episode_0050

“Hahaha. Long time no see, Phantom. How have you been?”

“It’s been a while, Mr. Renoir. I hope I’m not too late for you, am I?”

“Hey, that can’t be. We’ve been busy while you were away.”

A few days after parting ways with the saint, I went to see the Killigruger Troupe, which I had not visited for some time.

A performance of with the Gelorusina Theater Company, and a collaboration with the Vanderbühne Theater Company on .

I was so busy with them for so long that I didn’t even have time to visit Killigruger, my first job.

But Renoir, the manager of Killigruger, didn’t seem to care much about this.

No, it’s more than just not caring… …

“… … You gained some weight?”

“Oh my, can I see it?”

Then why won’t it fly? It’s not like his old appearance has completely disappeared, but it’s clearly different from the impression I remember of Renoir.

Come to think of it, they said that if they just re-performed the trilogy , , and , they would have a nice steady income.

Did you end up like that after eating and drinking to your heart’s content with that money?

“Haha, don’t worry. I didn’t gain weight because I was lazy. Actually, I’ve been focusing on training my successor so I haven’t been working out as much lately.”

“Are you looking for a successor?”

“Well, I’m getting older, so I can’t stay as Killigruger’s poster boy forever, right?”

Renoir explained, scratching the back of his head shyly.

“I don’t plan on retiring completely like Isabella, but it’s better to prepare for the future. I don’t want the quality of Killigruger’s play to decline just because one Renois is gone.”

“Hmm, so that’s why there are so many people I haven’t seen before?”

A question asked while looking around the stage.

There were certainly some new and unfamiliar faces inside the theater. New faces, aside from the members who had worked together from to .

The part that particularly caught my attention was… …

“The number of female workers has also increased. Originally, it was only a small number, like Killigruger or Gelorusina, right?”

“Hahaha, it’s all thanks to you.”

“Thanks to me?”

“The special production of Farewell My Concubine, in collaboration with Lizzy. Woohee from there set the girls’ hearts on fire. As a result, the number of girls who dream of entering the theater industry has also increased explosively.”

Renoir patted my shoulder and added a few words of explanation.

Then he looked back at the female staff members who were receiving acting instruction on the other side and said.

“We held auditions a while ago and recruited a few full-time actresses. We picked out promising young women with outstanding talent, so they will suit your surname well.”

“Hoo.”

The number of female actors has increased dramatically?

That’s good. Then there’s nothing to be afraid of either.

Anyway, this script is going to focus on female actors.

“By the way, since you came here, I guess you’re going to talk about new work again?”

Renoir asks with sparkling eyes whether even though he has gained weight, his brain function has slowed down.

At this, I nodded and took a thick wad of paper out of my bosom and handed it to him.

A new work that still needs some more thought, .

A script that tells the story of Helen Keller, a girl who overcame her disability, and her devoted teacher, Anne Sullivan.

“Miracle Worker? A miracle worker? What a pious title.”

Renoir raised the corners of his lips as he looked at the roughly scribbled title. He opened the first page and looked at me in a sarcastic tone.

“Are you writing a religious play like Exodus this time? As I said before, that’s our theater company’s specialty, so it’s always welcome.”

“It’s not exactly a religious drama, but the emotional line is probably similar. It’s a story about a young girl who overcame her disability and a teacher who guided her on the right path.”

“Huh? It’s not a bad topic, but why did you suddenly choose such a topic? There must be better material than stories of despised cripples.”

“, well… … Teacher’s Day is coming up soon, isn’t it? I wanted to express the ideal teacher’s duties through a play. To emphasize this, I deliberately made the situation extremely extreme. ”

The twists and turns of Saint Beatrice were omitted and told around.

If we spread the news that the saint was dispatched to the capital, things would get complicated in many ways.

“Okay, I see. Read it and then judge.”

Clang! Clang!

The pages of the script turn over at a relatively fast pace, as befitting a speed-reading master.

I waited patiently in silence for him to finish reading The Miracle Worker.

How many minutes passed like that?

“… … ”

After reading the first draft of , Renoir returns the script to me.

Then he quietly placed his hand over his eyes and began to take deep breaths.

He remained silent for a moment, then muttered in a half-choked voice.

“What a… … deeply resonating story, Phantom. What should I say, this is… … hmm, different from the impressions of Admiral Li’s heroic end or Xiang Yu’s tragic downfall.”

The corners of her eyes are already red from a long time ago, even though she tries to hide them. The bridge of her nose is constantly being rubbed, as if she feels a tingling sensation.

He finally calmed down and poured out his praise after blowing his nose with a handkerchief.

“A warm and peaceful feeling rather than something overwhelming? You are truly amazing, Phantom. I have never seen a script that stimulates emotions with such a simple yet novel composition.”

I guess so.

Because in terms of Western theatre history, melodrama is similar to ‘sentimental comedy’, which originated around the 18th century.

Sentimental comedy, also called ‘tear comedy’ in France, is a genre that literally focuses on squeezing sentimental tears out of the audience.

Rather than a consistent plot or conflict, it is characterized by emphasizing virtue and morality by showing characters in unfortunate circumstances performing great and good deeds.

The characters that appear in the drama sometimes encounter misfortune, but they overcome it with goodness and reach a happy ending. This is the rule.

What if it’s at the level of a traditional fairy tale that recommends the obvious punishment of evil and promotion of good?

As a play, it would have been a novel style for medieval people who were only familiar with religious trials or tragedies of heroic figures.

‘And if I had to pick the person who best fits this description, it would have to be Anne Sullivan, right?’

