The son of the love goddess, Venus, Cupid is the Roman god of love and desire; the gatekeeper of the heart as it were. In early iterations, he was depicted as a slender young boy with wings. However when Rome conquered Greece, he was subsequently portrayed as the chubby little mischievous child that most are familiar with today; adorned with is bow and magic arrows. In many writings, Cupid actually had two different types of arrows; gold for those who would fall madly in love, and lead for those whose time it was to be free of one another forever to allow a new relationship to begin. His arrows were such that they worked on human and god alike, as he would come to find out at once while obeying one of his mother’s command, he mistakenly shot himself and fell madly in love himself with a mortal. The irony of course that even being the god of love would not prevent his own love life from a particular set of… complications. Thus serving as an example to all that even an immortal love must survive the trials.
Jason Mendez’s play, “Pack Hacker,” is a story about the baggage a couple brings to the table when that invisible pull that connects them, just won’t let either leave without having the last word. Fueled by that last bit of minimalism that lingers at the bottom, their argument forces them to ask the hard question - “Do you really need that?” It’s a tale of love and Letgo, and what they are ultimately willing to do to save their vacation… and maybe their relationship.
CUPID by Jason Mendez
Directed by Sara Judge
Staged Reading on October 6, 2018 at The EXIT Theatre
Janelle Aguire (Molly)
Raisa Donato (Sophia)
Leer Relleum (Malcolm)
Jason Mendez is a storyteller. His stories have been produced in graphic novels, short films, and plays. This is his third year writing for the SF Olympians Festival.
The image of Cupid was created by Emily C. Martin.