The Fallen Towers
I recently visited the 9/11 tribute museum Downtown in NYC. This visit is what inspired my vision for the opera. 9/11 is a day that we will never forget, especially as local New Yorkers. As I walked through the Memorial Plaza and the museum, I began to understand more why it was so important to transform the WTC into a public area that commemorates the tragic disaster. As I looked around, I noticed the young children who undoubtedly were not alive on September 11th, 2001. Their parents were pointing at the fountain that was surrounded by names etched in stone. They carefully explained what these names represented… I observed expressions of shock and incomprehension among their faces.
I decided that an opera commerating 9/11 would represent an alternative medium in order to remember the damage and complete loss brought about by 9/11. The opera would highlight two major themes, catastrophe and restoration. I decided that this opera would be brief (1.5 hours) because that is exactly what 9/11 was- a moment in history that would forever change the lives of our nation. this would be a two-act show, each act is representative of a fallen tower. In Act I, the scene would show the sudden crash and unanticipated disaster. Act II would show the aftermath, heroes cleaning up the ashes.
Note: This opera’s main effect will be brought into fruition through the dramatic scenery and sharp sounds brought about through the actors.
Act I: The set will open displaying a backdrop of the World Trade Center. The props on stage will be organized to create a hustling street in New York City. Yellow taxi cabs, street vendors and pedestrians fill the stage. Two characters will begin to sing a melodic and happy song. The cheerful and light tune represents the positive life these two characters lead as they cruise though the buzz of NYC. However, their song comes to a jarring pause as the lights on the stage start flashing out of control. All of a sudden, a more panicked tune is heard. The pedestrians burst out in a cacophonous jumble of octaves. Lights are flashing red, white, red, white—blackout. Once the lights go black a siren is sounded. The backdrop of the WTC Towers begins to flicker, displayed on the backdrop screen is footage of the crash. As the audience watches this clip, smoke begins to fill the surface of the stage. As the smoke starts turning into a thick fog, the disjointed melody of notes begins. There is something unpleasant about this sound. The tune is muffled yet jarringly sharp. The lights flash back on and the is complete ash and rubble.
Act II: The curtains will open to reveal the same scenery present at the end of Act I, piles of ruins. However, all of sudden three firefighters emerge from beneath the ashes as an American flag is lowered down from above. These firefighters begin to sing a song that is sad and distraught. They sound discouraged and broken. They gaze out ahead wondering if the rubble will ever end.
Slowly, more civilians appear on stage. Some look hopeful, some look as if they have gone through a war zone, some bear flowers and some carry shovels and rakes. Each civilian expresses that they he has come here for a specific reason. One has come to look for his son, another has come to supply food for the volunteers, another raises his shovel, expressing that he is wants to help the workers clear the site.
The sound affects in this scene must be strong and acute. The audience will hear the civilians’ song of restoration. But, they will also constantly hear the digging and sifting of a shovel. This constant sound helps put into perspective that the damage caused from 9/11 never really ended. Even today, we are constantly resorting and shifting through the ashes.
