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Saturday July 25th 2020, at 6.30pm. Doors will open at approximately 6pm, following the end of Chunky Fringe.
WHERE IS IT?
A nice, leafy, safe, part of North London, far from the crowds. Specifically:
Elliott Hall,
Harrow Arts Centre,
Uxbridge Road,
Hatch End,
HA5 4EA
www.harrowarts.com
HOW DO I GET THERE?
The nearest station is Hatch End, which has fast, reliable, train links from mainline stations Watford Junction and Euston. The venue is walking distance from there. Also relatively nearby are tube stations Harrow-On-The-Hill and Harrow & Wealdstone.
It's also easy to drive to, being a short distance from major motorways. There's a car park on site, and an overflow carpark attached to the supermarket next door.
WHERE CAN I STAY?
Watford is your best bet for hotels - it's easy to get a train or a cab back to - though central Harrow has a number of options.
If you want to get fancy, you can stay at the nearby Grimsdyke Hotel, which was once the home of WS Gilbert, of Gilbert and Sullivan fame. It has been used as a filming location for everything from classic Doctor Who to TV's Avengers to Mr Biffo's Found Footage. You can even visit the lake where Gilbert drowned.
WILL I NEED TO BRING MY TICKET?
Yes. This year we've gone for a ticketed system to make access faster and more simple. Please bring your ticket either printed out or on your phone.
IS THERE DISABLED ACCESS?
Everything is on the ground floor. There are ramps to all areas with adapted WCs throughout the centre, and reserved disabled parking close to the building. Seeing and hearing dogs are welcome, and water can be provided for all assistance dogs. An induction loop system is available in Elliot Hall.
If you have specific questions, please contact the venue.
WHAT EXACTLY IS DIGITISER LIVE?
It's two hours of (very loosely) retro gaming-themed comedy, panel games, music and chaos. This year's event will be hosted mainly by myself and Paul Gannon, spinning out of the Digitiser Minis, but it seems a fair bet that some of your favourites from Digitiser The Show will be involved in some capacity too. It's a given that Beanus, Fat Sow and The Man's Daddy will be there.
The less you know going in the better. Expect the unexpected. We're going for bigger and better.
WHAT IS CHUNKY FRINGE?
Hosted by David Walford and Super Page 58's very own Digi historian Chris Bell, Chunky Fringe is an afternoon of panels and demonstrations, with a loose Digitiser, teletext, and retro-tech theme. It takes place at Harrow Arts Centre the afternoon of Digitiser Live.
Last year had panels on teletext recovery, classic Digitiser, and Mr Biffo's Found Footage.
Once again, there'll be special guest speakers, and I can confirm that I, Mr Biffo, will be on at least one panel this year. Chris Bell is also putting together a special Digitiser Quiz.
Timings and further details for Chunky Fringe will be released closer to the time.
With many of you coming early, we're hoping the venue bar will be open so you don't have to all hang out in the car park again.
CAN I COME DRESSED AS A DIGITISER CHARACTER?
Yes! In fact, we would love to look out on a sea of Beanuses, Goujon Johns and Men With A Long Chin.
WILL YOU PICK ON THE AUDIENCE?
No! We'll never single out anybody. There may be audience interaction, but never at the expense of any individual. We want you to feel comfortable and safe.
WHO ELSE IS GOING TO BE THERE?
We're still almost six months away from the show, so we can't confirm the availability of all the guests. But... we've already spoken to a number of people we'd love to have involved, and they've all said yes so far.
What we can tell you is that - if they can all make it on the night - it's pretty much our dream line-up of 90s British gaming personalities (as you've never seen them before) and friends-of-Digi. We're sure you can fill in the blanks.
If we can pull it off (so to speak), it'll be a total nostalgia-fest.
WILL THERE BE FOOD?
We're currently discussing the possibility of a food truck being available on site (though we can't guarantee it at this stage), and the bar will be open until late. We'll be mingling with you after the show, if you're able to stick around. There's also a Morrisons supermarket next door to the venue, with a cafe, and many restaurants and a pub a short walk away in Hatch End.
WILL THERE BE MERCHANDISE?
Possibly. We're aware that people wanted to take home a memento last time, so we may have a merch table this year, with t-shirts and badges.
CAN WE GET A SELFIE?
Of course! After the show we're going to hang out and would love to meet as many of you as possible. Last year it was a bit of a free-for-all, so we're going to try to structure it a little better, and have a dedicated area to plonk ourselves down in. Please respect boundaries, and give other guests the chance to meet us.
WHAT ABOUT SECURITY?
Guests agree that last year's Digitiser Live was one of the friendliest, most inclusive, and welcoming events imaginable.
However, we had a small issue with one attendee, who has since been banned from all future Digitiser events. It was the one negative of an otherwise inclusive and welcoming day. To avoid a repeat, we're hoping to have additional security. Your safety and enjoyment is important to us, and we have a zero tolerance approach to harassing or offensive behaviour.
I'VE GOT SOCIAL ANXIETY - SHOULD I COME?
The Digitiser community is an amazing collective of individuals. They are welcoming of everyone, and understand that we all have different needs. So many people pushed themselves out of their comfort zone to come last time, and they are all coming back for more. Friendships were forged! Take a leap. You never know what might happen.
At the same time, you can simply come along, watch the show, and leave. You can socialise as much or as little as you like. No pressure.
WILL THERE BE STROBE LIGHTS?
No.
CAN I HELP OUT?
One of our aims this time is to put on a show that's more streamlined both on-stage and off. We learned a lot putting on last year's Digi Live. We're not currently looking for any additional volunteers, but we will put out the call if we do need any extra help.
CAN I BE IN THE SHOW?
Again, probably not, no. And we won't be dragging volunteers out of the audience, willing or otherwise.
WILL IT BE FILMED?
We're not currently planning to film the show professionally, due to the expense of doing so. If you want to see it... you'll have to be there.
WILL YOU BE DOING ANY SHOWS NEAR <INSERT-NAME-OF-PLACE-HERE>?
Our audience isn't big enough to justify a tour, unfortunately. The venue and location we've chosen is perfect for our purposes. We really appreciate so many of you making the effort to travel, and will pull out all the stops to make it worth the effort.
Because we're not having to travel, we can spend the budget on the show itself, but we've taken into account the potential cost of train tickets (and in some cases, plane tickets) and hotels, which is why we've kept ticket prices as low as possible.
We are discussing the possibility of a handful of smaller shows at some point, and there'll be a Cheapshow Live event in September, featuring Gannon and Eli Silverman, but for now... this is the only all-singing, all-dancing, Digitiser extravaganza we have planned.
UPDATED FEBRUARY 6th 2020