Terry Pratchett’s: Wyrd Sisters

Terry Pratchett’s famous novel, adapted for the stage by Stephen Briggs.

On the magical fantasy Discworld, in a kingdom called Lancre, the Land has woken up and it’s unhappy. It wants a King that cares for it, but it’s got a mad Duke who hates the trees and the witches, and definitely committed murder to get the throne. In the dark of the night out on the heath, three witches lean over a bubbling cauldron to figure out how to put things right.

Wyrd Sisters is one of the first books in the Discworld comedy fantasy series. Each story is a humorous standalone reflection of something we have in our society, shone back at the audience with wit and Monty Python-style humour. This particular Discworld story is where Terry Pratchett takes Shakespeare’s Macbeth, King Lear, and Hamlet, and then turns them up ’till they reach eleven.

It’s all there – a wicked duke and duchess, the ghost of the murdered king, dim soldiers, strolling players, and a Land in peril. And who stands between the Kingdom and destruction? Three witches. Granny Weatherwax (intolerant, self-opinionated, powerful), Nanny Ogg (down-to-earth, vulgar), and Magrat Garlick (naïve, fond of occult jewellery and bunnies). It’s Hubble Bubble Toil and Trouble but the witches are the heroes this time.

Ballarat National Theatre has been performing community theatre since 1938. This adaption is an amateur production made with the passion and energy of volunteers who can’t wait to bring a Terry Pratchett story to life.