Shock Theater  is a spooky and spectacular take on a radio play, “complete with show-stopping twists, unexpected turns, and delightfully devious foley sound effects.” This year’s production was “The Fly!!!” đȘ°
Michael is the only one who sees the the script ahead of time; no one else will have seen their parts. Thus, they perform more or less “on the fly.!” đ
For those too young, the original “The Fly” was a 1958 black and white film starring Vincent Price and a host of other actors you probably have never heard of. đ
This year’s presentation was as silly as ever. It portrays the story of Frank Randall who engineers  a time transport machine and Diana as Claire Randall, devoted wife. Frank accidentally transports himself with a fly in the machine! Molecules intermix so Frank emerges from the device with a fly hand and head and the fly ends up with a human head and hand. đȘ°
Follow this meandering and entertaining story if you dare! đč
Warning! A volunteer screams loudly about four times in the video, so be prepared! đ
Greetings Outlander fans! My, I have missed you all⊠đ€
This weekend I find myself in beautiful Surrey, British Columbia, Â Canada, attending the Surrey International Writersâ Conference, more commonly known as SiWC!
I drove from Oregon to Canada lastThursday. It was a beautiful day but the  normally 5.5 hr drive turned into nearly 7 hours due to two collisions in Washington state.  Yes, it was an inconvenience for those on the freeway, but I was grateful to arrive safely and I hope those involved in the crashes are OK.
Thus far, I have attended several events featuring Diana – she is one busy lass! All were delightful and I will share them with you, but not in chronological order mostly due to the technical issues of posting via  iPad. đ
Todayâs event was titled âCompelling Expositions,â a panel featuring Diana Gabaldon, Michael Slade, Robyn Harding, and Darren Groth (not shown). Â K. C. Dyer moderated (also not shown).
Diana looked stunning, layered with in a deep red shawl because the room was freezing! đ„¶
Many fruitful topics were covered by the panel. Here are some highlights including Dianaâs responses:
Question:  Which is your fav scene from your writings? Diana chose the scene from âOutlanderâ book wherein Jamie rescues Claire from Black Jack Randallâs clutches. They shelter at a tavern –  Jamie tells Claire he is not ready for bed and proceeds to whip her with his sword belt. This set up a major clash between the two characters because each POV was justified from their perspective. Claire was trying to find a way back to Frank but Jamie knew her actions put all of their lives  in danger. I must confess, this choice surprised me. I suppose because Diana has written so many splendid scenes. How would one even choose? đ€
This is wee bit of the excerpt from the scene (pp. 249-250 âOutlanderâ Kindle version) that is Dianaâs fav!
âCome to bed, Jamie. What are you waiting for?â
He came to stand by the bed, swinging the belt gently back and forth.
âWell, lass, Iâm afraid weâve a matter still to settle between us before we sleep tonight.â I felt a sudden stab of apprehension.
âWhat is it?â He didnât answer at once. Deliberately not sitting down on the bed by me, he pulled up a stool and sat facing me instead.⊠đŻ
Question: How do you deal with pacing? Diana responded that pacing depends on context. For example, if there is an emergency then the writer wants to keep sentences short and terse. Pacing allows the author to create tension between two elements. A question is raised and then answered to move the story forward. (PsstâŠ. She didnât mention that sometimes the answers to questions she raises donât get resolved until two books and ten years later!) đ
Question: How do you deal with slang or dialect? Diana feels dialogue is the most important way to define a character. Â An author using another language (e.g. Gaelic) needs to educate themself in the language. She watched films with Scottish characters to hear their spoken English. At conferences, if she heard anyone speaking with a Scottish accent, she invited them for coffee and listened to them speak. Diana also recommended reading books written by someone who speaks the language. She read several Scottish authors to help her get a feel for syntax, cadence, etc. Frankly, her devotion to her craft is a splendid example to all aspiring authors. đ„°
Question: Do you plan out a chapter or scene ahead of time? Diana does not. We already know she doesnât write in a straight line. She also does not tell her characters what to say or do. She waits patiently for them to speak to her.  This being my fourth SiWC, I can tell you hers is a unique approach. Most writers I encounter plan out scenes, many even work from  a classic outline. She also doesnât know ahead of time how a book will end. I guess the one exception here is that she seems to know how the âOutlanderâ books will end. Sob! đą
Question: Who is your favorite author. James Clavell, she answered without a momentâs hesitation. Â Clavell authored the marvelous, âShogun,â for those who might not know. Although it has been some time since I read it, it is well worth doing so. đđ»
I have been attending both events since 2016, although I missed 2017;  forgivable, because I was touring Scotland! đ
A wee bit about SiWC. For more than two decades, SiWC  has included Diana Gabaldon as speaker, teacher, and panelist. One year, she served as organist for Michael Sladeâs Shock Theater!  Shock is supposed to be silly and mysterious, hence the creepy music, but who knew she also plays the keyboard?
Every interaction I have had proved to be delightful and well worth the long drive from Oregon to British Columbia!
