Narrelle M. Harris's Blog, page 16

Review: Myths and Legends of the World, Retold by Alli Brydon, Illustrated by Julia Iredale

Lonely Planet Kids is putting out some gorgeous illustrated books about the world, and Myths and Legends of the World is another beautiful example.

Julia Iredale’s sumptuously coloured artwork is a marvellous match for Alli Brydon’s smart retelling of this collection of world mythologies, using a nicely judged balanced of traditional storytelling rhythms with some fresh, modern turns of phrase that invite young readers to connect with the folklore of different parts of the world.

The creators and editor, Rhoda Belleza, have done an excellent job of curating a representative sample of global myths. Some are more familiar – the African trickster Anansi, Scottish Selkies, the origin of the elephant-headed Ganesh and Maui are all among the better known deities, demi-gods and supernatural beings.

The Anangu People’s tale of how Uluru was formed offers insight into why it is a place of spiritual significance – a lovely inclusion in this book, particularly in light of the recent ban on climbing the rock.

Myths and Legends of the World is for readers aged 9 to 12, but it isn’t just for kids – it’d be a beautiful coffee table book to dip into. It’s also available as an ebook if you want to take the pretty with you!

Buy Myths and legends of the World

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Short Film: All Bite and no Bark

The inaugural Bendigo International Short Film Festival was held on 23 November 2019 – and I was part of it!

I knew about the festival because I know John Richards, who was running it. At a different event (in October, in Castlemaine), he commented that not many people had sent in films for the competition element – a short film under 15 minutes in which the word Bendigo had to either be spoken or appear during the film.

“It’s so easy, though!” said John. “You can make a film on a phone these days!”

Well, who can resist a challenge like that? Not me, obviously. On the train back to Melbourne that afternoon I came up with a Twilight-zone-ish plot, and by late that evening, after five attempts, I’d ad libbed my way through a Found Footage story. (Ad libbed because I wanted to give it a fresh, just-telling-a-yarn quality, for ‘Kate’ to tell a story in exactly the way I would.)

The production values aren’t great so I wasn’t convinced I should enter it. I shared it with John anyway, for a laugh, and he convinced me it was good enough to be submitted.

So, All Bite and No Bark was entered into the 2019 Bendigo International Short Film Competition, and was screened on Saturday 23 November with a gratifying amount of laughter at the right moments, and gratifying hush at the end.

I’ve shared the film on some other social media, but here it is in all its ad libbed, iPhone quality glory!

The festival was fantastic, by the way – some truly inventive and wonderful films in both the International Shorts and the Competition Shorts (and if you ever get an opportunity to see The Starey Bampire, don’t miss it!)

This isn’t all about me showing off my first short film. Oh no! This, dear readers, is an opportunity for you to see how easy it can be, and to encourage you to prepare your own entry to next year’s Bendigo International Short Film Festival Competition!

You have a year to prepare! (I’ve already got a new idea, with a script this time!)

Visit Bendigo Short Film Fest or their Facebook page to keep an eye on what’s happening during the year and when entries open for next year’s film event!

I hope to be competing with you in it!

Read more about this year’s event in the Bendigo Advertiser.

Xmas 2019 Gift Recs for Readers and Writers

If you’re hunting for last minute gifts for the lovelies in your life (or your lovely self) I’ve brought together some recommendations of books I’ve reviewed throughout the year.

Crime for all tastes

Emma Viskic’s Caleb Zelic trilogy began with Resurrection Bay then And Fire Came Down, and the fabulous Darkness for Light came out in December this year. It’s a great triple-hit for the crime lover in your life.

Another set of trilogies for crime lovers that are also suitable for YA readers are Ellie Marney’s “Every” series (Every Breath, Every Word and Every Move) which are a kind of Holmesian YA reworking set in Australia, and the “Circus Hearts” books (All the Little Bones, All Fall Down and All Aces).

