scop (noun): Old English – bard, minstrel, storyteller
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This Week on PSMT:
The Mystery of the Hidden KeyLast fall, in the final act of Prime Stage Mystery Theatre’s “In the Ghost Light’s Glow,” we discovered a key inside the secret compartment of an old pencil box. Then, last week, in Act IV of “The Elf in the Wardrobe,” that key made a return appearance as our characters attempted to open a locked…
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Overcoming Writer’s Block:
Bono, R.E.M. & The Doorway EffectSome of the best advice for overcoming writer’s block comes from U2’s Bono by way of R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe. At least, I think that’s the case … though try as I might, I can’t locate any record of the interview. Nor do I recall anything else said in the interview or even if I came…
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This Week on Mystery Theatre:
The Language of Anglo-Saxon ÆlvesThis week’s installment of Prime Stage Mystery Theatre includes a conversation about the Old English language with scholar and actor Patrick Conner. You can listen to an excerpt of our interview with Dr. Conner in Act IV of Mystery Theatre’s “The Ælf in the Wardrobe” by clicking here or using the media player at the…
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This Week on Mystery Theatre:
Knock-Code Charts & Ancient AlphabetsCan the arrangement of carved squares on the front of a locked wardrobe provide a clue for decoding the tapping sounds coming from within? And what about the red-and-white dragon heads in the center of each square? Could they possibly indicate the language of the coded message? Those are just some of the questions you…
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This Week on Mystery Theatre:
A Challenge to the ListenerIt’s really a simple matter. I maintain that at this point […] you have all the facts in your possession essential to a clear solution of the mystery. The mystery writing team Frederic Dannay and Manfred Bennington Lee (writing under the pseudonym Ellery Queen) used to include the above statement toward the end of their…
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This Week on Mystery Theatre:
Cracking the CodeThe irregular tapping came from the other side of the sheet-metal wall that separated Paul’s and Harold’s cell from the totally enclosed tank for desperados next door. Experimentally, Paul tapped on his side. “Twenty-three—eight-fifteen,” came the reply. Paul recognized the schoolboy’s code: one for A, two for B … twenty-three—eight-fifteen” was “Who?” That’s a rudimentary…