Jan 2017 - Sat 4th Feb 2017 at 7.30pm
Tickets: 13.00GBP, 10.00GBP concessions, 8.00GBP children (up to age 16), Wednesday only: 2FOR1 offer for students.
Box Office: 023 8067 1771
To book online: www.nuffieldtheatre.co.uk/whats-on/monstrous-regiment
[NEW: USA] Majestic Theatre present Mort as adapted by Stephen Briggs
Location: Majestic Theatre, 115 SW 2nd Street, Corvallis, OR 97333, USA.
Performances: February 10, 11, 12(m), 16, 17, 18, 19(m)
[UK] Monstrous Productions present The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents as adapted by Stephen Briggs
Location: The Gate Arts & Community Centre, Keppoch Street, Roath, Cardiff CF24 3JW
Dates: Wed 22nd - Sat 25th February 2017
Times: Doors open at 7pm, Matinee (on the 25th) at 2.30pm
Tickets: 7 GBP (5 GBP concessions) from 029 204 833 44
Website: www.monstrousptc.com
[UK] Bolton Little Theatre present Wyrd Sisters adapted by Stephen Briggs
Location: Bolton Little Theatre, Hanover Street, Bolton BL1 4TG
Dates: 6th - 11th March 2017 at 7:30om
Tickets: 10GBP from 01204 524469
Website: discworldmonthly.co.uk/uid/788
[UK] The Lace Market Youth Theatre present Carpe Jugulum
Location: Halifax Place, Nottingham, NG1 1QN
Dates: 22nd - 25th March 2017 at 7:30pm (and 2:30pm on Saturday).
Tickets: 11GBP (10GBP Concessions) from 0115 950 7201
Website: discworldmonthly.co.uk/uid/824
[NEW: Poland] April Rally for fans of Terry Pratchett.
Location: Winding mountain, near Krakow
Dates: 31st March 2017 - 2nd April 2017
Program: Paint your face and prepare for the unexpected. Who knows what you might find! Here live dragons!
www.facebook.com/events/340991619626114/
[Germany] All the Witches and denizens of the Chalk are invited to the 5th German Discworld Convention which will take place at Castle Ludwigstein from May 18th to 21st in 2017.
Tickets are available now: www.Discworld-Convention.de
[NEW: UK] We Are Theatre present Wyrd Sisters adapted by Stephen Briggs.
Location: Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York
Dates: June 2017 (details to be confirmed)
[Netherlands] Cabbagecon 4 - July 2017
The Cabbagecon team is proud to announce a new edition of the one and only Dutch Discworld convention.
After visiting the Ankh-Morpork Assassins' Guild in 2015, we will team up with the Guild of Merchants to explore the great city of Ankh-Morpork some more in 2017.
Come and see the sights, meet the colourful city-dwellers, try the local food and, in general, experience the unique atmosphere of the Disc's most famous city. The Ankh-Morpork Guild of Merchants has gracefully agreed to provide a balanced and representative programme of activities to keep all visitors entertained.
Cabbagecon 4 will be held at the Hotel Carlton President in Utrecht on 1-2 July 2017.
Check out our new website at www.dutchdwcon.nl
[USA] The Fourth North American Discworld Convention will take place from September 1st - 4th 2017 in New Orleans, LA.
[Australia] Brisbane Arts Theatre present Lords and Ladies adapted by Irana Brown
Location: 210 Petrie Terrace, PETRIE TERRACE QLD 4000
Dates: 16 September - 21 October 2017 (7.30pm Thursdays, 8.00pm Fridays and Saturdays, 6.30pm Sundays)
Tickets: Adults 34AUD, Concession 28AUD, Group 10+ 27AUD, Student Rush 15AUD (10 mins before curtain)
www.artstheatre.com.au/show/lordsandladies
[Australia] Australian Discworld Convention - October 2017
We have loads to talk about this month so come and read all about it at: ausdwcon.org/blog/on-your-holiday/
Nullus Anxietas VI - The Discworld Grand Tour - The Australian Discworld Convention (ausdwcon.org) is getting closer and closer every day! On August 4-6, 2017, we'll have a weekend packed full of lovely Discworld and Pratchett related activities for you to enjoy!