I love a cosy crime set in a place I know, especially when it’s full of delicious recipes and delicious Scottish men, so let me throw confetti over Livia Day’s whole Cafe La Femme series. One short (The Blackmail Blend) is an ebook but the rest: A Trifle Dead, Drowned Vanilla and the latest, Keep Calm and Kill the Chef, are all available in paperback!

Science Fiction

I remain delighted that LynC’s superb Nil By Mouth was re-released this year, and even though it’s harrowing in places it’s also filled with compassion.

Alison Evans’ Highway Bodies is the zombie apocalypse for today’s diverse YA reader (and I’m very excited to have their latest, Euphoria Kids, on my review pile – it comes out in February).

Of course, Twelfth Planet Press continues to bring amazing work to the world, and their Mother of Invention anthology, edited by Rivqa Rafael & Tansy Rayner Roberts, is something special for the SF reader in your life.

Sherlock Holmes

Improbable Press is settling in to its new home with Clan Destine Press, but has put out a few books this year: Tessa Barding’s The Case of the Misplaced Models and another of its 221b series (short stories of exactly 221 words, the last of which starts with the letter B) in A Question of Time by Jamie Ashbird with illustrations by Janet Anderton.

And, while it’s a few years old, Joe Ide’s interpretation of what a Holmes and Watson might be like if they were born in a tough black LA neighbourhood, IQ, is fantastic and I’ll be looking up the rest in the series in the new year.

Travel

For armchair travellers, Lonely Planet has some lovely books for both adults and children. You can explore the monsters of the world in The Atlas of Monsters and Ghosts or travel to the stars in The Universe: A Travel Guide. Two more Lonely Planet Kids books have recently arrived for review (Wild in the City and Myths and Legends of the World), so I’m looking forward to reading more sumptuously illustrated and quirky travel books this month.

Support your local blogger

If you’d like to support this writer, there are of course the books I released this year: paperbacks Kitty and Cadaver and Scar Tissue and Other Stories, and the anthology War of the Worlds: Battleground Australia.

Ebooks

I have a other recommendations for your summer reading, but as many of these are ebooks and so not as well designed for gifting, I’ll cover those in my next post.

Review: Darkness For Light by Emma Viskic

When review copies of Emma Viskic’s third Caleb Zelic crime novel became available, you can bet I leapt right on that review train and shouted PICK ME PICK ME PICK ME.

I loved the first two in this series – Resurrection Bay and And Fire Came Down – so hard that I compulsively live tweeted my feelz as I went.

Does Darkness for Light live up to the promise of the first two?

Reader, I compulsively live tweeted my (spoiler-free) feelz again. Spare a thought for Emma Viskic, who, when I wailed about Caleb’s terrible life choices, replied:

Darkness for Light is a fantastic crime thriller, drawing on thematic and plot threads from the first two. Caleb, the deaf security consultant protagonist, really is trying very, very hard to make good life decisions this time around, but with the detritus from previous the past clinging on, life is conspiring maliciously against him.

The blurb:

After a lifetime of bad decisions troubled PI Caleb Zelic is finally making good ones. He’s in therapy, reconnecting with the Deaf community, and reconciling with his beloved wife.

But he can’t escape his past.

A violent confrontation forces Caleb back into contact with his double-crossing partner, Frankie. When her niece is kidnapped, Frankie and Caleb must work together to save the child’s life. But their efforts will risk everything, including their own lives.

The title comes from a bible quote: “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for better.” ~ Isaiah 5:20

Without giving away any of the key twists, turns, back flips and I-never-saw-it-comings, Darkness for Light not only matches the crisp writing and superbly crafted professional and personal tensions of the first two books, it ramps up the stakes.

The possibility of a better life is haunting Caleb, with his estranged wife Kat in the early stages of a pregnancy which they hope she can carry to term, this time. When Frankie’s niece Tilda is kidnapped in relation to a case he’s been reluctantly dragged into, Caleb is desperate to save the girl. (Narratively, it feels like Caleb’s instinct is that the fates of Kat’s developing child and Tilda are linked.)

