42 Worcester

26/05/2026

Photos from tonight!!

26/05/2026

It was such a hot day today - not like May at all - but physical temperatures were more civilised in Script Haven this evening, with cooling drinks a-plenty. The temperatures of the stories we heard, on the other hand, veered from the hellishly sizzling to the icy chills of terror . . . The theme was 'Accidents Will Happen', and we heard of many strange accidents - of a feather boa and the apparently accidental fate of a theatrical rival, of a washed-up comedian with a rare talent, of a ghost causing havoc in an accident-prone supermarket, and an epic battle between a 17th Century Cunning Man and a Devil for the lives of a plague-stricken family. In the second half, a schoolboy escapade became a terrifying nightmare (which might cause bad dreams in our audience tonight), there was a dizzyingly complicated fantasy of quantum physics and the multiverse, a writer then contemplated her second night at 42 (knowing she'll probably be one of us forever more), and finally accidents began happening in a small, strange bookshop . . . It was an extraordinary and memorable evening - and you want to experience it yourselves - we've got two 42s to enjoy in June! Event Pages will be going up tonight!

14/05/2026

And here's a heads-up for June . . . In the world of 42, we somehow happen to have thirteen months a year - or at any rate, there are thirteen 42s a year, which amounts to more or less the same thing if you disregard regular notions of Time, doing which is usually quite a good idea . . . So in June, we have our 42 Special, as part of the annual Worcs LitFest. This will be on Tuesday June 9th, and the theme is 'A Brisk Rattle of Chains' . . . Regular 42 is on June 30th, with the theme of 'Be A Good Sport' . . . Both will be at Script Haven, and are fully hybrid events . . . Writers and performers - book your slots in the usual way . . . For prospective audience members, it's free to attend, and there's no need to book tickets or anything complicated, just turn up (or click on the Zoom link) and relish the weirdness!

14/05/2026

Remember - the next 42 is on May 26th, in Script Haven's new shop - 5, Crown Passage. The theme is 'Accidents Will Happen', and there are still a few performance slots available! :D

28/04/2026

The photos from tonight!

28/04/2026

We had a fabulous evening at 42 tonight - in Script Haven's new shop in Crown Passage . . . We heard some extraordinary stories, poetry, and general randomness - our theme was 'The Lost Icon', and there were all sorts of interpretations of it! . . . We heard of the sinister malevolence of James Dean's car, an elegant elegy for a pet that had passed away, an archaeological dig at Wayland's Smithy, the sudden disappearance of computer programs, the mysterious rise and disappearance of a musical star, a group of characters aware of being in a story, multitudinous interpretations of the theme leading to a hilarious parody, some icons of 20th century Irish history, a familiar anti-hero's early naval adventure, the horrific career of a Victorian criminal, and the psychological agony resulting from a computer update . . . So many different types of icons, and so many ways in which they were lost! The imaginations of our writers are simply awe-inspiring! . . . And if you weren't there, 42Worcester is a free event, anybody can come along to join the audience, or click on the Zoom link to watch from home. Performance slots can be booked in advance - but if you want a slot for the May 42, book yours soon - the List fills up very quickly!

31/03/2026

The photos from tonight! (I look very disreputable in this, but I was performing a murderous museumly poem)

31/03/2026

Our 15th Birthday - and what a night we had! A strange, eclectic gathering of writers and performers from the Dark Side, and the theme was 'The Best Party Ever' . . . We had our first ever multi-media performance, with the best party imaginable, then I did one of the pieces that I performed at the first ever 42 in 2011, followed by a Monster Mash party, an evil boss, the real-life horror of current politics, then the ultimate political dystopia. After the interval, there was a builder who can deal with nuisance neighbours (with the best party-wall ever), the hunt for an ancient artefact for futile alchemy, an optimistic original song in honour of '42 meanings of life', the dreaded aftermath of an office party, and finally a sentient AI and the eradication of humanity . . . A very 42 sort of night! We've been going for 15 years, and next month we'll be in the new Script Haven shop, in the fascinating purlieus of an 18th century coaching inn, full of history and strangeness . . .

24/02/2026

And here are the photos from tonight!

Only at 42Worcester will you get Gothic horses, raccoons in trench coats and a sonnet about Vlad the Impaler’s cleaner!
Next month is 42’s 15th birthday 🎁 🍷

24/02/2026

We had a fascinating evening at 42! . . .With dismal February leaving us all (literally) under the weather, we didn't have as many performers as usual - but we still had some brilliant stories, poems and performances!! The theme was 'Unclean Spirits', and we heard a cautionary tale of human experiments to create immortality, a demon prowling Worcester, what happened when Vlad the Impaler needed a cleaner, the haunted tragedy of refugees and those whose lives have been torn apart by war, a horse and a gothic chapel by moonlight, four racoons standing on one another's shoulders in a trenchcoat and posing as a human, the biosecure entrance to the Heavenly Realms to keep out dirty angels, the post-human inhabitants of a blissful virtual universe remembering the mucky loathsomeness of physical human existence, an occult ritual with unexpected consequences, and the reception-centre for the newly-dead (because upstairs or downstairs aren't the only alternatives, and the third option is a lot more fun!) . . . The next 42 is in March - our Birthday month, and it'll be our 15th Birthday! The theme is 'The Best Party Ever' - it's going to be amazing!