Theatre of Cruelty (Discworld)

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"Theatre of Cruelty"
Short story by Terry Pratchett
First edition
Language	English
Genre(s)	Fantasy clichés Characters Ankh-Morpork City Watch, Carrot Ironfoundersson, Death Locations Ankh-Morpork
Publication
Publisher	Souvenir Press
Publication date	1993
Series	Discworld 2nd short story - 2nd City Watch story

"Theatre of Cruelty" is a short Discworld story by Terry Pratchett written in 1993. The name derives from a concept of Antonin Artaud (Theatre of Cruelty).

It was originally written for W. H. Smith Bookcase magazine and was then slightly modified and extended, being published again in the programme of the OryCon 15 convention, and then again in The Wizards of Odd, a compilation of fantasy short stories.

It has since been made available on the Internet along with dozens of translations by fans, with Pratchett having stated, "I don't want to see it distributed in print anywhere but don't mind people downloading it for their own enjoyment."

The story involves both the Ankh-Morpork City Watch and a parallel of Punch and Judy.