For all his faults, Caleb remains likeable and you really want him to sort out his life, deal with all his issues and live the life he longs for with the woman he loves. And, as Emma Viskic points out, he really is trying, but old enemies, old frenemies and even old and new friends present such a deep blend of motivations and agendas that he has little hope of sorting out what choices constitute ‘good’.

Viskic is immensely clever and satisfying in the ways she weaves together the strengths and vulnerabilities of Caleb’s deafness, the textures of his complex relationships, and the weight of his past against the pull of a future he longs for.

All of this growth and pain plays out as Caleb first of all stumbles onto a dead body where he expected a rendezvous, is blackmailed into helping a Federal Police Officer into a job he’d rather not do, and finally gets horribly tangled up with money laundering, corruption, assault, and murder.

Oh, and he’s also trying to assist a friend from his community unravel a case of vandalism.

The story is engrossing from start to end. The key characters are textured and often sympathetic even when you doubt their motives and decisions. The plotting is clever and all the pieces fit together without being predictable.

In short, Darkness for Light is a thoroughly satisfying read, which adds to the flow and depth of its thoroughly satisfying predecessors. All the stars for Emma Viskic!

Buy Darkness for Light

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The Making of Annabel Lee: An Interview with Melanie Roylance

The original Edgar Allen Poe poem was written in 1849 but the Annabel Lee film project began in 2018 as a Kickstarter. Fifty-three backers funded the production of this Gothic short film, written by Angel Parker, who appears as Annabel in the film.

In my previous posts, I interviewed actor Nathaniel Parker about his dual role as producer and performer in the short film and then writer/actor Angel Parker. This time I interview an old friend who found herself co-producing the film with Nat.

Melanie Roylance

1.       What inspired you to become involved in making Annabel Lee ?

As you know, we had some eccentric yet brilliant English teachers at high school who introduced me to Poe’s works. I was fascinated by his stories, especially his early forms of my favourite genre, detective fiction, which he is largely responsible for popularising.

When Nat announced he was filming Angel’s adaptation of it, my curiosity was piqued. Some friends were contributing to the film in different ways, and I initially intended to make a small contribution. So, to be honest, it was more an accident than a conscious intention to become so heavily involved.

People may call it fate, or serendipity, but sometimes in life things come along that you simply have to do, and this was one. I have respected the Parker family for many years. I first saw Nathaniel Parker as an actor in Piece of Cake back in the late 80s, and in the 90s I wrote an essay for uni about his father, Sir Peter Parker, former chairman of British Rail. What struck me about both was that in industries not renowned for honesty or compassion, they valued social justice and family above all else, and over the years managed to stay true to their principles.

So when Nat announced he wanted to do a project with his daughter, I admired that. My father died when I was in my mid teens, so I knew it would be important for Angel in later years to have the memories of making it with her dad. I also understood why it was important to him, so wanted to help make that happen. I thought of a way to help them raise money, so wrote to Amy and it went from there.

After Nat recovered from the shock that someone half way around the world wanted to help, he treated me like an integral part of the team, and I soon became involved in a lot of the non-creative aspects of bringing it together and marketing it.

2.       The poem is 170 years old – why do you think it endures?

Interesting question. Poe’s obsession with the macabre and the link between love, loss and death that are exemplified in Annabel Lee is compelling. As social creatures, I think people from any era are motivated by a need to be accepted and loved. To quote from the poem, people harbour a desire to love “with a love that was more than love”.

The poem touches on so many common emotions – happiness, passion, hope, anger, despair and that horrid nagging fear that love and happiness are illusory and will be snatched away. Everyone can identify with the poem and empathise with Annabel and E.

3.       What were the most challenging parts of producing and filming the  Annabel Lee  short film?

For me, being based half way around the world was difficult. The time difference meant most communication was asynchronous, which was frustrating at times. More annoyingly, I would have loved to be a part of it on the ground, and to have been able to go to Devon to see it being filmed. I am a very hands-on, practical person, so would have happily been the general dogsbody around the set doing whatever was needed.

