Venice, Florence, Rome and Lake Garda. Our trio discovers the scenery, shares out the roles and gives a performance that will never be repeated quite the same way.
In a Venetian lane, Colombine declared the scenery ready and the actresses present. All they lacked was a script. Mea looked doubtful; Lu Cia looked delighted. They agreed on a short performance, with no rehearsal and absolutely no obligation to be convincing.
Illustrated fiction inspired by original Travel2City photographs. The places come from separate journeys, not a one-day itinerary. Characters, dialogue, props and some composition and lighting are artistic interpretations.
Outside a shop displaying masks, Colombine opened her palm like a director. Mea was assigned the mysterious traveller, which she found acceptable. Lu Cia was to play light entering the scene and immediately smiled. “See? She has already started,” Mea observed. The masks stayed in the window. Their own faces were quite sufficient, and the shop did not need three new customers trying on every item.
“We have no script. We do have facial expressions.”
In Florence they found a stone bird above a low wall. Lu Cia stood before it, folded her hands and adopted its solemn expression. The part offered excellent working conditions: no lines to remember. Mea admired her concentration, while Colombine considered using it in the next act. Lu Cia lasted a few seconds. Then the corners of her mouth revealed that a living actress still had opinions about her casting.
“This part suits me. May I smile a little, though?”
Before a Roman arch, it was Mea’s turn. She took half a step forward, turned one palm upwards and drew breath. Colombine and Lu Cia waited for a great line. “I think we should sit down,” Mea announced. The pause was exact, the expression convincing, and both listeners immediately understood the work. Colombine called it economical acting. Lu Cia agreed that the character’s motivation was very clear.
Beside the lake they found a bench. The scenery behind them was so good that nothing needed adding. All three attempted a little seated bow and immediately laughed because each had chosen a different pace. No audience corrected them. Colombine closed the notebook, Lu Cia leaned back, and Mea contentedly smoothed her skirt. The performance had ended exactly where its finest speech had intended it to.
“Thank you. The encore will follow after the interval.”
From notebook to book
The Map with No Last Page
Travel2City journeys continue between the covers of a book. Discover our illustrated travel world.
No tickets were sold. All three took home a memory.
Asked who had played the lead, they all answered at once. Then they agreed that next time the entire cast should be credited in letters of the same size.
