Our Next Stammtisch will be a special one: On 19 August, we will be meeting at the West Side Theatre at 19:00 hrs to read "Quatermass and the Pit" by Nigel Kneale. As usual, also non-members are welcome to join. And here a few words about this supernatural play:

Set in London of the late 1950's, Cold War paranoia is setting in to a nation that has a crumbling Empire and still bears the scars of the last war. A chance discovery during an expansion of the London underground leads Palaeontologist Matthew Roney to believe that these are the five million year old remains of our ancient ancestors. The strange object found with them is much harder to explain as are the tales of supernatural activity associated with the area. Professor Bernard Quatermass, founder of the scientific British Rocket Group, and his soon to be replacement Colonel James Breen investigate. What they discover could explain the history of our evolution and the human condition; if it doesn't destroy us all first.

A BBC TV play from 1958 that is much more "Sherlock Holmes" than "Star Wars", without this we'd likely never have had Dr. Who, Quatermass and the Pit is the third, and best, in the Quatermass series. There is a lot more depth to the story and characters than the slightly wooden delivery of the 1950's original would lead you to believe and despite being written for a medium in which one can cut to new scenes rapidly, would be relatively straightforward and a lot of fun to do on the stage.

"Alien" bodies, secret cameras, spaceships, ghosts, telekinesis, the bomb squad, a pub, and an old lady reading tea-leaves - all the ingredients of a cracking adventure.