But raising funds, creating the website and providing moral support and encouragement can be done remotely, so it worked out okay. And I was fortunate that the initial screening was in London at a time I was there, so it was wonderful to see it for the first time with everyone else.

4.       What did you love the most about making it?

That’s an easy one. I loved being involved in something creative and completely different to other work I have done. To be able to work with engaged and interesting people like Nat, Angel and Amy was a bonus. It was exciting to see all the elements come together. The night of the cast and crew screening, everyone was nervous and worried that their bit would be what let the whole thing down. It was great to see the pride on their faces watching the film and seeing it all fall into place.

Art, whether it be painting, music, literature or film, is about creating a moment where people are transported into another realm and return somehow enriched. I think Annabel Lee accomplishes that in spades.

5.       Did you learn anything about your art (or life) while making it?

Everything we do teaches us something, and often things we never expect to discover. As a newbie to filmmaking, I learnt an enormous amount about the technical side of it, particularly all the post-production work.

With a background managing industrial supply chains, I tended to see the film as a project with tasks and resources that needed juggling to meet deadlines. Working with creative people I soon found that they view things in a much more holistic manner where the art is paramount to the task. So I learned the value of patience, which has never been my strongest trait, and one I need to keep working on – a lot. But I also hope I helped others see the value of planning and thinking about contingencies. Art, and life for that matter, need flexibility and are enriched by the input of a diverse range of people.

And perhaps the biggest lesson was that if you want to do something different, go for it. YOLO might be a cliché, but I don’t want to be on my deathbed regretting not seeking out new experiences. Besides, you never know where opportunities lead.

6.       What do you hope audiences take away from the film?

Two things. Firstly, that Angel (Parker) and Alex (Bhat) are impressive young actors, and in Angel’s case also a very promising screenwriter, and I hope the film promotes their careers.

Secondly, I hope audiences look beyond what is presented on the screen and think about the complex issues the film raises about love, sacrifice and trust. In an increasingly manic world, we need to hold true to certain values, perhaps the most important one being the enduring power of love.

Find out more about Annabel Lee:

Annabel Lee website: https://www.annabelleefilm.info/Twitter: @annabelfilm Instagram @annabelleefilm Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnnabelLeeFilm  Vimeo trailer: https://vimeo.com/366547662Read the poem: https://poets.org/poem/annabel-lee

Host a Screening
Love Annabel Lee and want to show our film at your short film festival?  Contact: info@annabellee.film

The Making of Annabel Lee: An Interview with Angel Parker

The original Edgar Allen Poe poem was written in 1849 but the Annabel Lee film project began in 2018 as a Kickstarter. Fifty-three backers funded the production of this Gothic short film, written by Angel Parker, who appears as Annabel in the film.

After speaking with actor/co-producer Nathaniel Parker, today I interview the film’s writer and lead actress:

Angel Parker

1.       What about Poe’s Annabel Lee poem inspired you to write a script?

Well, I first had the poem handed to me when I was in my teens and a friend suggested we develop it, so that was my first intro to this! For the longest time after that, I just couldn’t get it out of my head. It’s such a beautiful portrait of love and grief – it felt so visual. 

I really liked the idea of making a film that was not a direct transcription of the source material but could be one of many interpretations of it.  Edgar Allan Poe is obviously such a master of mystery and that it leaves endless space for interpretation. And I’ve always been so interested by the lines between fantasy and reality, which is probably why I’m drawn to Poe’s stories and poetry, so I found the idea of getting to explore that in this project really exciting!

2.       The poem is 170 years old – why do you think it endures?

I think that humans are always trying to find ways of expressing both love and grief, because every person experiences them differently. And what’s beautiful about this poem is it doesn’t try to be universal, it focuses on the narrator’s specific, unique experience and I think people are really drawn to that. 

