All-round wizardry as Ringwood Waldorf School stages Terry Pratchett’s Wyrd Sisters

Some of Sir Terry Pratchett’s most famous characters were brought to life as Ringwood Waldorf School conjured a spellbinding adaptation of Wyrd Sisters.

Two ambitious public shows, ahead of the first anniversary of the fantasy writer’s death, were ably performed by Class Ten players aged 15 and 16.

From the moment the three witches compared their mundane, domestic diaries to decide ‘when shall we three meet again’, this celebrated comedy of time travel, regicide and the power of words over physical force was always going to entertain.

The cast navigated the essential Macbeth and Hamlet parodies with aplomb and succeeded in rule number one: making interesting drama even if you had never read Pratchett or been aware of Discworld before.

Against a disc-shaped set design and other fantasy trappings, the action grew towards its time-bending, play-within-a-play conclusion with a host of confident performances and well delivered lines. Among the most memorable was the disarmingly profound observation by Granny Weatherwax, played by Aisha Sinclair, that ‘cats can look after themselves, countries can’t’.

How words can praise or condemn, how history is in truth what people choose to write on a page and remember, and whether words are indeed mightier than sticks or stones – all these themes were put under the spotlight in what was a highly entertaining production. On display throughout were creativity, humour and a strong spirit of friendship and fun among the cast.

Part of an Upper School Festival, the Ringwood Waldorf School production was of a stage adaptation of Wyrd Sisters by Pratchett collaborator Stephen Briggs.

Review by Scott Sinclair