Love, Blood, and Rhetoric
Apr. 23rd, 2011 06:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cjmarloweI have a lot of work I need to get done, and I will be doing that very shortly, but I just needed to do something fun and completely without pressure for a little while, so I got Ruth to hit me with this meme.
Prompt: A troop of travelling players in space. (from![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
eudaimon)
I'm also largely stealingeudaimon's format here, because I like the way she does business.
TITLE: Love, Blood, and Rhetoric
TYPE: Sci-fi dramedy. 13 episodes on Showcase.
SETTING: The starship Genesius, in the year 2166
SYNOPSIS: No one goes to Ekiah anymore. Or Urumau or Surui Septimus or, gods forbid, Ayafika after the revolution. But the Eris Players do. They'll play for anyone, anywhere, from the pleasure palaces of Gur-Koru to the streets of Bosia Prime. They've been doing this for longer than they ever thought they would, but all the galaxy's a stage, and trash pays the bills.
Writing plays is easy: someone falls in love, someone is betrayed, someone is murdered and someone drops trou on stage. Or busts out of their bodice, take your pick. Sure, sometimes you offend the ruling party of an entire planet, and sometimes the woman with the money wants you to throw in a character based on her favourite nephew, but most of the time you get a round of applause and a bottle of whiskey and enough coin to take you to the next planet and the next show. Does it really get any better than that?
When I was seven years old my mother took me to my first audition, and I've been doing this ever since. I'm trained, you know. I've won awards for my acting. I didn't just fall into this because I had nothing better to do, or by trailing after some good-looking actor I just met, like some people. This is my calling. I'll be doing this till the day I die.
Do you mind if I drink this while we talk? Thanks, it's just been such a long day, all these interviews. You really have no idea what it's like, all the attention. I know I won't be the ingénue forever, but it's the best role in the company, the best role in any company, and you'd better believe I'm going to cling to it with my fingernails for as long as I can. Or ply Dee with enough martinis and pills that she rewrites the roles to age with me. It's worth a shot.
I never used to mind the language, you know? When I first started out I could curse with the best of them. But when Asra came along...well, things change when you have kids. I keep telling Dee to tone it down a little, and sometimes she does for a day or two, but then it's back to the usual sex, language and violence. I've thought about leaving, but this is my life. I don't know how to do anything else. And even if I did, I've put it off too long. After fourteen years, I guess Asra's probably used to it by now.
Wouldn't it be boring, to live in one place all the time? Dad talks about settling down sometimes, but he'd be miserable and so would I. So what if other kids live that way? We're special. I did my first show two years ago, Dee wrote it just for me. How many kids get plays written just for them? It didn't go perfectly but I'm getting better. One day I'm going to be the star of the show. If this life is good enough for my father, it's good enough for me too.
No, I don't want to talk about where I come from. Aren't you more interested in the craft? Aren't we here to talk about the company and our performances? Are you even going to be at the show tonight? What we do is theatre for the people, for everyone. The arts aren't just for those who can pay a lot of money for them. And we don't just put on Dee's shows, we do the classics too. Sometimes. When there's an audience for them. But hey, how do you know we aren't making modern classics?
It's not the life for everyone. You live in a tiny room on a spaceship, never in one place for very long, always far from any family you might have outside of the company. I've been married three...no, four...times now and it never lasted. They either can't bear the life, or can't bear the separation. You really have to love what you do, when you have to live it every day. And I do, I really do.
How did I get started? Well, I was minding my own business on a street corner in Hava City—that's out on Jytrus V, have you been there?—anyway, I was just standing there when I was kidnapped by this guy in a black hat and gloves and thrown in the back of a rented skimmer. Next thing I know, I'm in this crazy costume and being shoved on stage.
Okay, but seriously? There was this girl.
Let me tell you something. Without me, these people would've stabbed themselves on their fake swords years ago, and don't even get me started on the dancing. Well, okay, Eve can dance, but the rest of them need all the help they can get. If they didn't have someone to show them how to move, they'd probably trip over their own feet just trying to get on stage. No, I'm not kidding. I'm integral to this company, you have no fucking idea.
I never actually thought I'd find myself on stage. My father was a writer and my mother was a seamstress, so when I first hooked up with the company I was mostly just helping Dee when she was swamped—which was a lot, back then—and sewing up tears in costumes. Stuff like that. But then one day they needed a warm body and there I was and, well, it sort of just happened. I don't even give it a second thought anymore. Acting's just like living, for us.
Most people don't believe me when I tell them that I was with the Royal Dance Company back home, they look at me and they see just another disreputable actor. I'm not ashamed of that. I chose this, after all. I could have stayed home and danced till my knees gave out and then been taken care of for the rest of my days. I had it all, everything I could have ever asked for, and I was just so bored. Acting is so much more vital, so much more dynamic. Acting isn't just one thing, it's everything. No regrets, not even one.
Me, on the stage? Are you kidding? No, I just get these people where they need to go, and on the side I get them what they need to do business. They might be actors, but they can't negotiate for shit. I've been around, I know how things are done. Is this a cushy job? Yeah, I wish. I used to pilot guerrilla flights for the Aspek Rebellion and I still got into fewer scrapes than I do with this lot.
1. Comment to this post with "I surrender!" and I'll assign you the basis of some TV show idea. (post-apocalyptic scifi-fi drama, fantasy, noir gumshoe pulp, criminal procedure...IN SPACE, historical drama WITH WEREWOLVES, etc.).
2. Create a cast of characters, including the actors who'd play them.
3. Add in any actor photos, character bios, and show synopsis that you want.
4. Post to your own journal and/or the isurrendered community on DW or LJ.
Prompt: A troop of travelling players in space. (from
eudaimon)I'm also largely stealing
eudaimon's format here, because I like the way she does business.TITLE: Love, Blood, and Rhetoric
TYPE: Sci-fi dramedy. 13 episodes on Showcase.