3.       What were the most challenging parts of writing and filming the  Annabel Lee  short film?

In the process of writing, that would have to be the constant job of balancing the fantasy with the reality.  One of the major themes that interested me was how grief, fear and obsession distorts people’s perception. So it was a constant game of paralleling what E. was seeing versus what Annabel was seeing versus what I had decided was actually happening. After that we could get to the fun bit of deciding what to tease out and show to the audience. So it was a massive learning experience for me as a storyteller! 

Then when it actually came to filming, the hardest part for me was honestly the cold! Because by that point my job of writer was essentially over and I just had to turn up as an actress. The crew looked after us so well, but at the end of the day we were shooting in Devon in December and most of the time I was running around barefoot in a white nighty and getting into the sea.

I’m clumsy as anything as well so when I couldn’t feel my feet things got a bit problematic. One day I managed to do a spectacular trip headfirst into the camera, dragging Alex along with me. But it meant I learned there are many many ways to store hand warmers in your costumes. At one point when I had to lie down in the sea, the team actually built me a little bed of hot water bottles to lie on and would just pile coats right on top of me in between takes which didn’t stop our lovely medic having to take me off set because I went blue! 

4.       What parts of the process did you love the most?

I really love the process of redrafting. It was so cool to get to sit down with people who cared as much about this story as I did and get to hash out the themes and the characters and all the backstory for hours. I found that process really good fun.

And then the adventure of shooting down in Devon in such mad conditions and to be amongst people who were just throwing themselves into it was really special. Oh, and I got to fall off a cliff backwards in the dark which made me feel pretty badass.

5.       Did you learn anything about your art (or life) while making it?

I definitely learned about the importance of hot water bottles! But I think, if anything, doing this project really gave me the confidence to make films without the use of conventional storytelling. Being passionate about the story you want to tell and finding other people who are passionate about it too is really liberating. And that kind of supportive environment can create really exciting ideas.

It was also one of my first forays behind the camera, so I got to experience first hand the work and dedication that it takes just to get a project to filming, never mind through post and to being a finished product. Lots of actors don’t get the chance to see that because they’re there for so little of the process, so I feel really lucky to have had that experience.

6.       What do you hope audiences take away from the film?

One thing I really hope they come away with is questions! So much of the story is there for interpretation, and even though I wrote it with my own idea of what’s going on, I like that we’re giving the viewer space for their own perception.

But I mostly hope that people remember the characters and their love story because the idea behind the ambiguity and strangeness of the world we’ve put them is to symbolise that we live in an unknowable world, so what really matters are the connections that we make with other people. The only solid thing throughout the whole film is Annabel and E’s relationship, so all we have to follow is their reactions to things we don’t understand and the way that changes them as individuals and people who love each other.

In the end it doesn’t really matter what is chasing them or even if they are being chased at all in the eyes of the viewer, what matters is that they’ve found something really sacred and that will still have its own life even when one or both of them are gone.

Find out more about Annabel Lee:

Annabel Lee website: https://www.annabelleefilm.info/Twitter: @annabelfilm Instagram @annabelleefilm Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnnabelLeeFilm  Vimeo trailer: https://vimeo.com/366547662Read the poem: https://poets.org/poem/annabel-lee

Host a Screening
Love Annabel Lee and want to show our film at your short film festival?  Contact: info@annabellee.film

The Making of Annabel Lee: An Interview with Nathaniel Parker

The original Edgar Allen Poe poem was written in 1849 but the Annabel Lee film project began in 2018 as a Kickstarter. Fifty-three backers funded the production of this Gothic short film, written by Angel Parker, who appears as Annabel in the film.

Nathaniel Parker, perhaps best known for his lead role in the Inspector Lynley series and playing Agravaine de Bois in Merlin, plays the priest in this film and also came on board as a producer.

As Annabel Lee does the rounds of the short film festivals, I was fortunate to be able to interview some of the people behind it: and today I interview:

Nathaniel Parker

1.       What inspired you to take part in a story about Poe’s Annabel Lee?

Actually, I didn’t know it very well before Angel introduced me to it. That’s one of the benefits of having such an imaginative daughter! I had heard of it and I read it wondering how Angel could possibly tackle it. Well, she did, didn’t she!

