Intersection; Performance

originally posted September 11, 2006

We are a full day south of Venna or, more precisely, southwest. Without the luxury of caravan wagons or caravan guards, Mathor has begun to instruct the Cloth Worker, Darwin, on the basic precautions one takes when securing a camp at dusk. We are not too large a group; three men, one forest sleen and eight slave girls. Last evening, the fellow formerly of Tabor learned to set up a defensive perimeter, using the landscape about us to its greatest advantage. And while I am fairly certain Mathor sleeps even less than he speaks, I noted that he allowed Darwin at least one shift of watch last evening. We are traveling along the Vosk Road. When we arrive at the intersection of the Vosk Road and the Viktel Aria it will truly feel as if we are home. In as little as two days from the intersection, south along the Viktel Aria, one can already see the lights of my city at night, though one is yet several days from home. The patrols of the city, tarnsmen silouhetted in moon light, will be seen soaring loftily above.

The last night in Venna, we performed The Bridge of Twenty Lanterns to a crowd of about seventy-five people on the street where bakers and confectioners have their shoppes located. As planned, Portia and Six Girl portrayed Bina and Brigella, respectively. The blonde girl, Samantha, played her flute admirably both before and during the play. Joy and Elise played the part of serving girls. The roles of serving girls were reduced from four to two, making the casting a little tighter. The play has been written for seven girls, including a flute girl, and one male lead. It works well, however, with only five slaves. During the scripting, that sort of adaptability was built into the phrasing. Most street plays are well known to the audiences that patronize them, having been written generations ago and rewritten, readapted over the years. The audiences often know the lines, or the general direction of the plot at least, as well as the actors on the 'stage' and sometimes better. They are encouraged to participate, to add their comments and such freely as the whim suits them. Having said that, I was pleased that an original, unknown work did not fail to inspire creative commentary from the people patronizing our production. Too, it did not fail to inspire generous patronage. Sending my Bina and Brigella into the crowd with large, wooden bowls and their slavish miens certainly aided in the endeavor to receive recompensation for theentertainment we provided the citizens of Venna that night.