The title of this script, ‘The Miracle Worker’, is also the title of a biographical film released in 1962.

A classic black-and-white film in which famous actress Anne Bancroft played the role of Sullivan and rookie Patty Duke played the role of Helen Keller, winning the Academy Awards for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress, respectively.

‘People remember Helen Keller for overcoming her disability, but they often forget the greatness of Anne Sullivan, who supported her consistently.’

Helen Keller, who suffered from meningitis and became blind, deaf, and speech impaired.

In her childhood, she was, in common parlance, a gold-belt, and a very vicious gold-belt at that.

At an age when she should be bursting with energy, she has lost most of her senses, so where does all that stress and pent-up emotions go?

Throwing things, yelling, and using violence are common occurrences.

Even when her younger sister Mildred was born, she tried to throw the newborn out of the cradle.

And Anne Sullivan did not give up on this golden child, but taught him diligently and helped him grow into a complete person.

Therefore, the focus of this was planned to be on Anne Sullivan and no one else.

Without her great love and devotion, the Helen Keller we know today would not exist.

“But, Phantom. I have some questions.”

Then, out of the blue, Renoir asked a question.

“I know it’s still a draft that needs to be revised, but what are the ‘fingerprints’ and ‘Braille’ written in the action instructions here and there?”

“Oh, those?”

Fingerspelling is a sign language that teaches letters through touch by visualizing the letters of the alphabet with hand movements.

Braille is a special character set invented by Louis Braille, a teacher, to enable blind people to read books.

Both are actually the means Anne Sullivan used to educate Helen Keller.

Of course, I can’t tell you the historical facts straight out, so I simplified it and explained it as if it were the settings of a work I made up.

… … But somehow, Renoir’s reaction was somewhat subtle.

“Well, I’m sorry, but isn’t that expression too ambiguous?”

“Ambiguous?”

“As you know, if the action instructions are not detailed, it is difficult for the actors to act realistically.”

Knock, knock. He stamped his hoof on the theater floor, making his concerns known.

“Of course, an experienced veteran like me is good at improvising, but shouldn’t all the lead roles in this miracle worker be played by new female actors? If you just say, “There are fingerprints and Braille, so try to express them well,” there’s a high chance that you’ll end up floundering.”

“What does that mean?”

“It would be better to actually implement this setting, even if it’s simple. So that the acting can be convincing to the audience.”

“Ugh, umm… … ”

Can you at least try to imitate the fingerprint and Braille?

‘Of course, it’s not 100% impossible… … ‘

After watching the classic movie, The Miracle Worker, I became very interested in the biography of Helen Keller in my previous life.

At that time, I became interested and studied sign language and Braille, albeit briefly.

But an abbreviation is just an abbreviation. If you receive a request to ‘implement it so that others can understand it’, you can’t help but be embarrassed.

‘Even during Farewell My Concubine, it was Professor Gabi who actually composed the martial arts movie songs that I hummed along to.’

… … So this time too, should I look for someone to give me advice?

But who would help develop sign language and special characters for the disabled?

Honestly, there’s no one person that comes to mind.

But that doesn’t mean you can just go to a busy saint and ask her for help.

“Hmm, Phantom.”

While I was thinking about it for a moment, Renoir observed my expression and then gave me some advice.

“Maybe there’s someone out there who can help with this task. If you don’t mind, would you like to go and find them yourself?”

“… … Has the amount of donations decreased this month as well?”

“Yes, Father. I guess there’s nothing I can do.”

“It seems like they think the money spent on caring for the disabled is a waste.”

Two workers bowing their heads and mumbling their reports.

Pierre, the old priest who was in charge of the welfare center’s affairs, responded in a complicated manner.

“Okay, just go ahead and do this. God will surely provide the funds you need.”

“Yes, Father.”

Rattling!

Workers who close the old door and leave listlessly.

Father Pierre, who was watching her back, soon turned his gaze towards the crucifix hanging on the wall.

Although he encouraged the workers by mentioning the angel, he was exhausted even as a devout priest.

‘House of Confession’, a welfare facility run by Father Pierre.

The reason why the amount of donations decreased every year compared to general relief centers was simple.

Because most of the people cared for at the Confession House are disabled people with physical defects.

“Sigh.”

Medieval society, where the concept of ‘human rights’ was weak, did not look kindly on people with disabilities.

If you look at it positively, it’s like treating them like useless parasites that just eat food.

In severe cases, they are even ridiculed and made into objects of ridicule, saying that they have been punished by the gods.

Of course, the situation is different for disabled people who come from wealthy or high-ranking families.

There are no material deficiencies, and socially, they are viewed relatively warmly.

Even though the saint of the Church of Heaven is blind and has lost her sight, who would dare to insult or ridicule her as a parasite who has been punished by the gods?

However, most of the disabled people who gathered at the House of Confession are from poor and humble backgrounds.

Isn’t it a reality that the number of people who are conscious of supporting them through ‘donations’ is decreasing day by day?

“Hoo, my God. Why are you silent at the prayer of the Lamb?”

Father Pierre made the sign of the cross quietly and spoke to himself.

“This is enough of a trial, so please help me now. It is getting harder and harder to take care of the Lord’s sheep who stay in the house of confession.”

It is a situation where it is faster to find things that are not lacking, such as funds, manpower, and materials.

In the end, Father Pierre had no choice but to blame the indifferent gods again today.

… … But little did he know, the gods had already extended a helping hand to him.

“Father Pierre!”

As soon as he returned, a nun from the welfare center came running and told him the surprising news.

“Pa, Pa, the Phantom writer has come to see you! He asked me to make sure I could see the priest!”