Art Appreciation

originally posted June 22, 2005

I received word from Vesutto that 'The Fall of Agamedes' will open at the end of the Hand in Venna. The parts of the male leads, the only two roles in the play, have been filled.
Agamedes the Warrior will be portrayed by an actor of some acclaim called Locutius. Vesutto was thrilled to secure the fellow. He is normally not one to perform in anything less than a grand theater, such that can be found in major metropolitan areas like Ar or, perhaps Turia. He has performed, as well, at the Sardar Fairs, earning him a reputation across the city states of Gor as an actor par excellence.
It could be argued, however, that the true focal character of the play, despite the title, is Julian the Assassin. Vesutto chose to cast that part to a relatively unknown fellow who possessed a likable charm and dry wit during auditions that fit the character well. His reading is said to have made a free woman in attendance leave the room hurriedly, complaining vehemently about the lack of proper ventilation in the theater.
I still have not considered how I will cast the play when it is performed in Ar. Since selling the exclusive, if temporary, rights to Vesutto, I have been tweaking the lines and making some adjustment to stage direction. I think, however, on the whole, Vesutto made good choices. I have seen Locutius perform. The fellow is a larl upon the stage, a true presence. I cannot claim to have been thinking of him when I wrote the part but, in hearing of him being cast to play Agamedes in Venna, I wonder who might be better suited.
I shared several of the middle scenes of the play with the girl, Joy, a few nights ago. I garmented her in a black woolen poncho and outfitted her with a wooden 'Killing Knife' that she might read the part of Julian as I read the part of Agamedes. My tunic is not the Scarlet of the Warrior, but it is predominantly red and trimmed in aqua, the second color of my Caste. She enjoyed the exercise and, to my satisfaction, picked up on several of the themes I presented without being prompted. She, too, had excellent insight into the psyche of the characters. I was not surprised. She is an excitingly intelligent female. On her barbarian world, she was an intellect with an appreciation for the arts; an endeavor she was also a participant in. She has tried to explain this 'photographic art' to me before. Apparently, there are three elements. There is an optical element; usually a curved piece of glass, a mechanical element; a light capturing box, and a chemical element, 'film' which the image burns onto. In some manner, the light which bounces off of objects is directed through the optical element, trapped in the mechanical element and finally burned onto the chemical element. Later, at the artist's convenience, the 'film' is 'developed' onto a wafer thin canvas. It is said to be an exact representation of the image the artist saw when making the 'photograph'. It sounds much like the magic of Priest Kings to me, but she assures me it is art. I will take her word for it.
My account on the Street of Coins is soon to swell not only with the labor of whores, but with the production of art; of the written word spoken, emoted, acted out and enjoyed by those with an appreciation for such things, the theater. I am exhausted, mentally and physically with the exertion of managing such disparate endeavors, but I am content.