#talaura

[eddieredmayneargentinablog]

New! SPECIAL FEATURES Eddie Redmayne First Played the Cabaret's Emcee in School, Now He's Doing It on Broadway.

The actor is newly Tony nominated for his nihilistic take on the iconic character.

By TALAURA HARMS , Playbill, May 10th, 2024

📷 Heather Gershonowitz.

Eddie Redmayne is gathering tips. As the Tony and Oscar-winning actor was opening a Broadway musical this season, he was also trying to figure out the best ways to navigate New York City for the six months that he’ll be in the show. His wife and two young children have joined him from London. They’re currently looking for ways to spend summer in the city. And speaking of summer, Redmayne is concerned about keeping his voice in good working order in a city with more air conditioning than he’s accustomed to having.

“I’m accumulating a little handbook of ‘The Survivor’s Guide to Broadway,” Redmayne laughs. “I’m a passionate lover of New York, so any excuse to come here…I’m thrilled.”

The excuse—and it’s a pretty good one—is Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club, which opened April 21 at the August Wilson Theatre. Redmayne reprises his role as The Emcee in the revival of the classic John Kander, Fred Ebb, and Joe Masteroff musical. Rebecca Fracknell directs the production, a West End transfer that won seven 2022 Olivier Awards, including one for Redmayne’s performance. The production has been a hit in the London, where it is currently still running.

Redmayne is the only member of the West End cast, though, to transfer to Broadway with the production. He’s joined at the August Wilson by Gayle Rankin as Sally Bowles, Ato Blankson-Wood as Clifford Bradshaw, Bebe Neuwirth as Fraulein Schneider, and Steven Skybell as Herr Schultz. And both Rankin and Redmayne have been Tony nominated for their performances; the show picked up nine nominations total, including Best Revival of a Musical.

“It’s been such a unique experience because it’s been starting anew and fresh whilst at the same time, having this character sitting in my stomach and ruminating for three years now. And my journey, of the relationship with the character, has been one that stems from, oh gosh, almost 30 years now from when I first played it when I was a schoolboy,” says Redmayne. “There is great joy that comes from that—from each time getting to re-mine the character and re-look at it in a different context and with a different inspiration.”

When Playbill spoke with Redmayne, the company was still in rehearsals for the Broadway mounting. As part of his continuing exploration of the Emcee, the actor had just revisited one of his favorite New York museums, the Neue Galerie of German and Austrian art on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. 

“I was looking at some of the Schiele paintings there and reminding myself of how, when I first started looking into the idea of The Emcee, just having portfolios of Schiele prints everywhere. That was one of the ways in. It was a lovely moment to reconnect and reinspire in the museum.” It is easy to spot the influence of the Austrian Expressionist painter Egon Schiele in the angles of Redmayne’s body as he looks over a shoulder, crooks an arm, or snarls a bit, daring an audience to come a little closer.

The original source material for Cabaret is the 1939 Christopher Isherwood novel Goodbye to Berlin. It was inspired by his own life during the Weimar Republic when the freedom of the Jazz Age was clashing with the rise of Nazism and fascism. The Emcee, though, is not a character in the novel, nor in the play adaption I Am a Camera. He was created solely for Cabaret and does not exist in any of the scenes outside of the Kit Kat Club. The lack of story for The Emcee has allowed Redmayne to create a character almost entirely from scratch.

“He exists almost in abstraction for me. The character is almost like a Greek chorus. He’s sort of the Shakespearean fool. The court jester who then becomes the king,” says Redmayne. “He can assimilate and accumulate people from every walk of life and community, and can seemingly either celebrate or exploit that. As the world is becoming more homogenized and fascism is kicking in, he can shape-shift his way out of it, and he’s going to be just fine. He has the privilege of that. There’s a nihilism, ultimately, to my take on The Emcee that felt important. He’s not the victim. He's the perpetrator".

Cabaret first premiered on Broadway in 1966 and this production is the musical’s fourth revival. Except for the 1970s (when it was adapted for film starring Liza Minnelli), it has been on Broadway at some point in every decade since that first run. “There’s always been this relevance culturally, and that’s terrifying, because it basically sings as a warning to our incapacity to learn from our mistakes,” says Redmayne. “It’s about what happens when humanity is consumed by hate. And the idea of the creation of the other and the exploitation of the other to instill fear.”

Arguably, the musical’s draw has always also been as much about how it presents that message as the relevance of the message itself. The Kit Kat Club is seedy and seductive. It feels naughty…like you’re getting away with something you shouldn’t. And this new production pushes that element far beyond the footlights of a stage. Club, scenic, and costume designer Tom Scutt has reformed the August Wilson Theatre, creating spaces in the house and in the bar for a Prologue company to perform. Audiences are encouraged to arrive early to take in the music and dance cabaret acts prior to Cabaret.

Redmayne is reminded again of his museum visit: “When I was at the Neue Galerie, there was an exhibition on [Gustav] Klimt. This idea that this group of artists in Austria at the time, and then in Germany, were trying to create this world which was all-consuming. It wasn’t just the painting, it was also the specific space in the gallery…you were not just looking at the painting but the entire experience around it. I feel like that is, perhaps, the dream of what we’re trying to do. Once you leave the sidewalk and cross the threshold [into the theatre], you’re being taken on a journey that’s all encompassing.”

Boris Aronson’s original set design for the 1966 production of Cabaret featured a large mirror above the stage, tilted toward the audience so that they could see themselves reflected at both the beginning and end of the musical. Scutt has created a fully in-the-round stage at the Wilson. 

So while the audience is watching the action on stage, they will also be seeing other audience members’ reaction to the story. “There’s complicity in that,” says Redmayne. “We’re all there laughing and engaging in an evening of entertainment, but also seeing ourselves in some of the elements—the joyful qualities of humanity and the scarier qualities, too.”

[eddie-redmayne-italian-blog]

SPECIAL FEATURESEddie Redmayne First Played the Cabaret's Emcee in School, Now He's Doing It on Broadway

The actor is newly Tony nominated for his nihilistic take on the iconic character.

BY TALAURA HARMS MAY 10, 2024

Eddie Redmayne is gathering tips. As the Tony and Oscar-winning actor was opening a Broadway musical this season, he was also trying to figure out the best ways to navigate New York City for the six months that he’ll be in the show. His wife and two young children have joined him from London. They’re currently looking for ways to spend summer in the city. And speaking of summer, Redmayne is concerned about keeping his voice in good working order in a city with more air conditioning than he’s accustomed to having.

“I’m accumulating a little handbook of ‘The Survivor’s Guide to Broadway,” Redmayne laughs. “I’m a passionate lover of New York, so any excuse to come here…I’m thrilled.”

The excuse—and it’s a pretty good one—is Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club, which opened April 21 at the August Wilson Theatre. Redmayne reprises his role as The Emcee in the revival of the classic John Kander, Fred Ebb, and Joe Masteroff musical. Rebecca Fracknell directs the production, a West End transfer that won seven 2022 Olivier Awards, including one for Redmayne’s performance. The production has been a hit in the London, where it is currently still running.

Redmayne is the only member of the West End cast, though, to transfer to Broadway with the production. He’s joined at the August Wilson by Gayle Rankin as Sally Bowles, Ato Blankson-Wood as Clifford Bradshaw, Bebe Neuwirth as Fraulein Schneider, and Steven Skybell as Herr Schultz. And both Rankin and Redmayne have been Tony nominated for their performances; the show picked up nine nominations total, including Best Revival of a Musical.

