Session 1

The first session began with Andrew Saunders and Doctor Frederick Bartlett being invited to a play called Carcosa, or The Queen and the Stranger, to be premiered at the Scala Theatre, Charlotte Street London on October 17th 1928. Having been given 2 tickets each, they invited their friends Nathaniel Browne and Captain George Withers.

See the Scala, here

Before the play, the PCs got to know each other, and revealed their professions.

Doctor Bartlett, a retired psychiatrist, had seen Andrew in a professional capacity after a very strange experience on a train journey which Andrew had undertaken with Nathaniel.

Captain Withers, a career army man, was an old friend of Doctor Bartlett's

Andrew, a museum creator with a special interest in mythology, had come to see his sister, Hannah Keith perform the role of the Queen.

Nathaniel, an author, had been invited by Andrew and was very enthusiastic about seeing this new play by the noted novellist, Talbot Estus.

Watching the play, the PCs observe that the audience is reacting strangely to the performance. Gasps of horror, and surprise and even laughter are expressed at points in the performance that seem wholly inappropriate.