Dragon, choose cultural victory to make money

Chapter 29 The Wranglers

Unlike the shocked or frightened reactions of the audience around him, Joan Carlson stared at the huge curtain hanging in the arena with excitement.

What he saw was not just a trailer for The Phantom Pain, he saw the future of performing arts and his own dream.

As the future successor of the Wrangler Theatre, he has long had enough of the current drama.

But the short film that just appeared is completely different.

The people there didn't look like they were performing, it looked like it was really happening.

There are no obscure words, no forced imitation of ancient aristocratic accents, no rigid body movements, and no desktop settings that are copied from a mold...

The actors were allowed to speak with accents from all over the world during their performances.

This would get you punished in a theater.

In comparison, although there are only fragments, "Journey to the Holy Mountain" is more like a living person rather than a puppet.

Oh, okay, the zombie actors weren't that lifelike, but that was fine, perfectly matching his imagination of the Necromancer's creations, and if they weren't in reality, it must be the Necromancer's fault.

Drogo Studios.

He remembered the name. How on earth did they manage to take such a picture?

He had seen "Moying" before, those yo-yo short films, and thought at that time that this technology had a promising future, but he didn't expect it to develop so quickly.

Two months ago, he tried to convince his father to introduce this technology to the Wrangler Troupe, but was criticized as being gimmicky and not following the right path.

No, we must try again. The Wranglers are already the last of the three major theatre companies in the city, and many people think they are not worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as Viola and Swan Castle.

If you don't seize the opportunity this time, you will never have a chance to turn things around in the future.

Thinking of this, I decided not to continue watching the rest of the yo-yo competition.

I told my friends around me, "I have something urgent to do, so I have to leave now."

Without waiting for a reply from his friend, he ran to the exit of the arena, hailed a carriage, and went back to the Wrangler Theatre.

The theater is located on the banks of the Siren River. In its heyday, it was a frequented place by celebrities from all walks of life. But now it seems a bit deserted. It has been a long time since a popular play that has brought both fame and fortune was staged here.

"Young Master." The servant hurriedly saluted when he saw Huo An getting off the carriage.

"Is my father here?"

"In the study."

Huo An rushed up the stairs in two steps, but saw that the study door was closed. He knew that his father was meeting a guest.

I heard my father's anxious voice from inside.

"This is the highest price I can offer. You know, other theaters won't pay that much for this script."

"You really need this script, don't you? Look at your theater. Is it only one-third full now?"

"This is just a temporary low point, but the Wranglers will overcome the difficulties. As long as your script is here, we will not forget the help you provided."

"How about this? I have a better suggestion. Transfer the theater to me, and you can still perform here, and I can give you the script for free."

"You've got to be kidding me."

"Do you think I'm kidding?"

"That's impossible. The theater is the result of my life's hard work."

"That's a pity. We can only wait until your blood runs dry."

The study door opened and a man in gorgeous clothes came out. When he saw Huo An waiting outside, he took off his hat and gestured to him.

In the study, his father was sitting dejectedly on a chair. He had often seen his father like this in recent months.

"Father," Huo An walked into the study, "I know how to give the Wrangler Theater a new lease of life."

"Tell me about it." He raised his head and forced a very stiff smile.

Huo An knew that his father had no hope, but he just didn't want to embarrass him.

"Do you know about magic shadows? Let's learn how to make magic shadows. Let's start with "The Journey to the Holy Mountain". Oh, "The Journey to the Holy Mountain" is a magic shadow that will be released next week. Can you imagine it? I have never seen such a realistic picture. Our theater can also show magic shadows..."

His father waved his hand, signaling the excited Huo An to stop for a moment, and then took out a letter from the table.

"have a look."

"What is this?" "An invitation from Drogo Productions."

Huo An opened the letter, which invited all theaters in the city to screen "Journey to the Holy Mountain". The earlier a theater joined the cooperation, the higher the share it would receive.

"Isn't this just in time? They've already invited us, so what are we waiting for? If we're late we won't get a high share!"

"Don't you understand? This is declaring war on the entire theater industry, forcing theaters to take sides. Do you think that if we show "The Trip to the Holy Mountain", the Wranglers will still be accepted by the theater industry?"

"They didn't accept us in the first place." Huo An's voice broke due to anger.

The road to the rise of the Wranglers was not easy. At first they roamed the streets and performed comedy shows, and comedy has always been at the bottom of the industry's contempt chain.

It was not until their fame grew and attracted more and more audiences that they were able to move into a large theater and become a well-known troupe.

Every attempt to transform into a serious repertoire thereafter ended in failure, causing the troupe to go from bad to worse.

Later, even his signature comedy could no longer win the audience's favor.

The traditional theater industry has never accepted them. It only approved with a pinch of the nose when the Wranglers could make money, and waited for every opportunity to take advantage of them.

"I have worked so hard for so many years just to get recognition in the theatre industry, but I have come too far and I don't have the courage to start over again."

There was helplessness in my father's tone.

"Are we just going to die? The theater is already on the verge of collapse. Even if the magic shadow fails, can we be any worse off?"

"But there are so many people in the troupe who need to eat. What will they do if the theater is used to show magic?"

"Come and film the Demon Shadow too! I know the actors from 'The Trip to the Holy Mountain', they are from the Hybrid Giant Beasts Group. If they can do it, then the Wranglers can do it too."

My father grabbed his gray hair with a troubled look on his face.

"Father!" Huo An almost pleaded, "If you were young, would you be so timid?"

-------

A horse-drawn carriage with the Wranglers' logo on it drove along Cornflower Street.

The square on the north side of the street has been set up with screens and chairs, and it seems to be a temporary screening venue for the magic film.

Huo An could never have imagined that the team that filmed "The Journey to the Holy Mountain" was actually in a toy store.

When he arrived at the third floor, he was greeted only by a girl who looked younger than him.

Oh, and there's a Wurm, too.

"The Wrangler Theatre can show 'The Trip to the Holy Mountain', but there is a condition. We want to learn the magic shadow technique."

"What do you want to do with the magic shadow?" Aisha asked.

"To do a burlesque show."

"Is there a script?"

"Yes." Compared with acting, Huo An is more interested in scriptwriting and carries his proudest works with him.

Aisha took the script.

Drogo took a look at it and to be honest, it was very well-organized and closer to the structure of a movie than the current way of writing dramas.

There is just one thing that can't be held back. The protagonist of the play, a young man who delivers takeout, whose parents are ordinary farmers, actually lives in a single room in the riverside area. He works six hours a day and spends the rest of the time reading to enrich himself.

"It's pretty funny."

"Thank you."

"No, it's not the content of the script that's funny, it's the script itself that's funny."

Huo An was choked and speechless, and his face turned red at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"How about this? I can give you the magic shadow technology without paying in advance. Once the work is completed, we can split the profits and settle the accounts."

"Really?" Huo An was overjoyed.

"But there is a condition. I remember that the Wrangler came from the streets. You go to the mixed-race area and perform comedy for a month. Then see if your script can be improved. Then we can talk about magic shadow technology."

Huo An nodded. He had no choice.

"But now, let's prepare for the release of Journey to the Holy Mountain."

(End of this chapter)