“It’s been such a unique experience because it’s been starting anew and fresh whilst at the same time, having this character sitting in my stomach and ruminating for three years now. And my journey, of the relationship with the character, has been one that stems from, oh gosh, almost 30 years now from when I first played it when I was a schoolboy,” says Redmayne. “There is great joy that comes from that—from each time getting to re-mine the character and re-look at it in a different context and with a different inspiration.”

When Playbill spoke with Redmayne, the company was still in rehearsals for the Broadway mounting. As part of his continuing exploration of the Emcee, the actor had just revisited one of his favorite New York museums, the Neue Galerie of German and Austrian art on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. 

“I was looking at some of the Schiele paintings there and reminding myself of how, when I first started looking into the idea of The Emcee, just having portfolios of Schiele prints everywhere. That was one of the ways in. It was a lovely moment to reconnect and reinspire in the museum.” It is easy to spot the influence of the Austrian Expressionist painter Egon Schiele in the angles of Redmayne’s body as he looks over a shoulder, crooks an arm, or snarls a bit, daring an audience to come a little closer.

The original source material for Cabaret is the 1939 Christopher Isherwood novel Goodbye to Berlin. It was inspired by his own life during the Weimar Republic when the freedom of the Jazz Age was clashing with the rise of Nazism and fascism. The Emcee, though, is not a character in the novel, nor in the play adaption I Am a Camera. He was created solely for Cabaret and does not exist in any of the scenes outside of the Kit Kat Club. The lack of story for The Emcee has allowed Redmayne to create a character almost entirely from scratch.

“He exists almost in abstraction for me. The character is almost like a Greek chorus. He’s sort of the Shakespearean fool. The court jester who then becomes the king,” says Redmayne. “He can assimilate and accumulate people from every walk of life and community, and can seemingly either celebrate or exploit that. As the world is becoming more homogenized and fascism is kicking in, he can shape-shift his way out of it, and he’s going to be just fine. He has the privilege of that. There’s a nihilism, ultimately, to my take on The Emcee that felt important. He’s not the victim. He's the perpetrator.”

Cabaret first premiered on Broadway in 1966 and this production is the musical’s fourth revival. Except for the 1970s (when it was adapted for film starring Liza Minnelli), it has been on Broadway at some point in every decade since that first run. “There’s always been this relevance culturally, and that’s terrifying, because it basically sings as a warning to our incapacity to learn from our mistakes,” says Redmayne. “It’s about what happens when humanity is consumed by hate. And the idea of the creation of the other and the exploitation of the other to instill fear.”

Arguably, the musical’s draw has always also been as much about how it presents that message as the relevance of the message itself. The Kit Kat Club is seedy and seductive. It feels naughty…like you’re getting away with something you shouldn’t. And this new production pushes that element far beyond the footlights of a stage. Club, scenic, and costume designer Tom Scutt has reformed the August Wilson Theatre, creating spaces in the house and in the bar for a Prologue company to perform. Audiences are encouraged to arrive early to take in the music and dance cabaret acts prior to Cabaret.

Redmayne is reminded again of his museum visit: “When I was at the Neue Galerie, there was an exhibition on [Gustav] Klimt. This idea that this group of artists in Austria at the time, and then in Germany, were trying to create this world which was all-consuming. It wasn’t just the painting, it was also the specific space in the gallery…you were not just looking at the painting but the entire experience around it. I feel like that is, perhaps, the dream of what we’re trying to do. Once you leave the sidewalk and cross the threshold [into the theatre], you’re being taken on a journey that’s all encompassing.”

Boris Aronson’s original set design for the 1966 production of Cabaret featured a large mirror above the stage, tilted toward the audience so that they could see themselves reflected at both the beginning and end of the musical. Scutt has created a fully in-the-round stage at the Wilson. 

So while the audience is watching the action on stage, they will also be seeing other audience members’ reaction to the story. “There’s complicity in that,” says Redmayne. “We’re all there laughing and engaging in an evening of entertainment, but also seeing ourselves in some of the elements—the joyful qualities of humanity and the scarier qualities, too.”

Photographer : Heather Gershonowitz

https://playbill.com/article/eddie-redmayne-first-played-the-cabarets-emcee-in-school-now-hes-doing-it-on-broadw

[365elephantsoap]

SIX

I think it was during the lock down when Talaura sent me a link to a soundtrack and told me to listen. It was the soundtrack for the musical Six and that soundtrack made its way into my daily listening playlist. It got played so often that the Cabbage discovered it in our shared Amazon music account and they started listening to it. So when Six was on the touring list for Kansas City this year, I bought tickets for the two of us. My first instinct is to tell you that this musical is like Spice Girls as the wives of Henry the Eighth, but that is a true simplification of the underlying fuck the patriarchy story that this musical tells.

It all starts out as a competition to decide which one of Henry’s wives had it the worst. Of the six, there were two divorces, two beheadings, one natural death and one survivor and history has not been kind when telling the stories for these six women. Because history is generally unkind when it comes to telling a woman’s story. I’ve heard a number of historical recounting in which at least three of Henry’s wives are described as manipulative and conniving. For sure, it was all of their own faults for whatever fate befell them. Even history lessons tell us that woman are asking for it, it’s the victim’s fault.

While The Cabbage and I sat waiting for the show to start, I overheard the two older ladies behind us discussing these women.

Isn’t one of them Anne Boleyn?

Yeah, well she angled for him for a while before he finally went for it.

What is not so funny about what I over heard is that it sounds very similar to an article I read with historian Hayley Nolan, author of Anne Boleyn: 500 Years of Lies. Anne Boleyn left court for at least a year to avoid Henry the Eight’s advances. Yet he still pursued her with written love letters.

The historians who do acknowledge this say it was a calculated tactic and sexual blackmail — the ultimate example of ‘when a girl says no, she really means yes. - Hayley Nolan

There’s a word we use now to describe his behavior. It’s HARASSMENT.

History has highlighted the so called faults of these six women. Temptress. Tease. Unable to produce a male heir. Didn’t look like their portrait. Conniving. Manipulative. Let me remind you. These women were Queens. Anne Boleyn was influential in passing the Poor Law which would require local officials to find work for the unemployed. Not to mention she birthed a daughter who would become one of the most powerful and longest reigning Queens in history. Catherine Parr, Henry’s last wife, was well educated and pushed forward education reform for women. Which one of them had it the worst and was asking for it?

The answer is none of them. None of those women truly wanted to marry Henry the Eighth. He treated his wive so badly that he made sure history would too. Henry the Eighth was the original Harvey Wienstein, except he was worse. Not only did he ruin reputations but he was a murderer of women. He’s the historical figure that should be forgotten. The patriarchy wants to pit us women against each other because it distracts us from the injustices they are doing to us.

You want to burn down the patriarchy? Stop falling for their bullshit distractions.

[imatheatergeek]

Very belated pics from some of the Broadway-related events at New York Comic Con earlier in October (it has been a VERY busy month!)

Playbill had a big presence at NYCC this year . I attended 2 of their 3 official panels as well as the #BroadwaytoHollywood panel.

