Theater

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. 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.

• Amalia Wraxton, satirist of Pezzack
• Cyrdak Drokkus, playwright and producer of Sandpoint
• Merivesta Olinichi, satirist of Nex assassinated by the Red Mantis
• Mosaic Nettle, leshy actor
• Xerulek, absurdist kayal playwright and novelist

Notable venues

See also: Category:Theatres

• The Rose and Rake Theatre of Magnimar
• Sandpoint Theater

Notable works

See also: Category:Plays

• Abrogail I and Abrogail II, seditious plays at the heart of the Pezzacki rebellion against Cheliax
• The Bloatmage's Banquet, a satirical play staged in Magnimar in 4700 AR
• The Conception Exception, a satirical play about humanity and Aroden that debuted in 3923 AR

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.

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. Forms of opera on Golarion include Chelaxian opera, Taldan opera, and jingju.

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.

Notable artists

• Onika Nwabara, playwright, poet, and author of "The Last Sunrise in Nagisa"

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.

Notable artists

• Miss Laney Dree, poppet and director of a traveling puppetry theater

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.

Notable artists

• Amir Yasoud, controversial director

References

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