The Updates

The Theatre District

The major road through the district, which borders the Noble District, the Imperial Gardens, and the Government Ruins, is Fitzkarald Thoroughfare, named after the grand Fitzkarald Opera House at the very centre of the district. This imposing structure was built by an entrepreneur from Irgar, to replace the old Imperial Arena which was destroyed during the Siege of Horizon - every musician, actor, opera singer and director dreams of being involved in a performance at the Opera House. Facing the Fitzkarald is the old Imperial Museum. Whilst the Museum itself was still standing by the end of the Last War, it was looted by both citizens of Horizon and enterprising soldiers towards the end of the Siege, and there are still many bare spaces where priceless exhibits used to be displayed.

Branching off of Fitzkarald Thoroughfare at the Opera House is a series of broad streets, and branching off them is a series of smaller streets and dark alleyways. Grand, prestigious venues and galleries occupy the Thoroughfare, less pre-eminant (but still respectable) theatres crowd the broader streets, whilst the underground arts scene thrives in the alleyways - literally, since most of these dingy threatres and galleries operate out of people's basements, and seat only twenty people at a time.

Currently, the fashion in the mainstream theatre is for pomp and splendour. The upper classes go to the theatre to vicariously relive the glory days of the past, and when the lower classes scrape together enough money for theatre tickets they want to see a grand spectacle. Thus, there is much less demand for actors as there is for ac-TORs: people just don't want realism, depth, or discussion of important social issues. They want overblown acting, outrageously unsubtle orchestral music bashing them over the head, lots of action and a happy ending.

In many ways the underground theatres are the antithesis of this. Where the Fitzkarald and its imitators house thousands of people in order to present them with frivolous nonsense, the underground theatres put on highly political, often highly realistic, frequently bitingly cynical and depressing plays about the Issues. Depsite their highly politically charged nature, the plays don't reach very many people. Thanks to the cramped conditions, the small size of the underground theatres, the amateurish acting, and the tendency of writers and directors to have artistic ambitions far, far beyond their reach, very few people visit the underground theatres on a regular basis. The city authorities are reluctant to regulate them unless there's evidence they're being used for Horizion People's Liberation Front recruitment.

It goes without saying, of course, that the major galleries and museums are great big targets for the city's thieves; in system terms, they are almost all Well-Secured, and especially valuable exhibits might have Stronghold-quality or even Airtight security.