The Big Broadway Nerd Panel

From left to right Jenna Leigh Green, Fergie Auguste Phillipe, Justin Matthew Sargent, Mason Alexander Park, Bryan Campione (host)

#BroadwaytoHollywood: 2nd Annual Look at the New Age of Musicals

From left to right: Lorna Courtney, Charlie Rosen, Mia Neal, Ian Eistendrath, Esin Aydingoz, Daniel Merzlufft

Tune In! TV & Film Panel

From left to right: Frankie Grande, Robert Lopez, Kristen Anderson Lopez, Cinco Paul, Talaura Harms (host)

[bunny-world-building]

Talaura day 6 (lady tabletop): Stereotypes

Hi all, Bunny here. So for Worldbuilding June I decided to take a look at some of the challenges or prompts other people have been posting. To that end, I decided to have a quick go at @ladytabletop‘s prompt for today. It’s something I’ve touched upon in a couple of previous posts, but I thought it could do with its own post.

Because of the diversity of peoples and cultures across Talaura, it’s inevitable that prejudices and stereotypes would arise. In general, these are not intended to be cruel or disparaging. Insensitivity is more often the cause of discomfort or anger than malice.

• Jafleaye’s history has lead to the caricature that the business-savvy humans, dwarves and halflings are obsessively bureaucratic and numerate. The cliché is that Jafleaye’s citizens are constantly counting their coins and writing things down, inundated with information and unable to see the important features of the world. From the outside, a more positive picture is painted of the culture in general, and the wealth of Jafleaye is often imagined as a huge treasure hoard, perhaps even an entire city constructed out of gold.

• Tesman’s community-mindedness leads many to joke about their extreme friendliness and politeness (imagine them like the Canadians of this setting, but without the hockey). They are seen as almost universally gregarious and accommodating, sometimes to the point of naïvité. Charity, hospitality and patience are strained to the point of ridiculity in the stereotypes, leading some to believe that many in Tesman will simply roll over when entreated. The dwarves of Talaura, most common in Tesman and Jafleaye, are stereotyped as obsessive and fixated, never moving from one task until it is complete, no matter the distractions around them. 

• The more positive stereotypes of Shabar will simply describe them as “proud” and “proactive”. However, the social structure and history of the country mean that these are often extrapolated to mean “vain” and “violent”. In addition, their status as beast masters leads many to suggest that the orcs are perhaps more at home with animals than other people. This stereotype is inverted by the Shabari people themselves, however, who view the weak as less worthy, historically as not even being people.  Shabari art and crafts are incredibly detailed and intricate, which is seen as perhaps incongruous with their warlike nature but not dismissed in any case, as merchant caravans between Shabar and Tesman or Jafleaye often come back laden with riches.

• At best, the merfolk are seen as scavengers and opportunists. The lionfish in the Aspuan often work as salvagers, but charge a great fee and claim to get the first choice of any loot, retaining the right to refuse to hand over whatever goods catch their interests. This is because of the philosophical belief among merfolk that passing The Veil (the surface of the water, seen as a divine boundary between the sky and the sea) washes clean properties such as ownership.  The sharkfolk bear the least distorted stereotype, and do the least to try and discourage it. They famously prefer solitude to the company of others and are viewed by many as barely more than animals. Again, though, sharkfolk don’t care about the stereotypes put on them by other people, largely keeping to themselves.

• The archetypal elves are aloof and disinterested. Seated in their ivory towers, Skoia elves are considered to have little awareness of the world around them. A (possibly apocryphal) story exists of an entire city at the base of a tower being destroyed with the elves remaining entirely oblivious to this day. The elves who don’t sequester themselves in archives or universities are generally thought to be cold, critical and scrutinous, with little care for the passion of any of the “younger” races.

[angaranexpansionproject]

Is this blog still active? If yes - do you have words for "please", "thank you", and common Angara meals? Thanks in advance!

Hallo! Good to hear from you @desdouxjardins! Hopefully these words will work for you. I don’t have a lot of meal/food words so lmk if you have something specific in mind. Hope to see what you’re working on, feel free to message or @ me, I love to see how writers and artists use the AEP material.

wyr - n - food, things to eat

wyraav - n - a meal

wyrir - v - to eat, consume

riwraav - n, adj - a small meal

lewraav - n, adj - a large meal

tavum - n - a pleasant intoxicant added to hot water or fruit juice.

elmohk - n - an edible yellow fruit growing out of red trumpet flowers.

gemiil - n - friut, fleshy reproductive housing of seeds

giil - n - milk or oil products in solid form, similar to ghee or butter

giilabe - n - milk, liquid nourishment from another animal's body

kawari - n - an edible green, underwater algae/plant similar to terran seaweeds

kwilloa (quilloa) - n - Edible yellow fruit growing out of blue flowers.

paripo - n - edible yellow fruit hanging from a tree with broad bluish leaves

talaura - n - a large tuber, similar to a yam or potato. many varieties.

tavum - n - a pleasant intoxicant added to hot water or fruit juice.

wavooan - n, adj - fish, swimmer; generally used for any swimming organism

eddor - v - to appreciate, give thanks, show gratitude

eddora - n, adj - gratitude, thankfulness, appreciation

Eddo hanti bareen - I am thankful for family

Eddo hanti jove javegara, tev. - I am thankful for my friends, too.

by, 'vy - n, adv - question, ask, query; adv affixed to a conjugated verb

byr; by, byt bym - v - to ask, to question

bylas - n, adv - an entreaty or request, something you are asking another to do

bylasear'vy; bylase'vy, bylaset'vy, bylasem'vy - v - to entreat or request; please do this

[writemarcus]

PODCASTS: Listen to New Play About Painter Archibald Motley From Classical Theatre of Harlem's Icons Series

BY TALAURA HARMS

FEBRUARY 07, 2022

The radio-drama series, all commissioned from playwrights of color, highlights figures from the Harlem Renaissance.

To celebrate Black History Month, The Classical Theatre of Harlem (CTH), Broadway Podcast Network, and Playbill are partnering to release ICONS: Harlem Renaissance in Motion, a series of half-hour radio dramas written by playwrights of color, each focusing on a figure from the Harlem Renaissance. The podcasts are produced by CTH and Venus Radio Theater.

The Harlem Renaissance was a period of great artistic and cultural flourish for Black artists in the New York City community in the 1920s and 1930s. From writers, painters, and musicians to activists and philosophers, well-known pioneers from the Harlem Renaissance include Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, James Van Der Zee, Duke Ellington, W.E.B. Du Bois, and Marcus Garvey. For the collection of plays, CTH commissioned Harlem-based playwrights to create monologues performed by Harlem-based actors, honoring the largely unsung voices of fascinating figures, especially women, who were integral to the movement.

Curated by CTH's Director of Literary Programs & Dramaturg Shawn René Graham and Mellon Foundation Playwright-in-Residence Betty Shamieh, the series was originally created in 2021 for Women's History Month, and highlighted actress Nina Mae McKinney, blues singer Gladys Bentley, writers May Miller and Angelina Weld Grimké, and the fictional Mattie Mae, an amalgam of Black women who fled the south during the Great Migration for new economic and cultural futures. Those episodes will be released throughout the month on BPN, or click through the links to listen on Playbill.

Two new podcasts have been included for this year's Back History Month release: Marcus Scott's profile of Archibald Motley (available February 7 on Broadway Podcast Network), and Michael Bradford's piece about Jacob Lawrence (available February 21). Motley and Lawrence were both painters who captured contemporary Harlem life on canvas.