2.       The poem is 170 years old – why do you think it endures?

Nearly as old as me. Well, all good literature survives the test of time. Not all of Shakespeare does, but the stuff that does is a joy. So too with poets. Look at Blake or Rumi. Like them, Poe hits at your heart. Those heart-driven emotions never seem to change, do they?

3.       What were the most challenging parts of producing and filming the  Annabel Lee  short film?

Oh, blimey, where do I start? Raising the money was so daunting. Then Robson (Green) appeared, then my family, then Melanie (Roylance). I feel blessed, I really do.  

But that was just the beginning.  Finding the right director, the right actors, the crew.  These are all things I had never done before. I mean I have been around for quite a while, but not in this capacity. So exciting. Luckily, I had Angel as an anchor.  She knows even less about the technical side, but her inspiration drove me. I couldn’t believe I was getting a chance to work with my daughter on such a wonderful project. I know it sounds soppy, at least that is what my mother would have said, but it’s true.  Again, how blessed am I?  

Then, of course there was the first night. After so much preparation, getting cottages, and buying food, and transporting and all the other logistics, the first night we lost 5-6 hours thanks to the camera truck going off the single-track road. I was up that night until 4 a.m. cleaning pans for the food for the next day’s lunch. Then up at 6 a.m. That was an experience. Oh, and you know what else was challenging, coming off the same single-track road 2 days later in my car, and escaping, if not death, a really nasty accident. But all this was completely forgotten when I was on set and saw Angel and Alex acting their socks off. That was when I cried!

4.       What did you love the most about making it?

I think I just answered that question. The pride swelled up in me and I don’t think there was one time when they were on set that I didn’t have at least a wee tear.

5.       Did you learn anything about your art (or life) while making it?

I learnt I that have more than one life.  I may even be a cat, although I am allergic. I watched with admiration Angel’s imagination play out. Life is a compromise. The world wouldn’t turn otherwise, but art is pretty true. Joy.

6.       What do you hope audiences take away from the film?

I hope they don’t take only the angst I have highlighted. I hope they take away that life is complicated, and that love is demanding.  And that, if this was my little Angel’s first foray into screen writing: a) anyone can do it!  (honestly, she was a dyslexic little thing to start with), and b) follow those dreams!

Find out more about Annabel Lee:

Annabel Lee website: https://www.annabelleefilm.info/ Twitter: @annabelfilm Instagram @annabelleefilm  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnnabelLeeFilm   Vimeo trailer: https://vimeo.com/366547662Read the poem: https://poets.org/poem/annabel-lee

Host a Screening
Love Annabel Lee and want to show our film at your short film festival?  Contact: info@annabellee.film

The Neighbours of Night Terrace: Lee Zachariah

The Kickstarter for the third season of the brilliant radio SF comedy, Night Terrace, is entering its final third. In celebration, I’m interviewing a number of people involved with the previous two seasons and the current series!

Today it’s:

Lee Zachariah

who is a Night Terrace writer and infrequent email replier for Night Terrace Season 1, Season 2 and the current Season 3 Kickstarter.

How did you get involved in Night Terrace?

John, Ben, Petra and David wanted to capitalise on the roaring success of Splendid Chaps, and create an audio science fiction series. They asked me to come along and help create it, which was pretty flattering.

Why did you get involved?

Writing an audio comedy science fiction series with your friends, featuring many of Australia’s best actors and comedians, and everybody gets paid? Why wouldn’t I get involved?

What do you love about the show?

So many things. I love the mythology it’s built up, even if I find it tricky to keep track of sometimes and end up having to text John when I forget a back story or key piece of continuity. But being able to put a comedic twist on classic science fiction tropes is a heap of fun, and I think the show provides the perfect structure in which to do that.

What’s your favourite line/quote from NT?

