About Lords and Ladies - thoughts from the director, David Titley

The pig is out of the poke, the bees are out of the hive and the uncertain Cat is out of the box – see Heisenberg for further information!

On a far distant planet a people strangely like ourselves have named their mountainous kingdom Lancre. King Verence, ruler of Lancre, was once a very unfunny jester. He is ruled over by the combined effect of inner uncertainty, and the guiding hands of two women of a certain age. No one knows what their ages are, but it’s better not to ask if you don’t want to be turned into a pumpkin. Of the two, Nanny Ogg is the more approachable – especially if you are a man! Mistress Esme Weatherwax is the other lady on a broomstick. Stare at her if you dare!

I will not tell you about the Orang-utan, or the Stick and Bucket dance, or the world’s 2nd greatest lover, or how terrible iron is to the Elves. All will be revealed as the story unfolds.

As to Borrowing – well, how can I explain it? Errrm… it’s sort of one mind controlling another mind, and seeing with the other mind’s eye. Mistress Weatherwax can do it with hares and horses and bats and worms, but not with bees – never ever with bees!

Once upon a time, the Elves controlled the minds of ordinary folk making them live in fear. Best not to even think about the ‘Lords and Ladies’.

Long ago the gateway- or rather the thin place between the world of the Elves and Lancre - had been sealed off with a circle of terrible stones; terrible to the Elves, at least, who cannot pass through them out of their world of perpetual Winter, to reclaim the world of men.

Now the Elves and their evil Queen are trying to get back to their old haunts! At all costs the witches must prevent them. How the ladies of Lancre; Granny, Nanny and soppy Magrat, combat the Queen, and how they get distracted, and what part the bees play is for you to come and see.

There are laughs a plenty, spectacular scene changes and live music. There is a huge cast of kings, wizards, witches, blacksmiths, maids, bakers and weavers, not to mention the “Lords & Ladies” themselves. !