Operas and War Farces
Red Leerya, a famous courtesan and actor in the citystate of Wardin, displaying two theatre traditions now common in the Wardi Empire.
The shogokurza opera "The Sundering of the Askosi Bride", a mythological drama regarding a princess who is betrothed to an ogre king.
Shogokurza opera (literally "Vipers Winding Dance", referring to the sea of that name) originated from prior operatic traditions of the former East Burri Empire, and retains many ancestral traits not common to other contemporary Wardi theatre (notably the traditional all-male casts, flowing dance style and energetic percussive background music.)
The operas follow a 4 act structure and traditionally contain a chorus that functions as an omniscient narrator that guide the story along. Actors wear makeup designed to enhance expressiveness of the eyes and lips while still not being highly exaggerated (unlike fully painted faces that characterize most natively Wardi theatre traditions). Actors are usually elaborately dressed in flowing material that accentuates their movements.
These operas span a variety of subject matters, but are most often historical or mythological dramas and tragedies, with most ending in at least one tragic death. Romances and comedies occur, but are more rare. Each opera revolves around a cast of archetypal character roles (the hero, the lady, the trickster, the monster, the elder- and variants within).
Leerya is an akoshos, meaning a performer who specializes in the roles of women in the opera, considered beautiful and highly adept at movement and mannerisms deemed 'female'. This term is also slang for a minority social role of those deemed men and/or eunuchs who wear women's dress in daily life for non-religious reasons, and are assumed to be passive partners in sex with men (this varies in actuality). Akoshos use the language's masculine pronoun and titles (hence 'he'). Not all akoshos actors are akoshos in daily life, but Leerya is both.
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The war farce of King Dirvel Tygerstread, recounting the failed invasion of Godsmouth by the aforementioned Royal Dain king.
War farces (Jkomachi) originated from ancient ethnic Wardi traditions and gained mass practice and greater diversity in the contemporary Wardi Empire. These plays are satirical treatments of past or present wars, characterized by scathing mockery of political enemies or infamous figures in Wardi history, embodied in the character role of the Bucbuc Mache ("great-great general" (double repetition of an adjective is a tonal indicator of sarcasm in the Wardi language)).
Historically, these plays were considered more 'highbrow' and could be characterized nigh-universally as propaganda designed to depict enemies of Wardin (or its individual city-states) as monstrous and bufoonish and spur xenophobic sentiment. As time went on, war farces became seen as a more 'lowbrow' form of entertainment for commoners. This development effectively democratized these plays and allowed greater contribution by minorities and non-citizens, and many contemporary war farces openly mock Wardi politicians and warlords (though the full spectrum still exists).
War farces combine vocal performance, music, dance, and acrobatics. There is typically little or no singing, and dialogue is spoken in verse in an antiquated and formal dialogue. They are characterized by expressive makeup that exaggerates facial expressions, high-energy physical performances, and often slapstick elements.
These satires are now generally regarded as a low form of theater due to the bawdy and crude humor and clownish antics that often define the Bucbuc Mache role, and a significant association with prostitution (brothels are some of the most common sites of performance). As such, it is uncommon for esteemed courtesans such as Lemnha to perform in war farces.
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Red Leerya is a significant exception. He came into success through his Bucbuc Mache portrayal of the king Dirvel Tygerstread, an infamous Dain king who led a failed invasion of Godsmouth a century prior. He is an extremely popular figure for war farces as he is near-ubiquitously hated, even by the people of the Tygerstread kingdom itself (though many contemporary plays use him as a stand-in for the squabbling kings of the North Finns, an unrelated royal Dain people considered enemies of Wardin).
Leerya was originally a common sex worker who would frequently perform in plays, as is custom. His natural red hair and talent for highly expressive performances and comedic timing gave him great renown in the Dirvel Tygerstread role, becoming locally famous after a particularly riveting act where he managed to successfully integrate a belligerent drunk spectator into the performance and deftly play off the dramatic interruption (there was a fight). He was found this way by Maman Otto, who paid off his contract and trained him to become a lemnha. While he now largely performs more 'highbrow' art for wealthy clients, he revisits the role every so often.