Don't forget that you can buy your tickets for the Discworld Grand Tour in our shop right now: ausdwcon.org/shop/tickets/
And read here for information about all membership types: ausdwcon.org/convention/membership/
You can find out about Nullus Anxietas VI - The Discworld Grand Tour - The Australian Discworld Convention on this website, and chat with other potential tourists at:
* Website: ausdwcon.org
* Facebook page: facebook.com/Ausdwcon
* Facebook group: facebook.com/groups/ausdwcon2017
* Twitter: twitter.com/ausdwcon
[Ireland] The 2017 Irish Discworld Convention will take place from 6-9th October 2017 [the weekend of my 46th Birthday - Ed] at the Cork International Hotel.
Sign up now for entry to all events except the gala dinner (tickets available separately) at:
6. Recurring Monthly Fan Meetings
[UPDATED: UK] The Broken Drummers meet at The Monkey Puzzle, Paddington, London, W2 1JQ, England at 7pm. For more information contact Helen Nicholls on helelnicholls@gmail.com
The next meeting is Monday 5th December. This is the Christmas dinner. There is a special meal that has to be booked in advance so please contact Helen for a menu. You can attend without booking a meal but the regular bar menu might not be available.
The January meeting will be a week later than usual as we doubt anyone would come on 2nd January. Instead, we will meet on Monday 9th January. Otherwise the first Monday schedule will continue as usual.
Unless otherwise stated (see above) the Drummers meet on the first Monday of each month.
The Drummers are now holding irregular weekend meet-ups in addition to their regular Mondays. Dates are posted on their Facebook page and sent out via their mailing list.
The Drummers are always happy to welcome new visitors. You can find out more about the Drummers at www.brokendrummers.org/ or
[Adelaide, Australia] The City of Small Gods is a group for fans in Adelaide and South Australia. They 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 their mailing list, visit: cityofsmallgods.org.au
[Brisbane, Australia] 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: facebook/ ... /pratchettpartisans/
[Melbourne, Australia] The Victorian Discworld Klatch is a social group for fans of Discworld and Terry Pratchett. We meet monthly for fun activities and to talk all things Pratchetty. Information on our current event can be found on Facebook / ... /VictorianDiscworldKlatch/ or email victoriandiscworldklatch@gmail.com
[Perth, Australia] The Treacle Mining Corporation meet up to celebrate the works of 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 facebook/ ... /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.
[Sydney, Australia] Sydney Drummers normally meet on the first Monday of every month.
They meet at: 3 Wise Monkeys, 555 George Street, Sydney, 2000 from 6:30pm
For more information contact Sue (AKA Granny Weatherwax) on kenworthys@yahoo.co.uk
[NEW: Sydney, Australia] Western Drummers (western suburbs of Sydney NSW Australia) meet 6pm on the third Tuesday of the month at the Nepean Rowing Club for dinner chat and games.
facebook/ ... /100376433635355/
* Calling USA / Canadian Fans *
Appreciate Discworld and Sir Terry Pratchett? Want to chat and gather with other Discworld fans in the US and Canada? Regional Discworld fan Facebook groups are linked below!
Holy Wood Dreams (covers WA, OR, CA, NV, AZ, NM, and HI):
facebook/ ... /797955377004737/
Central US Discworld Fans (covers ID, MT, WY, ND, SD, NE, UT, CO, KS, OK, and TX):
facebook/ ... /centralusdwfans/
Midwest Discworld Fans (covers IL, IN, WI, MI, KY, MN, IA, and MO):
facebook/ ...chicagodiscworldfans/
Southeast US Pratchett Fans (covers AR, LA, TN, MS, AL, GA, NC, SC, and FL):
facebook/ ... /1713061678935430/
Mid-Atlantic Discworld Fans (covers PA, OH, WV, VA, Washington DC, and MD):
facebook/ ... /916552205062611/
New England Discworld Fans (covers DE, NJ, NY, Ct, RI, MA, VT, NH, and ME):
facebook/ ... /newenglanddwfans/
Canadian Discworld Fans (covers Canada and Alaska):
facebook/ ... /canadiandwfans/
If you are in a border state or a province between two groups, feel free to join both groups.
