
The cast of the freeFall Theater staged reading
In 1479, the Doge of Venice sent the prominent Venetian painter Gentle Bellini to Istanbul to paint a portrait of the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, which had recently signed a peace treaty with Venice. Since Islamic law essentially forbids images of living creatures, the Sultan’s request likely placed Bellini in danger during his visit. Bellini and the Sultan imagines what might have happened.
