Role players gather for magic at Bowers Museum
An epic quest. Fantastical creatures. Sword play. Magic spells. The hallmark elements of fantasy can be found in stories throughout the ages. From Homer’s Odyssey to the Harry Potter series, audiences love to get lost in worlds of make-believe.
The love of fantasy is partly what drew dozens of people to Bowers Museum in Santa Ana for an after-hours card game called Magic: The Gathering.
“As human beings we are always in a struggle to get anything and everything to where we want it to be, but being in a fantasy world and being able to do magic, cast spells and even fly takes us out of the stress of this world and into another life,†said Christian Martinez, an Orange County local who showed up for the event with a case of cards in hand.
The special game night was presented in conjunction with the museum’s latest exhibition, “Fantasy: Realms of Imagination†which celebrates the most renowned fantasy creators.
Presented in partnership with the British Library, the exhibition includes 160 fantastical pieces like costumes, historical manuscripts, maps, scripts and rare first editions. There are also film props and immersive multimedia experiences.
“The exhibit starts off with the Greek epics and it ends with the popular culture movement with films and games and popular stories of imagination that cross over a number of genres,†said Seán O’Harrow, president and chief executive officer at Bowers Museum.
Costumes like a red velvet tunic worn by Rudolf Nureyev as Prince Florimund in the Royal Ballet production of “The Sleeping Beauty†from 1968 are on display alongside a replica of Arya Stark’s sword from HBO’s “Game of Thrones.†An 1819 copy of “Children’s and Household Tales†by the Grimm Brothers from the British Library Board joins an edition of “Paradise Lost†illustrated by Gustav Doré from 1888.
“My own personally nerdiness focuses on the Arthurian romances from the 14th century because that is an era I have always been interested in,†said O’Harrow. “As a kid I loved knights in armor and that sort of thing.â€
O’Harrow imagines people will also enjoy seeing a first-edition copy of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.
“If you think about the importance of a [19-year-old] woman in the early 19th century writing a science-fiction/horror/drama and it essentially becoming the most famous story of its kind in the history of the world, to me the significance of it is amazing,†said O’Harrow. “And that is the first edition from the British Library which was probably one of the first libraries to collect it, ever.â€
Tickets to the game night held on Nov. 8 included access to the exhibit. There were also raffle prizes, vendors like AKH Trading Card Co. and a free tasting of mead (a beverage made by fermenting honey) from Honest Abe Cider House & Meadery.
Magic: The Gathering is a collectible card game where players can cast spells and “summon†creatures to defeat their opponents. While only 32 seats were open for the event, more than 40 people showed up to play.
“We are hoping to make this a monthly event,†said O’Harrow.
The museum also hopes to add more games like Dungeons & Dragons, another popular role-playing game included in the exhibit, to the event.
Martinez said he began playing Magic: The Gathering with his wife during the pandemic.
“We had tried a bunch of games already and we just couldn’t connect, and this is what connected us,†said Martinez.
Others echoed the sentiment of using the game as a way to bond.
“As life gets more complicated and we always have our phones, it is nice to step away from technology and all that and come back to paper and just hang out. To me that is why we go into fantasy worlds,†said Michael Apostol, another Orange County native who attended the game night.
Apostol said he also feels people are drawn to the narrative found in fantasy.
“The stories themselves are part of it ... in the exhibit they have Homer’s Odyssey and ‘Alice in Wonderland,’†said Apostol.
Other events planned in conjunction with “Fantasy: Realms of Imagination†include a screening of the 1982 film “The Dark Crystal†on Nov. 30 in the Norma Kershaw Auditorium from 1 to 3 p.m. and an enchanted tea party on Dec. 15 with a docent-led tour of the exhibition followed by tea sandwiches, scones and dessert bites from Dreamland Maid Café from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Key Courtyard.
Apostol said he sees fantasy as a great way to connect that isn’t just limited to the world of role-playing games.
“I think everybody does it, even sports people because Fantasy Football, March Madness — everyone loves that because it takes away from whatever we are doing and brings you to a different world where we can communicate and engage with other people, †said Apostol.
“Fantasy: Realms of Imagination†is a British Library exhibition with contributions from Bowers Museum on display through Feb. 16. For tickets visit bowers.org.
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