Listen to the newest episode below about Archibald Motley, as he floats between time and space, past and present, from Harlem to Paris, in the examination of his life. The monologue is performed by Reynaldo Piniella, who recently made his Broadway debut with Trouble in Mind.

Under the helm of Producing Artistic Director Ty Jones, The Classical Theatre of Harlem provides theatrical productions and theatre-based educational and literary programs at little or no cost to underserved communities in Harlem and beyond, directly benefit over 18,000 people each year.

[an-alien-lovesme]

@unicornia-invisible @elalmadeuntraceur @chocolateinternetharmony @ameehay-blog @kaitobarrr @pablopalaciosgarrido @powerpuffgirlbubbleteenager @20-segundos-de-locura @soylococtm @catswinter @alexalion @chao-nos-vimo @laoscuridadtambienilumina-blog @el-karma-se-encargara-de-todo @pasadoespasado @despiertaydispersa @flpbstmnt @never-matter-the-distance-blog @vaniatamara @mariaconsuelo47 @las-miradas-no-mienten @1na-talaura @oapi @voy-a-escuchar-tu-corazon @manfredthings @malvle @alittlecreepygirl-blog-blog @juro-que-tengo-amigos-blog-blog @this-noncool-girl @fabianleals @imorphina @iesepanda @paramoredevonnedrew-blog @punis11-blog 

Ray-Ban Sunglasses

[eddieredmayneargentinablog]

New Article:

Eddie Redmayne On How His Emcee in Cabaret Is a Shape Shifter.

The Olivier and Oscar winner talked with Playbill about coming back to the stage, and whether he's coming to Broadway.

Playbill, by Talaura Harms, October 16, 2023.

While a few fortunate Broadway theatregoers were able to catch the recent Olivier Award-winning revival of Cabaret, the majority of us are anxiously awaiting its Spring 2024 arrival on Broadway. And even more, we are anxiously awaiting the casting news to see if one, both, or neither of its Olivier-winning stars, Eddie Redmayne and Jessie Buckley, will come with it.

While we impatiently tap our feet as we wait to hear, we've at least had the cast recording to keep us company. Released in January 2023, the album features Redmayne as The Emcee and Buckley as Sally Bowles. 

Playbill got the chance to catch up with Redmayne recently to chat about his wild, weird performance and, basically, harass him about his 13 year (and counting) absence from the Broadway stage.

Redmayne made his Broadway debut in 2010 when the Donmar Warehouse production of John Logan's Red transferred from the West End. The two-hander starred Alfred Molina as artist Mark Rothko and Redmayne as his assistant. Redmayne earned an Olivier and a Tony for his performance. 

Redmayne says, only partly in jest, that one of the reasons he hasn't returned to Broadway is because Red was perfect. "It was one of the greatest experiences of my life—working with Fred Molina on a play that I loved, and with Michael Grandage," he says. "It went so well that I was like, 'I don't think I'm ever going to do a Broadway play ever again. It's never ever gonna go as well as that.'"

Following Red, he returned to the West End for another production with Grandage, a short run as the title role in Shakespeare's Richard II. Then his film career took off. His 2012 performance as Marius in the Les Misérables film set musical theatre hearts aflutter. Then in 2015, he was awarded an Oscar for his role as Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything and garnered another nomination the following year for The Danish Girl.

He did not return to the stage until the 2021 West End revival of Kander and Ebb's Cabaret. The chance to create The Emcee anew was too good to pass up. "The abstract nature of the character—the fact that does the character even really exist? Is it a figment of the imagination? I mean, it's so ripe for interpretation," says Redmayne. "And the show is so beautifully constructed, but yet it allows for interpretation. That was the appeal."

The Emcee is so ripe for interpretation because the character only exists in the Kit Kat Club and not within narrative story of Cabaret. The diegetic Kit Kat Club numbers comment on the action of the plot—chanteuse Sally Bowles' relationship with English writer Cliff during the Nazi rise to power in Berlin—but the Kit Kat Club songs are not a part of the action. 

And this new immersive production takes that meta-theatricality to new heights—London's Playhouse Theatre has been transformed to look like a '40s Berlin nightclub, with performers interacting with he audience during the preshow. 

Redmayne's initial actor's instinct was to create a backstory for The Emcee, but in the end, his attempts simply were not supported by the text. So, he tried something else. "What was very liberating about playing this role was that I approached it, ultimately, in a very different way—which was throwing clay at a wall in big kind of broad gestures and then trying to refine it as it were," Redmayne explains. "Then, as we began to run the show, making sense of a psychology through it—working backwards, and working with the understanding that there's an abstraction to the character."

But Redmayne was excited about shaking his process up a bit. He'd only done film for the 10 years prior to Cabaret, and he was ready to dive into stage work again. In the months leading up to Cabaret rehearsals, he even enrolled in a training course at Lecoq (formally, L'École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq), a physical theatre school in Paris. "I was working with actors aged 18 to 60 from all over the world. It was huge improvisations, the whole thing was in French, and there were these two French doyennes of Lecoq's training going 'No!' and it was kind of brutal, but it was exactly what I needed," he says, laughing. "It took me out of my head. I felt so much more physically free to humiliate myself. By the time I came into the rehearsal room for Cabaret, the experience was one of release in some ways."

So with his newfound physical freedom, and the idea of The Emcee as an abstraction unclouded by a backstory, Redmayne was ready to create his character. The vocal performance is almost otherworldly. Redmayne explains the genesis of his sound: "There was this idea of a shapeshifter. That was something that [director] Rebecca [Frecknall] and Tom Scott, our production designer, talked about—that my version of The Emcee could puppeteer this group of Kit Kat dancers and conjure these characters. But, ultimately, when fascism arrives, he is able to get out absolutely fine. He can shape shift his way out of that situation. And I wanted vocally for that to translate as well."

Working with Musical Director Jennifer Whyte ("She had brilliant ideas," he adds), Redmayne created different voices and sounds for different songs. In "Tomorrow Belongs to Me," he sang live over his own recorded harmony lines. "So, in that, there was a delicate side. Then there was the raucous, quite nasal version of The Emcee in 'Willkommen.' And then, particularly within 'I Don't Care Much,' I wanted you to hear him move from one voice into the other within the same song. So he's sort of demonstrating to the audience the power he has in his passivity, just to keep changing the versions of himself," explains Redmayne, then quickly adding,"That sounds bloody pretentious." (Clearly Mr. Redmayne does not understand how hard we can nerd out about a vocal performance.)

Musical theatre is in Redmayne's blood, he says. His first job, after all, was playing a workhouse boy in a West End production of Oliver! And he was a choral scholar in his years at Cambridge. And returning to Cabaret after years in film was a particular joy for him. "I do think that music and singing jumps synapses into people's souls and you connect emotionally in a beautifully honest way," he says. 

But he's more proud of just being involved with this particular production. He's been back to see every new cast as they arrive in the West End. "Rebecca has created a version of the show that champions individuality," he says. "Getting to watch a production that you've been in, but in a completely different interpretation—having seen all of The Emcees and Sallys and seen the breadth and brilliance of their voices—I just feel proud to be a part of something that keeps living."

And, of course, we asked if he'll be coming to Broadway with Cabaret in the spring. Of course we did. "You know more about it than I do," said the shape shifter, easily getting out of that one.