Right at this moment, purely by virtue of it being the line I’ve thought most about the past few weeks, is a line from the beginning of one of my season three episodes. And it’s not from any of the main characters, either. I probably shouldn’t pick one of my own bits, but teasing the next season feels like a savvy use of this answer.

What’s the best feedback you’ve had about the series?

A friend of mine described in great detail an embarrassing outburst of laughter on public transport at a joke in the first season. The purity of that reaction can’t really be beat, although certified famous person Neil Gaiman praising us on Twitter comes awfully close.

What key skill would you bring if you ended up travelling in time and space with the crew?

Being killed off early, thus increasing the odds of everyone else making it out alive

Would you like to travel in time and space with Anastasia, Eddie and Sue?

Sure.

Really?

Hm. When you put it that way…

Today, 15 November, the Kickstarter has cracked the $18,000 mark. Can we kick it up to $19K today?

Be part of the next season of Night Terrace! Zip over to Kickstarter to listen to the very first episode, and pick your pledge level!

The Neighbours of Night Terrace: Petra Elliott

The Kickstarter for the third season of the brilliant radio SF comedy, Night Terrace, is entering its final third. In celebration, I’m interviewing a number of people involved with the previous two seasons and the current series!

Today it’s:

Petra Elliott

who is a Night Terrace co-creator and actor (playing Sue Denholm) in Night Terrace Season 1, Season 2 and the current Season 3 Kickstarter.

How did you get involved in Night Terrace?

I met Ben when I first moved to Melbourne, and we’d worked together before on Museum Comedy. He invited me to co-host the very first episode of Splendid Chaps, which is when I met John, David and Lee. It was only supposed to be a one off gig, but I must’ve done okay, coz they asked me back for every future trillion episodes.

By the end of a year of Splendid Chaps, we knew that project had to end but wanted to keep working together, highlighting each of our individual set of creative skills, and … TA DA!! Night Terrace was born. 

Why did you get involved?

I’d enjoyed bringing the comedic scripts written by John and Ben to life for each Splendid Chaps episode, and by the end I was comfortable enough to riff along with them – and even insert gags to surprise them! It was a dynamic I loved, and I honestly would’ve signed up to continue doing anything with them.

When John announced the Night Terrace concept to the Splendid Chaps Christmas episode live audience, and they responded with SUCH a big cheer, I knew then and there it was a project worth making. 

What do you love about the show?

Our recording days are such a big hoot, so it’s undeniable that I love the process of making the show. How the hell did we convince such amazing humans to share their talent with our little project? 
But also, I’ve listened to these episodes A LOT! Not just for dramaturgy and promo purposes, but because I legitimately enjoy them. And I still enjoy them, after all the re-listens. The jokes, concepts and story arc conceived by John, Ben, David and Lee are simply delightful. I can’t believe I not only get to add my 2 cents to these adventures, but also get to speak the lines as Sue. I’m a lucky girl.

What’s your favourite line/quote from NT?

This is from the live episode, written by all of the lads (see how I don’t pick favourites?!). We got together to do a table read of this episode: it’s always fun when the whole cast can get together ahead of recording days to bond, discover our characters, explain the scifi gags to each other and watch the script come to life. Also, I’ve always loved the Schrödinger dilemma. 

ANASTASIA: No, that was Schrödinger. And also wasn’t Schrödinger. Long story. 

Bloody Ben. Copy cat. Scratch that. My favourite is.. 

SUE: How much do you know about the Uncertainty Principle? 

EDDIE: I’m not sure. 

What’s the best feedback you’ve had about the series?

Being broadcast by BBC Radio 4 Extra was amazing, and helped me realise we’d truly made a high quality product worthy of recognition by industry peers we’ve admired for a very long time. 

The ultimate feedback, though, is the number of Splendid Chaps fans who not only believed in this project enough to back us the first time, but then jumped straight back in for another season, and another. That tells me we’re getting it right! 

