Aeolus
Aeolus is actually the name of three different mythological figures that even the Greeks couldn’t keep straight. All three were related to each other, though the exact structure of their family tree was also a matter of dispute.
The most famous of the three is the Aeolus of the Odyssey. Early in their journey, Odysseus and his crew arrived at the isle of Aeolia. Odysseus spent a peaceful month on the island, entertaining Aeolus and his family with stories of the Trojan war while feasting in comfort.
When it came time for them to leave, Aeolus used his powers as keeper of the wind to wrap up all but the west wind into a leather sack, ensuring that Odysseus would have a swift trip home. Unfortunately, just as the ship was in sight of land, Odysseus’s men seized the bag, thinking it was full of treasure. They released the winds and set their ship far off course.
Odysseus returned to Aeolus, asking for help once more, but Aeolus took this misfortune as a sign that Odysseus was hated by the gods and refused to help him again.
Kirk Shimano’s play is a science fiction spin on the story of Aeolus. “I was intrigued by the presence of three different beings fused into one and wanted to take that idea one step further. In my play, Aeolus is commander of a small space station. He belongs to an alien race whose members are each three beings in a single body. The human Odysseus must learn to navigate this three-souled culture in order to earn the help he needs to get home. I’m aiming for The Odyssey meets Ursula K. Le Guin’s “The Left Hand of Darkness,” where a human strives to learn about a culture completely alien to our own, and yet finds that he might not be as different as he first suspected. After all, we have one face we show to our coworkers, another that we show to our friends, and one that we show to our family, even though we maintain one identity.”
AEOLUS by Kirk Shamino
Directed by Claire Rice
Staged Reading on November 19, 2015
Kirk Shimano is returning to the San Francisco Olympians festival for the fifth consecutive year. His previous plays have included drag queens, whales, a struggling visual effects company and a computer that just wanted to be loved, but this is his first foray into outer space. He is a member of the PlayGround writer’s pool, where his “Android. Bishop. Countess. Microbe. Megan.” was recently commissioned as part of the Planet Earth New Play Festival. Kirk’s works have been performed by Wily West Productions, Piano Fight Productions, and San Francisco Theater Pub. He and his partner live in Sausalito with two cats and one dog, which is like living with a single being with three personalities that is always hungry and often wants its belly scratched.