The Rebecca Frecknall-directed production of the Tony-winning 1966 Broadway musical, currently running at London's Kit Kat Club (a.k.a. the renovated Playhouse Theatre), officially opened December 12, 2021. It currently stars Jake Shears as The Emcee and Rebecca Lucy Taylor as Sally Bowles. Mason Alexander Park and Maude Apatow just completed their three-month runs in the show. 

Cabaret is slated to arrive at the August Wilson Theatre this season. Dates and cast are to be announced. 

Photo by Marc Brenner

[365elephantsoap]

THANKFUL FRIDAY

Monday evening, Michael and I picked Chad up from the rental car place at the airport. Then we picked up a to-go order of too much BBQ, took it back to our place and ate too much food while talking about all of the things. The next morning, I made Chad and I breakfast and we sat on the couch talking about even more things while Michael left for work. Chad had to be in Blue Springs at 10:00AM that morning to get training on and pick up his and Jess’s new camper van. I drove him out there and we unloaded all of his gear into a waiting room where we sat and talked about his workshop until an employee came in to discuss paperwork with Chad. Then Chad and I had the weirdest, most awkwardly rushed goodbye. We cried in front of strangers and then I practically ran from the building.

I had taken the whole day off from work because I didn’t really know what the plan was going to be. So when I got home, I cleaned the salty tear streaks from my face and made a lemon meringue pie. Because when life gives you lemons, you make lemon meringue pies. I had promised my coworkers a lemon meringue pie for Valentine’s Day and never delivered. This was me keeping a partial promise. I don’t make this pie but maybe once or twice a year. There’s just more work involved in making it then there is to quickly throwing together an apple pie. Ten of the eggs have to be separated, six lemons have to be zested and then those six lemons have to be juiced. I don’t have a citrus juicer and all of this has to be done by hand. The pie crust has to be made, baked and cooled before you start building the custard. And then making the filling requires me to stand at the stove with my bowl set up over a pot of simmering water, just constantly stirring until the contents of the bowl starts to thicken. That takes about fifteen minutes. The meringue is the easiest part. I start off in the double bowler, heating the egg whites and sugar just until the sugar melts. Then it gets transferred to the mixer and I can take break.

But the end results are worth it.

I thought about our rushed, weird goodbye as I stirred pie filling and thought about other times I’d had to say hasty goodbyes to those I love. Nothing tops that one time Talaura put a giant cookie in my hands, said “Iloveyoubye!” and shoved me off the bus at LaGuardia. I don’t remember ever really saying goodbye to Chris. I remember when he stopped making any sense and being overwhelmed with not being able to do enough to ease his pain, but I wasn’t home when he died. The nurse called me ten minutes after I got to work. Chris didn’t even give me a cookie before shoving me off the bus and this is not where I planned for this post to go, but here we are.

Goodbyes are hard.

Chad and I had less than twenty four hours to pack in all the words and laughter, to actually look at each others’ faces while we told each other as much as we could about what has really been happening since the last time we saw each other or talked on the phone. I always want more time though, which adds to the difficulties in saying goodbyes. Today, I am concentrating on the time we were gifted and not the goodbye.

Today, I am concentrating on the art of not saying goodbye.

[365elephantsoap]

MY LEAST FAVORITE THING TO SHOP FOR

Saturday was one of those odd days where Michael got up at the same time as me and we both ended up doing the grocery shopping. The original plan was for me to get him up when I got home from grocery shopping so we could go to early voting at Union Station. The new plan included a car wash and tag teaming grocery shopping (tag teaming grocery shopping means, I get most of the things on the list while Michael roams around the store grabbing things not on the list). Groceries purchased and put away, we finally headed to Union Station, parking at Crown Center because parking is free on Saturdays and we can walk the sky walk over to the station.

We wandered around Union Station looking for the polling place which turned out to be closed, and while we were walking, I told Michael about the bra I had on because the one I wear all week is in the washer. He stops and says “Wait. You wear the same bra everyday? This is unacceptable. Where do you buy bras?” and he immediately pulls out his phone to start looking up places to buy underwear, finding a boutique near by. I voiced my concerns about bra shopping but I couldn’t tell if he was not listening or just flat out ignoring me, because we got on the streetcar anyway and rode it a few blocks up the street. The closer we got to the store, the more anxious I became about even looking into the store window let alone stepping inside. This is not a department store or Target (where my last bit of lingerie was purchased). This is a BOUTIQUE, the kind of place you make an appointment to go to. Walk ins are welcome, but it’s better to make an appointment. I did not have an appointment. I did not have any business walking into this store. Michael sort of shoved me through the door and said “I’ll be back in a bit. Have fun!” It was not unlike any time I’ve ever dropped Josephine off at the groomer’s or that time Talaura shoved a cookie into my hands while pushing me off the bus at the airport in NY so there would not be goodbye tears.

The boutique, Birdie’s, is tiny and filled with beautiful bits of ethically sourced lingerie displayed in old glass and wood cases and at first I didn’t know where to start, but the woman behind the counter stepped up. She asked me a few questions about what I needed in a day-to-day bra and then she measured me. She pinned closed the curtain, sealing me into the tiny dressing room and then came back with a handful of lacy bras and said she’d be back with some slightly padded ones next. My shoulder sagged a little at the stack of lacy bras. Once, while I was in graduate school, a guy in my department looked right at my chest and said “Oh! It must be cold in here.” I have worn a padded bra ever since. I never reach for just lace when shopping for a bra. I want to reach for the lace. I’d love to wear something pretty every day, but that one comment ruined me. I tried on every single bra the woman handed me (there were a lot) and every one of them fit me and was comfortable. I finally had to narrow it down to three based on color and only one of them has padding. It is also mostly lace. I bought three lacy, very pretty bras that fit, are comfortable, and make me feel like getting in a time machine so I can go back to that day in grad-school and give that jerk the response he deserved and probably still deserves.

Michael came into the shop while the woman was ringing up my purchases, which included a new, very sexy sticker for the scooter. I looked at him and said “There’s a lot of things in here that I like and this is a very appropriate place for you to buy gift cards for me when you don’t know what to get me.” I walked into Birdie’s feeling insecure and cranky about having to do my least favorite kind of shopping. I walked out of that store feeling empowered, knowing that I would go back in there in the near future able to confidently point at any style or lingerie set and say “I’d like that in this size please.” Heck, I don’t even have to go in there and point. All I have to do is tell her my size and an array of beautiful things will just be brought to me to try on.

I think Birdie’s just turned bra shopping into my new favorite thing.

[bunny-world-building]

Talaura day 6: Gender and sexuality

Hey all, Bunny here. Gonna be honest, this isn’t something I’ve thought overly much about. I understand that it can play a huge part in shaping the world, the attitudes of its people and so on, but it’s not something I tend to fixate on. With that having been said, there are a few notes that I’ve made on this topic.

• The most interesting aspect of gender in Jafleaye is the primogenitrix law of inheritance. If a person dies intestate, the majority of their assets are expected to be passed onto the eldest daughter. Sons are expected to make their own fortune, not to leech off what their fathers left behind; while daughters are expected to use their money to make savvy investments and ultimately further their own position in society. The divide in Jafleaye is not between men and women but between classes, the haves and have-nots, though their generally liberal attitude towards “new blood” means that upwards mobility is common, more often among women who have the resources to invest and are often educated on the same level as (if not better than) men.  Homosexuality is not an issue within Jafleaye, where same-sex marriages are heard-of (if not exactly common). The divide between public and private spheres is well-understood, and even the most bigoted members of the upper echelons of society operate on a “Don’t ask, don’t tell.” policy. Although ostensibly illegal in Jafleaye, prostitution is tacitly condoned and escorts and concubines, while not explicitly referred to as such, are common sights in wealthy households. In addition, upper-class women are often allowed to have more than one partner (though polyandry is not legal), since this reflects their diverse economic interests, and well-educated, worldly women are understood to have lavish parties with many guests that escalate into something more risqué though these are not discussed outside. Upper-class men, however, are expected to remain faithful to their partners, particularly if those partners are their patrons or benefactors as well.

