"The play's the thing." While all of us find different aspects of Ultima Online to enjoy, for some, creating enjoyment for others is the finest entertainment of all. The Golden Brew Players on the Baja Shard, through long hours of hard work and dedication, have enthusiastically provided the Citizens of Britannia with enthralling productions for quite some time now. We are proud to present their story to you in this week's spotlight.
"Three good friends sitting around a pub one late night talking about their lives, that's how the whole thing started. Kita Talith, Thorin Ironbeard and Ursula, all of the Golden Knights of Baja, were sharing a bit of ale and a story or two at The Golden Brew, the player run pub they own. Kita and Thorin shared stories of their past acting experiences and Ursula chimed in with her own tales of stage managing plays.
"After a few more ales, someone came up with the bright idea that perhaps they could organize a theatrical production of their own. It sounded like a great idea and they soon put a plan in motion. It was during the holiday season, so they chose to produce "A Christmas Carol". Kita found the story and began editing it into script form. They soon discovered what a learning process this was going to be. The play was too long and had to be hacked to pieces. It was a chore to coordinate all the actors to come to rehearsals.
"Kita was chosen to be the Director, Ursula took the job of Production Manager and Thorin was cast as Old Scrooge himself. A fun aspect of the project was trying to do things that stretched the limits of the world we live in. How do we keep the play interesting for the audience? How do we make a grave for the final scene? It was Kita's job to work with the actors to make sure they used emotions and movement to keep things lively. Ursula put herself to work on gathering props, costumes and nagging actors to show up on time.
"Finally the show day was at hand. Everyone made their final preparation for the debut of The Golden Brew Players at the theater in Nujel'm. Sets were built and placed, stagehands hired, costumes handed out. The actors were ready for their big night.
"A Christmas Carol started on time that night, but it was not meant to be. Soon riff raff of the city came to the theater and ran off with props and set. The Players kept going "on with the show". Then Baja was thrown into a black void, which no one could climb out of. When everyone finally was able to recollect themselves, it was decided to postpone the show and change the location to The Golden Brew. A week later, The Golden Brew Players performed their first show for an enthusiastic audience that filled The Golden Brew.
"After the play, Kita and Ursula thought about all the work that went into the effort, the script editing, dealing with all the scheduling conflicts, and the problems in Nujel'm. Was it worth it? Grinning at each other they decided yes, the experience had been worth all the trouble and The Golden Brew Players were born.
"Their second effort, "Alice Through The Looking Glass" was performed at the end of June. Feeling a little more confident and experienced, Kita & Ursula decided to cut out possible problems with set thieves and use the real "sets" located in Nujel'm. Kita knew the city well and could see the possibility of using locations such as the flower garden at the palace and the NPC village outside of town as scene locations. Ursula was even so confident in their production that she wrote to Lord British and invited him. She was happily surprised when he quickly responded that he would like to come and if his schedule permitted he would be there. Another piece of news reached the players a few days before their production; Kita Talith, once again directing, had been recognized for her efforts and awarded a certificate by Lord British for "Achievement in Community Event Organization". "Alice" went off without a hitch and the audience enjoyed a great party in the final scene at the Nujel'm Palace.
"Later that evening Kita, Ursula and a couple of patrons were at the Golden Brew talking about plans for the future. Kita and Ursula had decided they wanted to open their own dinner theater and were trying to decide how to raise money to buy a placed tower. Suddenly the front door opened and a tall man confidently stepped into the pub. Everyone's eyes turned toward the newcomer and their mouths dropped open in surprise. Lord British himself had entered the pub! He quickly explained he was looking for Kita Talith and wanted to apologize for missing our production. He was curious how the production went and wanted to hear all about it. Too soon, it was time for him to leave so he bid us farewell saying he'd try to make our next production.
"Lord British's visit ignited Kita and Ursula's fire even more and they were determined to find a tower for their theater. Thorin had already come up with a name, "The Golden Globe" and now all they needed was a location. Luck was with The Golden Brew Players when Aldebrand came forward and offered to share his tower with them. Now they have a permanent location to hold their next production, "The Wizard of Oz" which will be sometime this fall.
"In between now and then look for The Golden Brew Players to pop up here and there performing short skits. They performed at the Baja Allmeet and can often be found just hanging out at The Golden Brew sharing stories. Kita, Thorin and Ursula realize they have created something special. They see the performing arts as a way to bring people together from all walks of life and even across different shards. The future is wide open for The Golden Brew Players and they are ready to take on the challenge."
- Ursula, Baja
Kita, Thorin and Ursula would like to acknowledge the following people and thank them for their participation in helping their dreams become reality; Joshua Rowan, Aubri Wolfesbane, Petrus, Death, Willow, Rookerith, Angelica, Elizabeth, Vampira-Drachs, Aldebrand, Nobody, Fripp, Azreal, Marilyn, Erasmus, Senior Counselor Zodiac and all of the other citizens of Britannia who support them by attending their shows.