[Australia] Drumknott's Irregulars is a newly established Terry Pratchett social group based in Canberra. The group is open to anyone and their events are not heavily themed.
Facebook: facebook/ ... /824987924250161/
Google Groups: groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/drumknotts-irregulars
7. 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 in a happy festive way.
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: "Noel Wray"
This is part review, part complaint and part suggestion.
Firstly the Folio Society (USA) edition of 'Mort'...
OK, I am the first to admit I love art, and especially almost any art relating to the wonderful works of Terry Pratchett. So when I heard about the Folio Society's version of 'Mort', I had to have a copy. That was the first problem. After a struggle to find a way of buying it, not being one to waste money on credit cards, I eventually found a copy through a friend who purchased a copy for me from a book seller in the UK (as she does not do business with USA vendors). As I live in South Africa it is extremely hard to find any of the official products, especially when you cannot shop online. In the end, this book cost me just short of R2000.00. It took me three months to pay that off... I was eager to get my purchase, supposedly the Limited Edition (as advertised by the online seller), which it has turned out is actually the ordinary edition. It is a beautiful looking book, and Omar Rayyan's art is superb, but the product is still a disappointment.
I cannot help but think that I have been really badly ripped off here. Not just by the unscrupulous money grubbing UK booksellers but by the actual publisher too. The book is of course the standard brilliant text of all editions of Mort, and added to this is the art of Omar Rayyan, all nine pieces of it. Yep, merely only nine pieces of art (including the embossed silver work on the slipcover and the black and white frontispiece). That is for my money R222.22 per artwork. This is certainly not worth that much. Now given that I try to buy each Pratchett book in hardcover as and when they come out and they now cost me R400 to R500 per book, which is the usual price for any HC book here in South Africa, it still means that I have paid a whopping four times plus the normal price for a HC book, and nine artworks. This idea of art in the books is all well and good, but frankly the price is not worth it. And now the US publisher, Folio Society, have gone and done 'Small Gods' as well, which I shall not be buying (and not just because I cannot afford it).
At least previous art inclusive books such as the original Eric, art by Josh Kirby (reprinted a few years back), The Last Hero, art beautifully rendered by Paul Kidby, The Illustrated Wee Free Men, with exquisite art by Stephen Player, and also, I suppose, the illustrated Colour Of Magic/Light Fantastic (that I never heard about until it was already on the collectors markets and cannot afford to now buy), with art also by Stephen Player, all had a damn sight more art in them than a pitiful NINE pieces. Is Omar Rayyan's art better than that of the previous artists? No! It is beautiful and right up to the standard I would expect for Pratchett art, but it is no better than that any of the other three artists. Given the quality of work is much the same, then it comes down to quantity and this publisher has seen fit to print an art book with practically no art in it. I would suggest to anyone contemplating buying these Folio Society books to think twice before wasting their money on such a rip off.
Well that's the review and complaint, so here is my suggestion. Is it not time that the publisher of the original art books/portfolios by Josh Kirby, update them and reprint them to include all the previously unreleased art? Josh Kirby is well known for his art for the covers of the Discworld novels, right up to his sad passing, but did you know he also did art for all of the other books that PTerry wrote, including Good Omens and the Johnny Maxwell books. For some reason many of these artworks were never published on the UK books but were rather used on some foreign editions, such as the German and Russian editions. Is it not about time we fans of this art got to see the full collection in their full form? There was a tour or something of Josh Kirby's art, but this was in the UK and is something we here in South Africa will never get to see. This is the same for most fans the world over who cannot get to the UK just to look at some art no matter how much we love it. It would be really nice if they could see fit to re-print the Josh Kirby Portfolio, and include all the extra Terry Pratchett art that the artist did. Much as I would love it to be in the original framing size that the original Portfolio was, a standard size art book would be acceptable. I regularly buy the Pratchett Discworld Collectors Calendar, but not as a calendar, rather as an art book, and of late have been upset that they now print the calendar as a square Vinyl LP size edition rather than the better wide-screen version that we saw from 2000 to 2010, which is the size and format best suited for the artworks of both Josh Kirby and Paul Kidby. So how about it? A new Terry Pratchett / Josh Kirby portfolio would be beautiful.
Anyway, thanks for the newsletter as usual.