• Shabar’s culture being primarily dominated by displays of strength means that sexism is an unfortunate side effect of institutionalised prejudice rather than being explicit. Rather than what you are, the Shabari will judge you based on what you do, but sexism is still prevalent, particularly among non-orc races.  Female orcs are typically looked down upon until they prove themselves, unlike male orcs who are respected until they do something to lose that respect, and the men of other races are accepted more readily into Shabari warbands than the women are, though again, anyone who can prove themselves capable is likely to gain trust; and anyone who betrays that trust will be ostracised. The orcs have a transient idea of gender identity, and many choose to take on the names or epithets of the ancestors they respect the most, regardless of (perceived or actual) gender. The Voivod of a warband will often take several partners (willingly or by force), as is understood to be their right. Other members of the warband are free to choose partners for themselves, but the decisions of the Voivod will supersede the decisions of lower individuals. Historically, both elves and humans had been kept as slaves by Shabari warbands for multiple purposes, but sometimes ended up marrying into the clan to achieve full status. Again, this often was not the choice of the slave, though mutual affection between these sorts of couples were not unprecedented. In addition, a Voivod may have kept many slaves in a personal harem, typically women and young men, partly for their own pleasure and partly as a further expression of power. Recently, slavery has been outlawed by four of the five principal countries of Talaura and Shabar, while not involved in that decision-making process, has slowly been attempting to phase out the practice or risk embargo from the other nations (or worse).

• Mothers in Tesman enjoy far more rights than fathers, though this does not necessarily extend to women in general. It is often difficult to prove which member of the clan sired the child, but the mother is not so easily called into question, making her the primary caretaker (though all members of the clan are expected to contribute to the child’s upbringing) and also giving her name to the child (Tesman names consist of three parts: a given name, chosen most often by the mother but sometimes put to a vote by the whole clan; a matronymic, being identical to the mother’s given name apart from necessary inflectional differences, since the Tesman language Pwoðgá has a complex grammatical gender system; and a surname, derived from the clan). The communal nature of life in Tesman means that homosexuality is not only accepted but expected to some degree. Fidelity and exclusivity are practically anathema among these clans, who are expected to be open and intimate with one another (to a degree that some might find disturbing, perhaps even bordering on incestuous). Promiscuity is not frowned upon, though an individual is considered at fault if their actions have caused the upset of another and this extends to sexual activities. In addition to this, there exists a particular caste of exclusively-female shamans and seers, known collectively as Vǫlur (singular Vǫlva). Though male spirit-talkers do exist, men cannot become Vǫlur, who enjoy a privileged position in society, commanding great respect from all members of their clans as well as in other clans. Potential Vǫlur are selected at a young age and trained in a number of disciplines including herbalism and traditional medicine, augury, spirit-talking and so on. It is, in fact, a crime punishable by exile for a man to be found practising these specific disciplines, seen to be intruding on the realm of exclusively female magic.

• Some (but not all) lionfish merfolk are sequentially hermaphroditic, beginning their lives as males and metamorphosing into females as the needs of their community vary. These societies are typically matriarchal, with men fulfilling roles associated with manual labour, hunting and fishing, combat and so on; whereas women will be leaders, civil servants and business owners, for example. Primary education typically covers all of these topics (in addition to history, science, the arts, arithmetic and so on), since it is impossible to tell which of the young boys in the school might grow into young women. As time has gone on, this has led to an increasingly blurred distinction between male and female in the minds of the Aspuan merfolk in particular, and more recently the metamorphosis has been less to do with actual physicality and more to do with psychology, being an active decision on the part of many; and down to what feels right or natural for many more. Even the merfolk whose biology remains consistent throughout life might find themselves taking up a more typically “masculine” or “feminine” roles, though this psychological transition is generally more common among those born male than female. Among the more solitary sharkfolk, mothers are expected to raise their young the bare minimum, then leave their broods to fend for themselves. Sharkfolk are often seen as much more “feral” than their brightly-coloured cousins, considered barbaric or brutal by many, and they often have trouble integrating with society. Sharkfolk don’t like interacting with other races. In fact, they rarely like interacting with other sharkfolk, only coming together to mate and beyond that, finding the company of others tiresome and unnecessary. Sharkfolk rarely form communities with one another and as such, there is no 

[bunny-world-building]

Talaura Day 4: History

So what are the most important events in the history of Talaura? Surprisingly, this is something I’ve not given overly much thought. I’ve more been thinking about the current political and cultural climate rather than thinking about how it came to be this way. At some point, I want to have a complete and detailed history for the continent (and naturally, the rest of the world) so now seems like as good a time as any to jot down some quick ideas.

The earliest important event was the migration of Orcs from the far west. This represented the first settling of both orcs and elves on the continent and in many ways signified the foundation of what would ultimately become Shabar. Various conflicts occurred between warbands and their leaders, but most of these never escalated beyond bloody skirmishes. Shabar has a tradition of ancestor-worship and hero-worship, and many of their ancestors’ great deeds are passed down in song and story. The most famous figure of their pantheon is the warrior queen Mahshid. She had a famous reputation for both temperance and brutality, resorting to combat only when diplomacy had failed -- and as such, pulling no punches. The lands of her conquests spread far to the west, and many in Shabar consider her the founder of their nation.

Secondly, the emancipation of many of the elves and the establishment of the first of many ivory towers in Skoiasu. Because elves live so much longer than orcs, a single slave would be “handed down” through generations among a single warband, but this meant that they had far more knowledge of the orcs’ history than the orcs themselves. In this way, they often functioned as historians already at this stage, and were often placed in charge of education of the younger generations (not in practical matters, but at least in history and culture). Although they rarely had the chance to exchange information with other tribes, the elves would take whatever opportunities they could to share their knowledge and wisdom, usually when the warbands stopped for trading or celebrations. Finally, a single elf named Chanvatey used her guile to escape from slavery, bringing with her an entourage of other slaves. Fleeing across the mountains, they established a settlement in what would later become Skoiasu, and began to keep written records of what they had learned. The methods for Chanvatey’s escape are shrouded in mystery. Some say she used knowledge of alchemy to concoct a sleeping potion; others say it was simply her charm and good grace with which she persuaded others; while more still suggest she used some kind of dark magic. Whatever the cause, this settlement established by her and her peers would eventually become the capital of Skoiasu and the first of many such archives throughout the country. 

Thirdly, the first contact with the Aspuan. A chain of islands forms stepping stones between Skoiasu and the main archipelagos of the Aspuan, and the shallow-bottomed boats that had been historically used for navigation in Skoiasu’s rivers and marshes were well-suited to navigating these waters. As the Skoia people started to explore further southwards, perhaps driven by the elves’ curiosity and thirst for knowledge, they soon came in contact with the merfolk of the sea and, while the settlers were keen to get to know them, the merfolk were intially distrustful. The two groups largely kept to themselves except for trading and so on. Even still, the merfolk largely don’t consider themselves citizens of the nation of The Aspuan, claiming their own right to all the waters around the islands and seeking recognition as their own state.

