Topic – Consumerism & Automation due to Corporate Greed
Moral – Humans offer unique values that a machine and automation could never replicate.
Conflict – More and more humans are being expelled from their jobs and replaced by machines in order to increase production.
Characters –
- Adam – the sole remainder of G.R.E.E.D. Inc.
- Boss – the overseer to G.R.E.E.D.
- E.V.E – The main assistant within G.R.E.E.D Inc.
Plot –
Scene 1: Adam is working within his cubicle diligently when suddenly a message from Boss pops up on his computer. (Messages on computers would be projected onto a main screen set above the stage, for the audience to see). The message states “Please see Boss on level 100 for further instructions.” Adam reflects on the strangeness of this request, he hasn’t left his cubicle in years, due to the Boss’ requirements for the employees. Adam gets up for the first time, and looks to his left and right, and sees there is no longer anyone around him. Adam walks to the edge of the room, and taps the button for E.V.E. to ask for directions. EVE lights up, and explains to Adam that the Boss can be reached through the elevator. Adam needs directions because everything has changed around him while he’s been plugged in. EVE directs him to the stairs.
Scene 2: The stage rotates as Adam walks, and he reaches a staircase and walks up, speaking about the history of the company. He began working there when he was very young, and one day the employees were told that they were no going to be plugged into their computers in order to increase efficiency. The company was always looking to be efficient, and now Adam wonders where everyone else has gone. He encounters more EVE screens as he walks. Whenever he gets near an EVE screen, the same robotic voice pops up and asks “Is there any way I can assist you today?” Eventually, Adam reaches the top of the stairs and is met with a large double door.
Scene 3: Inside, it is dark and there is a large screen in the center of the room. Adams walks around and calls to the boss, but no one answers. Finally, he reaches to the screen and taps the glass. It lights up a bright binding light, and a robotic voice of his old boss comes to life. The boss explains to him that over the years they have found more and more ways of being efficient, and thankfully Adam can now help them achieve this goal even more. The boss tells Adam that instead of working for the company, he would now be replaced, just like all of his coworkers, with an automated computer that could accomplish his job 1,000% faster than he ever could! Adam is taken aback, and tries to protest, but is instead directed out by an EVE. On his way out, Adam sees an outlet, and traces the plug back to the Boss. Acting impulsively, he unplugs the machine, and suddenly all of the EVE machines, and the boss all go dark. Adam stumbles out of the building, realizing there’s no hope in staying in the company. The stage rotates again as Adam walks.
Scene 4: Adam reaches the outside of the office, and finds other humans walking out of other buildings around him. The humans join together, realizing they had all been replaced, and yet there is a sense of comfort as they walk off together, searching for a better future without the mess of machines to get in their way.
Set – The set is a rotating circle similar to what we saw in the Magic Flute. There are four main components, beginning with a series of cubicles where Adam begins in the center. You can see one cubicle on either side of him, and another row across from him. There is a giant screen floating above Adam in which the words from the screens is projected for the audience to see. The next rotation is a series of stairwells for Adam to go up and down in his journey to see his Boss. The next rotation is the boss’s office, with the same giant screen acting as the Boss, only it is lowered down now to be at Adam’s eyelevel. The next rotation is several tall structures on either side with office fronts, with a street in the middle.
Costumes – Adam is the sole character in the opera, and he is dressed in a full suit, similar to something you would see on Wall Street in NYC. When he goes outside and finally sees other humans, they are all dressed in similar business attire.
Music – The music is very robotic, and acts as a theme behind Adam as he goes on his journey. There is excited music when he is in the stairwells, slow and ominous music when he reaches the boss, sad music when he is fired, and hopeful music playing on his journey outside. When he is outside, there is natural, soft sounds and even sounds of birds.
Lighting – The lighting is often dark and ominous. The screens and the stairwells are starkly bright and luminescent as an office building would be. There are no colors or warm hues in the lighting, only cold vibes. The lighting in the scene with the boss is completely dark, with light coming from the screen and a spotlight on Adam. When he gets outside, that is the only case where there is warmth and a sense of natural lighting.
Reflection – I had a very good time writing this opera! The biggest struggle for me was coming up with an idea that is reflective of modern fears. I decided on net neutrality at first, and that’s where I got into the idea of using computers as a “character”. Then, I wanted to say something about the struggle between efficiency and complete automation, which many people are worried that one day there will be robots for all of the jobs we hold today as humans. I wanted the message to be hopeful, and that’s why the overlying moral is that there is nothing like human touch in the world, and that is something that a robot will never be able to accomplish. I used Adam as the name to reflect the first and now possibly LAST human on earth, because he is at least the last human within the company. EVE is also a reference to the story of creation as an aid to Adam for that reason. I had fun coming up with the dystopian future, and it’s terrifying and yet I like the idea that no matter how bad the world becomes, there will always be somewhere to walk away to, and move back into a brighter future, because at the end of the day humans still have empathy and compassion towards one another, and will be able to begin anew.