8. DiscTrivia
We're back with five challenging trivia questions for you - this month all the questions relate to Hogfather. Good luck, Jason.
- Q1.
- Who was "afwaid of the monster in the cellar"?
- Q2.
- How much did the auditors offer to pay to have the Hogfather "Brought to an end"?
a) 3 dollars
b) 3, 000 dollars
c) 300,000 dollars
d) 3,000,000 dollars - Q3.
- What is the name of Lord Downey's assistant?
- Q4.
- Why did Teatime nail Sir George's dog to the ceiling?
- Q5.
- Why did Gawain step on the cracks in the pavement?
The (hopefully correct) answers can be found at the end of this issue.
9. Review: Carpe Jugulum at the Seagull Theatre, Lowestoft, Suffolk
Reviewed by Paul Jervis pauljervis43@gmail.com
Having been to see Carpe Jugulum as played by the Quaysiders at my local theatre The Seagull, I am happy to say it was a top night of Pratchett-based fun.
The cast of players made the characters come to life on the stage and played them with passion, from the vampires right through to Corporal Svitz and all in between.
With the play set in and around Lancre castle, you could well have been inside the book. You did not have to know a lot about Terry Pratchett's books to understand what was going on.
All characters were played so well: The charismatic vampires, Nanny Ogg, Igor and his trained spiders, the Reverend Mightily Oats, even DEATH, this play had it all (even angry mobs). A special mention for Dave Dean who played Igor - so very funny.
A great job was done by all involved in bringing this book to life on the small stage.
I hope that more books are made into plays and I look forward to seeing them.
Thank you for reading this review.
10. Review: Wyrd Sisters - Newport, South Wales
Reviewed by Jason Anthony
On Thursday 17th November we braved the Welsh weather and the M4 and headed east to Newport to see Wyrd Sisters performed by the Newport Playgoers at the Dolman Theatre.
The Theatre itself seats nearly 400 and has a proper stage area with trap doors, multiple levels, multiple curtains etc that just aren't available to many smaller theatres.
Wyrd Sisters was the directorial debut for Jes Hynes and he decided to try to use the facilities to the maximum. I've seen many productions of Wyrd Sisters over the years and it constantly amazes me how different groups tackle Stephen Briggs' adaptation - some as simple as a black stage with a couple of boxes for the set. The Dolman allowed a full castle set that featured multiple levels, which was great and added depth to the production [surely height? - WB]. The scenes on the moors were accompanied by an eerie fog generated by a couple of discretely hidden fog machines. There were also a number of pyro effects that made me jump on more than one occasion.
All the amazing special effects and stage productions would be nothing without an amazing cast and Jes Hynes managed to form a very powerful core cast. The three witches were brilliant and Natty Niering was probably the best Magrat I have ever seen [Sorry Jaxx - Ed]. Given the young age of both Adele Corner (Granny Weatherwax) and Andrea Pryke (Nanny Ogg) both performed well beyond their years and each captured the spirit of their characters really well.
The three other leads, Luke Bowkett (Duke Felmet), Kate Summers (Lady Felmet) and Stuart Moss (The Fool), were also really fun to watch. The Duke's journey into madness was a joy to watch and the Fool's ineptitude around Magrat was totally endearing. The rest of the ensemble provided very solid performances.
We liked some of the additional touches that Jes added to the production (after getting permission from Stephen Briggs) - the introduction to Discworld from Ridcully and The Librarian was hugely entertaining. Having Lord and Lady Felmet interact with the audience while they were watching the play was a lot of fun... Though I doubt Lord Felmet expected to have the Queen of the Elves respond to one of his jeers with her casting a spell on him! A new first in heckling I presume.
I should also point out that the make-up was spectacular. Making a 20-something Granny and Nanny look like they were in their 50s was down to the expert skills of Zoe Azzopardi (who we'd previously seen playing Nanny Ogg in Witches Abroad in Cardiff). Zoe also managed to make Ed Duke (who plaid the old king) look suitably ghostly and the make up on the demon was amazing.
The Newport Players was supporting two charities at the event: The Orangutan Foundation and Alzheimer's Research and were selling raffle tickets before the show started. They also had a best costume competition which we won on the Thursday night. A couple of pictures of us on stage with the cast can be found on our Facebook page.