SETTING: The starship Genesius, in the year 2166
SYNOPSIS: No one goes to Ekiah anymore. Or Urumau or Surui Septimus or, gods forbid, Ayafika after the revolution. But the Eris Players do. They'll play for anyone, anywhere, from the pleasure palaces of Gur-Koru to the streets of Bosia Prime. They've been doing this for longer than they ever thought they would, but all the galaxy's a stage, and trash pays the bills.
Writing plays is easy: someone falls in love, someone is betrayed, someone is murdered and someone drops trou on stage. Or busts out of their bodice, take your pick. Sure, sometimes you offend the ruling party of an entire planet, and sometimes the woman with the money wants you to throw in a character based on her favourite nephew, but most of the time you get a round of applause and a bottle of whiskey and enough coin to take you to the next planet and the next show. Does it really get any better than that?
When I was seven years old my mother took me to my first audition, and I've been doing this ever since. I'm trained, you know. I've won awards for my acting. I didn't just fall into this because I had nothing better to do, or by trailing after some good-looking actor I just met, like some people. This is my calling. I'll be doing this till the day I die.
Do you mind if I drink this while we talk? Thanks, it's just been such a long day, all these interviews. You really have no idea what it's like, all the attention. I know I won't be the ingénue forever, but it's the best role in the company, the best role in any company, and you'd better believe I'm going to cling to it with my fingernails for as long as I can. Or ply Dee with enough martinis and pills that she rewrites the roles to age with me. It's worth a shot.
I never used to mind the language, you know? When I first started out I could curse with the best of them. But when Asra came along...well, things change when you have kids. I keep telling Dee to tone it down a little, and sometimes she does for a day or two, but then it's back to the usual sex, language and violence. I've thought about leaving, but this is my life. I don't know how to do anything else. And even if I did, I've put it off too long. After fourteen years, I guess Asra's probably used to it by now.
Wouldn't it be boring, to live in one place all the time? Dad talks about settling down sometimes, but he'd be miserable and so would I. So what if other kids live that way? We're special. I did my first show two years ago, Dee wrote it just for me. How many kids get plays written just for them? It didn't go perfectly but I'm getting better. One day I'm going to be the star of the show. If this life is good enough for my father, it's good enough for me too.
No, I don't want to talk about where I come from. Aren't you more interested in the craft? Aren't we here to talk about the company and our performances? Are you even going to be at the show tonight? What we do is theatre for the people, for everyone. The arts aren't just for those who can pay a lot of money for them. And we don't just put on Dee's shows, we do the classics too. Sometimes. When there's an audience for them. But hey, how do you know we aren't making modern classics?
It's not the life for everyone. You live in a tiny room on a spaceship, never in one place for very long, always far from any family you might have outside of the company. I've been married three...no, four...times now and it never lasted. They either can't bear the life, or can't bear the separation. You really have to love what you do, when you have to live it every day. And I do, I really do.
How did I get started? Well, I was minding my own business on a street corner in Hava City—that's out on Jytrus V, have you been there?—anyway, I was just standing there when I was kidnapped by this guy in a black hat and gloves and thrown in the back of a rented skimmer. Next thing I know, I'm in this crazy costume and being shoved on stage.
Okay, but seriously? There was this girl.
Let me tell you something. Without me, these people would've stabbed themselves on their fake swords years ago, and don't even get me started on the dancing. Well, okay, Eve can dance, but the rest of them need all the help they can get. If they didn't have someone to show them how to move, they'd probably trip over their own feet just trying to get on stage. No, I'm not kidding. I'm integral to this company, you have no fucking idea.
I never actually thought I'd find myself on stage. My father was a writer and my mother was a seamstress, so when I first hooked up with the company I was mostly just helping Dee when she was swamped—which was a lot, back then—and sewing up tears in costumes. Stuff like that. But then one day they needed a warm body and there I was and, well, it sort of just happened. I don't even give it a second thought anymore. Acting's just like living, for us.
Most people don't believe me when I tell them that I was with the Royal Dance Company back home, they look at me and they see just another disreputable actor. I'm not ashamed of that. I chose this, after all. I could have stayed home and danced till my knees gave out and then been taken care of for the rest of my days. I had it all, everything I could have ever asked for, and I was just so bored. Acting is so much more vital, so much more dynamic. Acting isn't just one thing, it's everything. No regrets, not even one.
Me, on the stage? Are you kidding? No, I just get these people where they need to go, and on the side I get them what they need to do business. They might be actors, but they can't negotiate for shit. I've been around, I know how things are done. Is this a cushy job? Yeah, I wish. I used to pilot guerrilla flights for the Aspek Rebellion and I still got into fewer scrapes than I do with this lot.
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no subject
Date: 2011-04-23 10:55 pm (UTC)I would TOTALLY read this. Or watch this. And I love their individual voices. It's great.
(Here. Have my Finn icon).
no subject
Date: 2011-04-23 10:58 pm (UTC)Believe me, you have no idea how tempted I am to actually write this now.
no subject
Date: 2011-04-23 11:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-04-23 11:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-04-23 11:57 pm (UTC)ALSO THIS IS AMAZEBALLS. I would watch this ALL THE TIME.
no subject
Date: 2011-04-24 12:12 am (UTC)...a superhero western--either modern day or old west--with optional musical elements. :D
(I wish this show really did exist!)
no subject
Date: 2011-04-24 12:30 am (UTC)your casting is damn incredible
no subject
Date: 2011-04-24 12:37 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-04-24 12:53 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-04-24 01:03 am (UTC)Okay, I want you to do...urban shapeshifters, with a bit of a noir flair.