This is me with Outlander’s Gaelic consultant, ĂdhamhĂ Broin, who offered a rousing presentation and Gaelic lesson at OV 2016! Â
You might wonder, who is the MasterMind behind the OV creative venture? Why, it is KoKo! Also known as the wee pocket dynamo! Â
Both SiWC and OV were cancelled this year, but OV came to the rescue with virtual interactions between attendees and Outlander guests. Many thanks to her and her crew for their heroic efforts putting Outlander fans and cast in contact during a global pandemic. Kudos to all! đđ»
Now, on to Paul! He joined the  Zoom group precisely at 10am PT,  to a bevy of adoring fans.
What a cutie! Have you ever seen a more generous and genuine smile? Adorable! (psst…I can safely state this because I am old enough to be his grandmum!) đ€
BTW, his somber IMDb photo does little to reflect this funny, articulate, and expressive young man!
As we each introduced ourselves, he greeted each attendee with enthusiasm, interest, and curiosity.
Understand, we came from near and far to meet Paul! Scotland, Washington, Oregon, Florida, New Jersey, California and as far away as Lebanon – the country!
And, this lucky lass, Carrie Needham, joined us from the Fraserâs Ridge set. Yep! She was actually there!!! đđ»
Paul offered a brief introduction including the tidbit that Lizzy finds BOTH brothers verra interesting. đđ
Next, each attendee was given the opportunity to ask Paul a question.
Tell us what your first day was like on the Outlander set? He thought for a moment and then responded that his prior acting experiences had been limited to theater so he was extremely nervous about filming!
Early on, Â he met Caitlin O’Ryan (Lizzie Wemyss)Â for a âchemistryâ test – it went very well!
On the first day of filming a van picked him up at 5am and hustled him to the set! Everyone, cast and crew, was extremely friendly and helpful, but he felt a bit overwhelmed by the number of people who periodically descended to fuss with his hair, costume, and makeup. He explained that Sam and Cait helped calm and reassure him given the newness of the situation. He also said that Sam was always in the background crunching on carrots! đ„đ
Given that Kezzie is deaf, how was their communication determined? Paul said that sign language wasnât available to Kezzie and Jo, raised in the back country of North Carolina, so they had to develop their own communication scheme.Â
In preparation, he worked with a consultant to develop style and signs unique to Kezzie. Paul recalls about 60 or 70 different signings  – extras in case a director asked something of Kezzie that was not scripted.
Were you outgoing and gregarious as a kid? No, actually he was shy and an introvert (surprising as he came across as a natural people-person in this Zoom).
He also noted that young girls scared him. How about the older ones? đ
He settled on acting after visiting the Royal College of Art. Eureka! He realized hat he could get a job in the field of acting! And, arenât we pleased that he did?
Are you musical? Yes! He plays bass and guitar in a band, although he claimed he sings, badly. Ahhh! I am dubious about this, because he possesses a mellifluous speaking voice!
Does he share similar traits with the twins? Paul said, yes. He pointed out that both Jo and Kezzie want to be part of a family. Kezzie, especially, is very affectionate. The twins are aware of the world and strive to put others first; these are traits Paul aspires to emulate. And, working on Outlander has affirmed to him how kind people really are.
Are you a hunter like Jo? Paul responded, âonly of hearts!â Clever lad! đ„°
Paul has never hunted animals. Lacking such experience, he did research into Native American hunting styles reasoning that Jo would likely emulate their practices. He studied still hunting, a technique requiring practices such as slowness, patience, covering tracks, taking down the leader of a herd to make it less defensible. Growing up as a Beardsley servant in the back country of North Carolina, Jo also had learned by trial and error. Â
He also revealed that in Outlander episode 509, Heroes and Monsters, the rabbit was dead but the maggots were very much alive!!! So, he is gaining experience with game. đł
How did you film the twins together in one scene? Paul explained that director Jamie Payne had never filmed one actor acting as twins. For some of the scenes, they used a double for him to interact with. For other scenes, Paul acted to air, but against a blue screen not a green one, as the latter did not work well in a forest setting. He said acting to air was not difficult because this is done in theater work.
Do you like cats? Turns out, Paul is obsessed with CATS! He likes dogs, but felines are the catâs meow!
He has two cats and both are Siberian forest cats. He secured them from a breeder near Glasgow. This breed is hypoallergenic and fetch much like dogs.Â
He whipped put his phone and shared images of his furry children. They are sisters!
RubyÂ
and Alexi.
If you could have a superpower, what would it be? Well, he has been obsessed with Spiderman since 5 y.o.! As proof, he shared a cute picture from his cell phone: Paul with his Spiderman costume! But, since Spiderman is not a super power, he would choose to be a shape shifter. Great choice, Paul!
Final question: How was the tonsillectomy scene from episode 505, Perpetual Adoration filmed?
He said filming that scene was trying because he spent the entire day with a mouthful of gauze! A bit of filming followed by “cut,” where upon his mouth was decorated with bits of blood or tonsillar scraps! More filming and repeat. The Outlander medical advisor was on hand to add authenticity and pointers. Â
After the last question, the session came to a close. A thoroughly charming young man is Paul Gorman. I look forward to more storyline about Kezzie and Jo during Outlander, Season 6! đđ»
Thank you OV and thank you Paul!
PS: If you wish to find out more about OV, you can find them on FB or their website.
PSS: OV images were taken from my iPad by my iPhone. Thus, they are a wee bit blurry. đ
