Avitus Tappo
Avitus Tappo was a playwright, poet, and actor, well regarded for his dramatic flare and penchant for tragedies. Solo works published and performed during his life include 30 plays, 120 sonnets, and 20 poems.
Early Life
Avitus Tappo was born in 1744 to merchant Aquila Tappo and Glover Clotho Asellus in Paradise City. Avitus was educated at the Diana Carolina School for The Gifted in literature and theatre. At the age of 19 Avitus Tappo married Lucilla Bucco with whom he had 2 children: Mirabella & Elpidius.
Career
It is unknown when he began writing, however, sometime between 1765-1775, Avitus began a successful career in Paradisa as an actor & writer. Shortly after his career began Avitus moved forward in creating his own theatre and opera company with his friend Archippus Albus in 1778. They named this The Royal Theatre & Opera Company (TRTOC). In 1789 Archippus died of dysentery leaving the company entirely to Avitus Tappo. True to the name of his company Avitus Tappo was recruited to perform at the fortieth birthday party of Duchess Ryarna. Knowing the importance of this performance Tappo sought out the most talented actors he could find, recruiting Calypso Publicola and others to his company with the promise of a job upon completion of a successful show. They performed Anastius & Diana and Ryarna was so pleased that she requested Avitus Tappo & Calypso Publicola perform each year thereafter. In addition to private performances for Ryarna, Avitus put wrote multiple plays that were performed in The Royal Theatre & Opera House, and his company was invited to manage the theatre in the summer of 1790. Many of his plays that were performed here have long been considered some of the finest works to come out of Exponent. Among these include the tragic love story of Anastius & Diana, the twisted tale of The Lady & The Ogre, and The Story of Junius.
Late Life & Death
Late in life, Avitus began to collaborate with other playwrights such as Gracilis Caudinus and Hieronymus Getha writing tragicomedies. A few of these tragicomedies were performed at The Royal Theatre & Opera House but received mixed responses during his life. However, after his death, playwright Gracilis Caudinus and loyal actors such as Calypso Publicola published a collective text which included 12 unfinished or unpublished plays and 2 sonnets. Copies of this text were sold across Exponent after his death to those wealthy enough to afford it. These tragicomedies included titles such as Zacchaeus Balbus, The Rage of Caecus, and Alexis Mento.
Avitus died of unknown causes in the fall of 1796 and was survived by his two children. Management of The Royal Theatre & Opera House was passed onto Avitus's son Elpidius. Elpidius like his father was a playwright and poet. He did not act but preferred to direct. In memory of his father, Elpidius directed performances of each of the unpublished tragicomedies from his father's late collection. Tragically as is the case with most writers, these were well-received by the audience after his death. As a result, his works would influence the genre for generations to come.