Theater

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An actress dressed as Aroden, complete with a fake beard, waves a wooden sword prop at her costar, who wears shaggy fur leggings and a painted minotaur mask to portray Voradni Voon, during the Passion of the First Siege of Absalom.

Theater, sometimes spelled theatre, is a dramatic art form in which actors tell a dramatic story in a theatrical setting. Many theatrical traditions exist across Golarion. Venues that stage theatrical performances are often also called theaters.1 Written dramatic works are often referred to as plays.

Notable artists

See also: Category:Actors and Category:Playwrights

While some prominent figures in theater are best known for specific forms or genres, the fame of some has transcended such boundaries.

Notable venues

See also: Category:Theatres

Notable works

See also: Category:Plays

Forms of theater

Many theaters host productions of a wide genre of plays, with or without music and in a variety of forms. Many elements of theater are common across forms, such as writers, on- and off-stage talents, and directors. Costuming, set building, stage management, and music are also common elements of theater.6

Opera

Shensen is a renowned opera diva.

Opera is a musical art form in which singers and musicians tell a dramatic story, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera can include both sung and spoken words, and is usually enhanced by the inclusion of costumes, set pieces, and even dance. The words both sung and spoken form the opera's libretto, while the music is the score. Operas are often accompanied by either a small ensemble or a large orchestra of musicians.11 Forms of opera on Golarion include Chelaxian opera, Taldan opera, and jingju.12

Mwangi oration

Long storytelling traditions and oral histories have led cultures of the Mwangi Expanse to develop dozens of theatrical forms and dramatic performance arts, including some of the Inner Sea region's oldest forms of theater. Specifics of Mwangi oration performances vary widely by locale but are often emotional and poetic, epic in scale, encompassing a wide range of genres, and featuring percussion, horns, and stringed musical instruments.13

Notable artists

Puppetry

Many cultures of Golarion use puppets in theatrical performances, ranging from hand puppets to complex marionettes or large and life-sized puppets requiring multiple operators and a full stage. Simple puppetry requires few resources, and ventriloquism and box puppetry are among the most common forms of street puppetry. Mechanical puppetry is more recent, and some living actors consider technologically advanced puppets a potential threat to their livelihoods.13

Notable artists

Comedy of Masks

The tradition of the Comedy of Masks, or Masked Comedies, originated in Varisia and as of 4724 AR had recently grown in popularity across Avistan. Traveling troupes of actors portray archetypical characters, often with but sometimes without masks, with improvised prompts that change the plot and outcome with each performance.14

Notable artists

References

Paizo published a Pathfinder Adventure Path about staging an opera in Ravounel titled Curtain Call.

  1. Rue Dickey. “Showtime!” in Stage Fright, 71–74. Paizo Inc., 2024
  2. Judy Bauer, et al. Pezzack” in Towns of the Inner Sea, 43. Paizo Inc., 2013
  3. 3.0 3.1 James Jacobs. Sandpoint” in Sandpoint, Light of the Lost Coast, 32–33. Paizo Inc., 2018
  4. 4.0 4.1 Erik Mona & Jason Bulmahn. Time, The Cosmos, and the Great Beyond” in Gazetteer, 20. Paizo Inc., 2008
  5. Benjamin Bruck, et al. “Chapter 1: Common Races” in Inner Sea Races, 108. Paizo Inc., 2015
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 Rue Dickey. “Showtime!” in Stage Fright, 71. Paizo Inc., 2024
  7. Adam Daigle & James Jacobs. “Magnimar” in Magnimar, City of Monuments, 37. Paizo Inc., 2012
  8. James Jacobs. Sandpoint” in Sandpoint, Light of the Lost Coast, 32. Paizo Inc., 2018
  9. James Jacobs, et al. “Appendices” in Rise of the Runelords Anniversary Edition, 379. Paizo Inc., 2012
  10. Judy Bauer, et al. Pezzack” in Towns of the Inner Sea, 37–38. Paizo Inc., 2013
  11. Opera, Wikipedia.
  12. Rue Dickey. “Showtime!” in Stage Fright, 72. Paizo Inc., 2024
  13. 13.0 13.1 Rue Dickey. “Showtime!” in Stage Fright, 73. Paizo Inc., 2024
  14. Rue Dickey. “Showtime!” in Stage Fright, 73–74. Paizo Inc., 2024