This is the Ritz Theater! This is the location where our star players, Fredrich and Evalyn, first meet! It's also a part of the title, so as you can guess, it's a significant location! The theater itself isn't the biggest in 'ole Hollywood, but it's still a popular choice for premieres. Its limited seating makes it exclusive for big events, but they happily welcome in 'all the little folks' for regular screenings!
I got my inspiration from the actual Ritz Theater in Hollywood. It first opened in 1939 as a newsreel theater (but it wasn't called the "Ritz" until the 80s)! The version of the Ritz Theater that appears in Ritzkrieg is fictional, so my Ritz is much older, but it just so happens that the story begins in 1939! Other inspirations for my Ritz come from the Chicago theater and other old movie houses around Los Angeles!
Next, this is Eva's suitcase and all the non-clothing contents. This suitcase first appears on the second page of chapter 1, and acts as the physical manifestation of Eva's past. She hasn't had a consistent home in a long time, so her whole life is right here! She keeps a frame that holds a picture of her parents, a mysterious locked metal box and key (it looks pretty old too!), and her favorite book that she's had since she was a little girl. Eva absolutely loves stories, and so she also loves to read! This particular book is her favorite and was also a gift from her father before he left for Germany.
So that's all for this post! I have quite a few more environments I want to work through (the bridge, the park, Fredrich's apartment) as well as costume designs (reworking and showing Fred and Eva's outfits from each chapter). That stuff should be up... soon! :D