Jes Hynes did an amazing job of bringing Wyrd Sisters to life and we really hope that he will tackle future Pratchett productions at some point. We had a huge amount of fun and would love to see more. We'd even put up with the massive detour we had to take on the way home due to the M4 being closed - again!
www.facebook.com/events/1232819446770130/
11. Discworld Emporium Luggage Competition
The lovely folk over at the Discworld Emporium have offered us one of their new Luggages as the prize for this month's competition. In order to be in with a chance to win this fabulous prize you need to answer the follow question:
- Q1.
- The Discworld Emporium just won the Discworld Emporium award for brilliant Discworld Emporiums, why do you think that is? *
Send your answers, along with your postal address to competitions@discworldmonthly.co.uk before December 23rd. Your address will only be used for sending out your prize should you be the lucky winner. 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 result in a ban from the competition. Failure to answer the questions or provide your postal address will prevent you from being entered into the competition. Answers to the questions must not be posted to any websites before the competition ends. The judges' decision is final. The competition is open to all readers.
* Somebody let Ian set the question - it's not our fault. The judges will select the winner based on the answer that makes Rachel spit the most coffee over her computer screen.
For more information about The Discworld Emporium visit www.discworldemporium.com
12. Discworld Diary Competition Result
Last month we had a copy of the new Terry Pratchett Diary to give away. To be in with a chance of winning this copy you needed to answer to the following two questions:
- Q1.
- Who wrote the introduction to the new diary?
- Q2.
- Who "aided and abetted" the new diary?
The answers we were looking for were Rhianna Pratchett (Terry's daughter) and Discworld Emporium (as it clearly states on the diary cover).
The randomly selected winner is Angelina Olding from Nottingham.
/books_theterrypratchettdiary.php
13. Going Postal Play Comparison
Comparison by Colin Hicks
Going Postal adapted by Stephen Briggs and performed by the Westoning Players; Bedfordshire.
I have managed to see the same play twice in a row, at opposite ends of the country. Back in August I saw the Monstrous Productions version of this play in Cardiff reviewed by Jason in issue 233 and in November I caught the last performance given by the Westoning Players in Bedfordshire.
It was interesting to compare the two versions.
I have to say at the beginning, both were excellent.
Monstrous Productions had a large 15x15 metre stage around which the audience sat. This time the performance being held in a village hall they had a small, more traditional stage. But it in some ways it probably made it easier to produce this play than it was for the Cardiff group. There was a lot of running into the isles and using the hall doors. But they were also able to go vertically using the stage's trapdoor which was useful for Moist's escape and the roof of the Post Office scenes.
The two titular characters, Moist and the Patrician - without whom you don't really have a play - were played quite differently.
The Cardiff Moist was younger and slighter, here he is played by a slightly older actor; Neil Debrick who looked to be in his early 30s and a bit more worldly wise. This still works for the character as we can well imagine Moist's life as a con man lasting 10-15 years before Vetinari catches up with him. The Patrician here is again different. In Cardiff he was young and played the role with understated authority. Here he was played by Barry Walden, a much older man, probably nearer the "book age" of Vetinari and he played him loud voiced and domineering. Literally leaning over Moist at one point. But these two have some of the best scenes together, the word play between them is wonderful (Mr Briggs of course lifting it straight from the novel). I suspect some may have preferred this older Patrician, my companion with me in Cardiff thought the actor there too young.
This being a smaller cast quite a few of the parts had to be shared and many had to be gender swapped. Both Mr Groat, Stanley, Drumknott & Mr Pony were played by women. And it worked; particularly with Mr Groat and Stanley, it doesn't matter what sex they are.
The only minor gripe is that they did not tweak the script to match the cast changes they had made. All the "female" characters were still referred to as 'he' where 'she' would have not seemed to be out of place. Likewise, Moist's age is specifically mentioned when the actor looks older. I have noticed that other groups have tweaked the script to suit their own circumstances.
All in all, this was an excellent production and I was very glad to have my expectations proved wrong. It doesn't matter whether you are a larger group with some resources or a small village group, if you have a great cast then these plays (or any for that matter) will work.
14. The End
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