Fourthly, the secession of Jafleaye from Tesman. The wealthiest landowners of Tesman, south of the mountain range that splits Talaura in two. Rather than the family-centred sensibilities of Tesman, the men of the newly-established Jafleaye were far more individualistic, and this was reflected in the constitution of the state, which focused less on the rights and responsibilities of the clan and more on the single person. These people then established a central bureaucracy who sought to categorise and classify things. They drew out the boundaries of their own nation, staking a claim to their land, and subdivided it into smaller administrative areas, making each one roughly equivalent to a city-state, ruled over by a central governing body from Centrico. It was the scholars, cartographers and gerrymanderers of Jafleaye that transcribed the first maps of Talaura, and even overstepped their bounds in making official statements of the hunting grounds of Tesman clans and Shabari warbands. Even still, the people of Jafleaye are caricatured as obsessively bureaucratic, taking solace in meaningless numbers and statistics while the other races of Talaura (as they perceive themselves, at least), value action over thought.

Most recently, a cold war has been brewing between Shabar and Skoiasu. Because of its arid climate, pastures and arable land are very scarce in Shabar and the mountain range that separates them from Skoiasu, which once formed a convenient natural boundary, is seen by many of the Voivode as a wall keeping them from expanding. An area of contested land lies south of the mountain range and, while this conflict has not escalated into violence, tensions bubble to the surface between Shabar and Skoiasu, while Tesman and Jafleaye strive to keep the peace and ensure open dialogue and fair negotiations.

[bunny-world-building]

Talaura day 3: People and Races

As detailed in my previous post, Talaura is a world of diverse nations and peoples. I really dislike the traditional tabletop gaming trope of having peoples divided up exclusively based on race and instead, in Talaura, I use national identity to define attitudes and personalities. Each country has its own distinct set of sensibilities. This world features the core Pathfinder races (Humans, Elves, Half-Elves, Half-Orcs, Halflings, Gnomes and Dwarves) as well as Centaurs, Merfolk and Orcs (racial details to follow in a later update, for those that wish to make their own Pathfinder characters).

• Centaurs are a typically gregarious people. Strong-willed and amiable, they cleave very closely to one another, and are willing to allow anyone into their community provided that they pull their weight. • Merfolk are a curious race, simultaneously xenophobic and tight-knit, they form very solid communities among themselves but reject outsiders. Because of their mistrust for other races, merfolk are equally discriminated against, leading to an inevitable feedback loop. Some merfolk make their names as salvagers or navigators, but this often leads to them being characterised as scavengers and opportunists. Some merfolk will try to socialise with other races beyond simple commerce, but it’s rare for any to integrate into a community of non-merfolk. There are two sub-species of merfolk: the vibrant and brightly-coloured “Lionfish” and the sturdy and vicious Sharks. Lionfish have vivid fins that flow behind them like streamers and they can secrete a potent venom. Sharks are larger and more physically imposing, have thicker skin and generally prefer solitude. • Talaura’s Orcs are a fierce, proud and warlike people. They admire strength more than anything else, and Shabar, whose population is predominantly orcs, is organised around local warlords and their expressions of powers. Physically imposing, the more patient orcs might find work in other nations as labourers, being well-suited to logging, mining and construction, but this is not for everyone and other people are often scared of them due to their reputation for brutality and barbarism.

• Jafleaye, characterised by its mercantile interests, values any who is willing to expand the economy. The people of Jafleaye care primarily about their bottom line and investments. Other races of Talaura caricature the Jafleaye people as being obsessively bureaucratic, and this isn’t too far removed from the truth. Jafleaye’s government is oligarchic, ruled by a council of eleven members presided over by the Sphinx Lucrezia, whose composure and temperance is valued and respected by all. But before anything can be done in the country, proper legislation and paperwork must be filed. Outside of the city, Jafleaye is divided into a number of partially-autonomous city-states. Jafleaye’s population is diverse, and all races are represented roughly equally within its borders, with a few exceptions: the population of humans here is far higher than any other race, and merfolk far lower.

• Tesman’s high population of centaurs means that the herd is the central family unit. Tesman’s central government at Kaura has only limited influence over the movement and actions of these clans. Clans will co-operate with one another, but take great pride in their own distinct lands. These borders, however, are often rather nebulous and difficult for organisations to pinpoint. In the north, many Tesman communities make their livings as trackers, trappers and scouts, whereas those further south will have less nomadic, more permanent occupations as loggers, miners and so on. Because community is such a pervasive feature in the Tesman lifestyle, children will often be raised by the whole herd rather than by just two parents. Paternity is sometimes entirely disregarded, with the mother and her clan being the two most important aspects of a child’s heritage. Adoption and fostering are common among Tesman clans, and the adults of a clan are expected to treat any fosterling as one of their own. Tesman’s religion focuses on animism and shamanism, with religious leaders communing with the spirits (also referred to as “Petty gods”) that are believed to dwell in plants, animals, streams, mountains, winds, and even more abstract things such as illnesses. Tesman’s pantheon contains a few named deities such as Znou, the god of second chances, but these are largely less significant on a day-to-day basis than the petty gods are. Tesman’s population is predominantly centaurs, dwarves and orcs (in this order), with some humans, halflings, elves and so on. There are almost no merfolk in Tesman, its frigid, arid climate being inhospitable to them.

• Shabar lies to the west of Jafleaye and is characterised by rough terrain and rough people. Founded by orcs on a mass exodus from their ancestral homeland, they also brought with them the ancestors of all the elves now native to Talaura as slaves. Most settlements are temporary, trading posts and pastures. Shabari orcs train horses and hunting dogs as well as hawks, and keep alpacas for wool, meat and as pack animals. Often considered uncivilised by other cultures, nothing could be further from the truth; Shabar has a rich oral tradition with tales of great heroes and warriors passed down through story and song. Weaving and other textiles from alpaca wool are also highly-prized items in foreign markets, with Shabar tapestries and rugs considered some of the finest in all of Talaura. Shabar’s population is mostly orcs and centaurs, as well as any humans that are strong enough to keep up with the warbands. Some elves are kept as slaves, but this practice has generally died out. Merfolk find Shabar’s climate inhospitable and the lack of accessible water sources mean it’s too far inland for them to approach.

• Skoiasu’s dense jungles and marshes make it very poor land for building, meaning that there are few permanent settlements. The most prominent are built around the fortresses, observatories and archives of the elves who consider themselves Talaura’s chroniclers. Seen as aloof and detached by other races, the long-lived elves find it difficult to connect with the younger, more impulsive and “childish” races of Talaura, instead preferring to keep to themselves. Other members of the Skoia community are rarely admitted into the archives, instead milling about at the feet of the ivory towers, going about their day-to-day lives as the elves sequester themselves away. Skoiasu’s shallow and tropical waters are also habitable to merfolk. Skoia merfolk are often more sociable than Aspuan merfolk, as they cannot avoid being forced onto land.