I really hope we reach our crowd-funding target as I want to continue sharing the stories of Anastasia, Eddie and Sue for everyone who’s shown us such magnificent support. 

What key skill would you bring if you ended up travelling in time and space with the crew?

More ginger. 

Would you like to travel in time and space with Anastasia, Eddie and Sue?

I think I would. Being stuck in one time and place means you can lose perspective, so taking a look at things on a different planet or alternate point in history might give me the insight I need to make sense of what’s happening in our own hectic world right now.

Really?

I dunno. Ask me tomorrow. 

Would you like to be part of the next season of Night Terrace? Zip over to Kickstarter to listen to the very first episode, and pick your pledge level!

The Neighbours of Night Terrace: Ben McKenzie

The Kickstarter for the third season of the brilliant radio SF comedy, Night Terrace, is entering its final third. In celebration, I’m interviewing a number of people involved with the previous two seasons and the current series!

Today it’s:

Ben McKenzie

who is a producer, writer and actor (playing Eddie Jones) for Night Terrace Season 1, Season 2 and the current Season 3 Kickstarter.

How did you get involved in Night Terrace?

It’s the old old story: friends start a Doctor Who podcast, podcast ends, friends have an audience, friends realise they’re all writers and actors, friends decided to create an audio series in order to work together more. A tale as old as time!

Why did you get involved?

I love audio comedy. I listened to The Hitchhikers’ Guide to the Galaxy quite early on and my Poppa introduced me to The Goon Show. I had a Walkman and listened to spoken word and comedy stuff as much as music! Also I missed acting a lot. I started out as an actor and transitioned into comedy and apart from some sketch shows haven’t done nearly as much as I’d like. Much of the work I have done is in voiceover, but since until recently there’s been so little audio drama produced in Australia, that was mostly narration.

What do you love about the show?

I love that we’ve managed to make our own version of the Doctor Who formula – the characters can go anywhere in space and time, and indeed they do! Plus like early Doctor Who they’re not in charge of their travels, only what they do once they arrive. I love the openness of the premise and how well it works in audio, since we can afford lavish sets and special effects (all entirely thanks to David Ashton). Plus while it’s a comedy we try to make it about things and have plots that go somewhere and make sense.

What’s your favourite line/quote from NT?

This is an unfair question to ask a writer of the show, so instead I will pick my current favourite nerdiest exchange, from the live special “Situational Awareness”:

“Is Heisenberg the one who put the cat in the box?

“No, that was Schrodinger. And also wasn’t Schrodinger. Long story.”

What’s the best feedback you’ve had about the series?

Look, I can’t lie: hearing Neil Gaiman say he thinks it has heart and ideas was a big deal. Like a lot of us making this show, he’s been a big influence on me and I’m a big fan. But I haven’t made much else that lasts – most of my work is live performance and much of it improvised or a one-off. To have people I don’t even know listening? Or people who believe in what we do enough to fund it with their own cash, and make it happen? That’s huge and wonderful. There are also some specific bits of feedback from listeners and supporters that have meant a lot, but I don’t think I could single one out. They know who they are, I hope.

What key skill would you bring if you ended up travelling in time and space with the crew?

I’m kind of a geek of all trades, or as a friend once said, a nerd for all seasons. I certainly don’t know the most about anything, but I know a bit about lots of things. I’d like to think that makes me adaptable and useful in a lot of places and times! Also I love to research things so that might prove helpful too.

Would you like to travel in time and space with Anastasia, Eddie and Sue?

Um…yes! Of course! It wouldn’t be weird at all for Eddie and I to be in the same room at the same time! And sure it’s random, but dinosaurs were around for ages, so the chance of seeing a Stegosaurus would totally be worth it.

Really?

…no. Not really. I mean, the adventure is great, but the never going home part is a sticking point. And Eddie seems oddly okay with it, except for a few times. What’s up with that? I would miss so many people…

Would you like to be part of the next season of Night Terrace? Zip over to Kickstarter to listen to the very first episode, and pick your pledge level!