nordiclarpyearbook2015

Finally, all players are given a costume for
the character they are going to play and given
instructions on how to play it effectively
during the game. All the workshops mentioned
above are based on the principle of
discussion (as well as trial and error) rather
than a monologue, thus making them as interactive
as possible.
The game – a long way home
The main part of the story focuses on a desperate
struggle of more than fifty Czechoslovak
legionnaires who long for one simple,
yet almost impossible thing: To return
home. They have to travel through forests
and fields for two days on foot, struggle
with the hardship of the Russian winter, the
Bolshevik regime and also with each other.
We’re all in this together… Or
not
As mentioned above, the players and their
characters form one unit of legionaries,
but it would be a mistake to think that the
characters are all the same. The characters
are divided into several smaller groups, and
each of these has a common issue it has to
deal with - be it treachery in the ranks of
the group, an aggressive leader or the need
to outshine all the other legionnaire groups.
Moreover, not all the players are soldiers.
The unit also consists of a group of Red
Cross personnel (which played a crucial
role in saving the lives of wounded soldiers
in WWI) and many civilians, who have all
happened to join the unit for one reason or
another. Another special group is a family
of three Siberian hunters, who are the only
ones that can find the way through the wartorn
territory… For a price.
Furthermore, each character has his or her
own goals that they hope to achieve. Some
of them are noble, some of them are selfish…
All of them are imaginative. Together,
they all aim to recreate the atmosphere
of the war and to illustrate how it affected
the people caught inside it.
„My dearest Vlasticka. I do not know if this
letter ever gets to you, but I hope so. That´s
all we´ve got. Here in Siberia, one is offered
only winter, suffering and a bullet fired by
the Bolsheviks. But we have to return. We
try. Just one step after another. I can do it.
For you, Vlasticka. For you.“
- Excerpt from the diary of a brother legionnaire
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The characters and their
themes
The main goal in creating the roles was to
create interesting, yet believable, characters,
the morals of whom are dramatically tested
by the horrors of war. During the creation
and preparation of the game (the totality
of which took approximately 14 months of
working one or two days each week) we decided
to form each of the characters around
the following three themes:
How was this character affected by war? -
Does he or she see it as a perfect opportunity
for a better life? Do they hate it because
it has robbed them of a loved one? Has
this character had some horrific experience
during the war?
q
Wounded soldiers just have to hope for the nurses
to come in time...
(Photo: Lukáš Makovicka)
How does the character feel about his or
her homeland? - Do they sympathize with
the newly formed Czechoslovakia? Is his or
her home in Russia? Is this character just
searching for a new chance to settle down?
How does this character feel about heroism?
- Is he or she a coward? Does he or
she laugh at this idea? Is he or she an iconic
person, with inner fears of letting the others
down?
Combining all the above themes and adding
other important socio-historic background,
examples of characters include a sister of
The Red Cross who pushes herself above
her limits in order to save everyone, a lieutenant
who looks after his unit, two young
lovers caught in the flames of war and many
other personal stories, many of which are
based on or inspired by the diaries of real
legionnaires.
“After the game, the word “brother”… It
completely changed its meaning for me.
Completely.”
- Participant reaction
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