• Far out to the southeast, away from the mainland of Talaura is The Aspuan (the name of both the sea and the country comprising countless small islands). Above the water, many groups of humans, elves, gnomes and halflings make their homes, the pleasant climate and clear waters being a very relaxing atmosphere and leading to a rather carefree lifestyle. Below the water, the landscape is defined by coral reefs, caves and tunnels throughout igneous rocks, massive trenches and shallow lagoons. The merfolk typically spend most of their lives in the water, only surfacing to perform minimal trade with land-dwellers, or using wooden pontoons for drying and treating materials such as linen and fish. The Aspuan is thought of as a kind of paradise by many living on the more temperate mainland, with its abundant resources and gorgeous views; but the reality is that many Aspuan citizens live in poverty, subsistence farming on what little arable land there is and relying on the generosity of the capricious sea to provide them with fish. International trade helps to alleviate some of these issues, as The Aspuan is rich in precious metals and gemstones, and home to many craftsmen and artesans who can work them.

[bunny-world-building]

Talaura Day 2: Geography

Hi, all, Bunny here. A quick overview of the geography of Talaura (what I have planned for it, at least). Thanks to Artifexian, I’ve been thinking about the physical formation of my planet and Talaura’s place on it, but what I find more interesting is political and social geography. Below is a map showing a rough outline of Talaura, with some handy notes and details following.

The planet on which Talaura is situated (name still pending; most of the names will probably be changed later on to ensure internal consistency) will be roughly earth-like in terms of size, climate, surface gravity and so on. Many geographical features, landmarks and settlements have already been created for the purposes of the games I’ve been running, but there’s still a lot of stuff that needs filling in.

I know it isn’t a particularly pretty map but it shows the sort of thing I have in mind. Each of the cultures on Talaura is influenced by one or more real-world cultures and this carries over into their physical geography as well. I don’t really know what sort of scale I’m working with (I’ll have to go through all of Artifexian’s videos again to work it out) but the lines of latitude give a rough idea of what we’re working with. The three stars represent the capital cities of Tesman, Jafleaye and Skoiasu, respectively (Shabar lacks a permanent capital city). 

• The capital of Tesman is Kaura, in the highlands. A great source of geothermal energy and metal ore, Kaura represents one of few permanent settlements in Tesman, and a huge industrial powerhouse with ready access to Jafleaye for the purposes of trade. • Centrico is the capital of Jafleaye, situated on the shores of the inland sea, its shipyards, docks and trading posts are a sight to behold. This is also the seat of the Sphinx Lucrezia and the Council of Eleven, the leaders of the nation. • Finally, in Skoiasu is The Ivory Tower, built up around the great observatory and archive of the Elven Lords. 

The indicated mountain range and the inland sea provide useful natural boundaries between three of the key nations, though Shabar’s lack of access to the sea is a cause for some upset.

I’ve not drawn the rivers or lakes on yet, but once I work out the watersheds properly I can start adding them. This is just a rough idea anyway, so the specific layout and designs of the different nations might change further down the line.

I want to add a whole load of islands to the eastern coast as well as along the north of Tesman (though these will form a continuous land when the sea freezes). This is what the area bounded by the dotted blue line represents.

Importantly, because of the organisation of both Tesman and Shabar into smaller, largely autonomous administrative units, the western border of both nations is kind of ambiguous. In addition, there is a large stretch of land, far out to the west, which acts as a significant barrier to passage. I plan on adding more continents and countries to the world at some point and indeed, I have a fair few ideas for things that I could do cough centaur samurai cough, but I’d like to work on Talaura before I do any of the others. I do want there to be smaller, independent countries within Talaura that aren’t part of the Big Five but I don’t really know where they’d go and I’ve not 

I think about map projections a lot. I feel the need to mention that, because this is a map of Talaura on a flat plane, some distortion is inevitable. I plan on making some more maps further down the line (might even work on them later today) of both different projections and different scales to show each individual nation in more detail.

Made in Autorealm in like half an hour

[365elephantsoap]

THANKFUL FRIDAY

We were out running errands and I cued up a song that I thought the Cabbage would like. Cibo Matto came on singing about “searching the city for SyFy Wasabi.'“ The Cabbage started laughing and said “How do you find these bands?!?” I then had to tell her the Cibo Matto has been around for a while and that I’m pretty sure they’re not together anymore. Then Michael said “No, really. How do you find these bands?” I just shrugged and said “I don’t know”, but Michael pushed the subject. I told him about hanging out at a dance club called the Icon when I was in HS. I did not elaborate, mostly because I wasn’t sure how to elaborate. Sometimes I feel like I made those moments up, like the Icon wasn’t real or that I didn’t spend late weekend nights flailing around the dance floor to alternative and techno music. I remember that the Icon had these giant speakers and there was always a group of goth kids sitting on top of them looking down on all of us flailing about.

But thinking on it, the Icon is not where I first heard of Cibo Matto.

The music I listened to then and sometimes even now was not easy to find. Radio listening choices where I grew up were country, classic rock, heavy metal, a top hits station and gospel. Mostly country and gospel. Indie alternative music did not have much of an audience. The Flaming Lips have more fans that live out of state (and country) than they have within their home state of Oklahoma. If I tuned the radio to an obscure AM station late at night, I could sometimes pick up a college radio station that played songs by The Smiths, Bjork and the Pixies. I would write down the names of artists and then search the music store for tapes. I would listen to those tapes over and over until every word and order of each song was memorized. I gravitated towards people who also liked this kind of music and from them I would learn about other bands. My friend Amy in HS, who was a year older and who I thought was the coolest (still think she’s probably the coolest), she had long red hair and then she shaved the bottom half of her head. She introduced me to the Melodramatic Wallflowers, a band no one probably even remembers.

From Chris, I would gain a greater appreciation for Oingo Boingo, Pink Floyd and Dire Straits. I met Chris right around the time I was really into Sting and the Police and we would listen to Ten Summoner’s Tales over and over in his dorm room. I lost my virginity while the Fields of Gold album played through the speakers. Traci would introduce me to Belly and the first time we were in a car that had satellite radio, we squealed at finding FRED radio. The two of us sat in a not too crowded area at a Snow Patrol concert once. It was the tour they did with the release of Chasing Cars. We were the only two in the audience who knew their other songs and our enthusiasm earned us VIP passes to the front of the stage for the end of the concert. Todd was responsible for the Shins and possibly Wilco. Cibo Matto came from a woman I worked with right after grad-school. I am fortunate enough now to have access to a public radio station that continuously plays music by independent artists.

The long answer to Michael’s question is that I found these bands by surrounding myself with people like myself. None of us really fit into any mold. We were popular without being popular. A mix of all the members of the Breakfast Club. Our choice in music keeps us all curious and willing to share our finds. “Oh, have you heard of…? You need to check them out.” I get a texts like that from Chad all the time. I can link most of the artists I listen to to the people in my life, even to people met in passing or strangers. Robin and Neko Case. Talaura and Josh Ritter and every new musical to hit Broadway. Katrina and the Bee Gees. Randy and Joe Cocker. Dad and the whole Hollywood Cowboy genre. Mom and old musicals. Potatobiker Amy (which sounds like it’s own band name) and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. Sarah and Lizzo. Jason and Lo-Fi Chill. I mean the list could go on forever.

Michael and I do not listen to the same kind of music. Our separate playlists are as different as night and day, but even this has had me going out of my listening way to discover new music that I think we can enjoy together. It comes down to surrounding myself with people that encourage me to stay curious. That’s the long answer to how I find these bands and I am grateful for all of it.