Sunday, June 16, 2013

Summer of Lore #16: Going to the Shokiyan Theater (part 1)

The theater of Shokiyu is a lavish spectacle, combining the conventions of the Western theater with elements of Chinese opera and Japanese kabuki theater. Elaborate sets, colorful costumes, music (both sung and played), dancing, puppets, acrobatics, stage combat,and magical special effects are par for the course in any Shokiyan play.

The stage itself is very large and spacious, with trapdoors for descents to the underworld, platforms up above for gods, spirits, fairies, and birds to "fly" over the audience, and large enough to accommodate even the biggest of puppets (which require multiple people to operate.)

Most of the time, the theater's actors in residence will play the roles, but sometimes a casting call is put out to everyone. (Telrain is large enough to have its own theater and actors)

Minstrels usually serve as narrators of the action (they also explain some of the conventions of the theater before the play begins if told there are visitors from other lands in attendance), but them playing a role is not unheard of (usually as a minstrel  in the play)


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