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| Created at | August 06, 2010 |
| Created by | Sivi Uitto |
| Closed | December 16, 2010 |
| Shots given | 8 |
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Graziano Gallo has created a powerful synopsis and we have the great opportunity to use it as a basis for our libretto. It allows us to vary and play with it’s imaginative elements.
Structure:
The basic idea is to divide the first act into scenes and decide what’s going to happen. Then we can start writing the scenes into dialogue. After we have created the first act, we’ll do the same with second and third act.
Because there is so much happening in the plot, would it be a good idea to summarize the beginning a little and maybe start the action straight from the meeting with the angels. What do you think?
Characters:
Lead:
Mozart (male)
Oscar Wilde (male)
Joan of Arc (female)
Lucifer (female)
Supporting:
Gabriel (male)
Gazardiel (female)
Jophiel (male)
Bastianel (female)
Choir:
God (the choir)
The Giants (the choir)
Place:
The first act takes place in nowhere less than Heaven. What kind of place is it? What about Hell?
Free Will
ACT I
God is in anguish, his deep concern raised by the way things go on earth: wars, hunger, diseases, hedonism, egoism, relativism. So he summons a general assembly to which all the Angels Hierarchies and the Demiurge are convened. He asks all of them advise about how changing the course of events. During the meeting different solutions are proposed: a new flood, a new Messiah, a severe punishment, but none of them looks convincing enough to God. When God is on the verge to lose hope, a shy young angel (Bastianel) comes out with a pretty weird idea: send back to earth 3/4 human genius of the past ages with the mission of changing the destiny of human mankind. At first everyone laughs at him, but God looks seriously interested, so after a short discussion God accept Batianel’s proposal. Helped by Archangel Gabriel and the young Bastianel God chooses the heroes: Lorenzo de’ Medici, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Alan Turing e Oscar Wilde, they will be picked up from the Limbo and sent back to earth with a brand new identity but the original thinking creative mind. They will be escorted by 4 angelic guides: Uriel (creativity), Perpetiel (dream), Jophiel (Illumination) and Gazardiel (New Beginning). So the four heroes are taken out of the Limbo and instructed by Gabriel and Bastianel about their task. In the meanwhile Lucifer is informed by the Demiurge of the new initiative taken by God and starts studying countermeasures in order to ruin God’s plan. Lucifer’s agents on earth (the Nephilim or Giants) led by Beelzebub will do their best to make the four heroes fail.
Bastianel eagerly sits down at a computer and starts typing
Bastianel to Gabriel:
We just need your login
To search the Book of Souls
Their “United Nations”—
Gabriel, excitedly catching up with Bastianel’s thought:
Would present the perfect role!
Bastianel, encouragingly:
Let’s find a Game Changer
Gabriel:
for Secretary General!
Basianel, now intently typing:
Keywords will uncover—
Gabriel:
--those who had both brains and balls!
The other angels, now obsequiously wanting to contribute, pipe in with suggestions:
JFK! MLK!
Basianel frowns, cocks her head, continues scanning his computer screen.
Gabriel:
wounds too…fresh
Angels:
Attila the Hun? Napoleon?
Gabriel:
too much…blood
Angels:
Aristotle?
Gabriel, shaking his head, getting frustrated:
Out of touch
Angels, peering now over Basianel’s shoulder:
Oscar Wilde…??
Bastianel looks up swiftly at Gabriel, affirmation in her eyes
Gabriel:
Aha! Yes. Nice.
And I understand he’s available.
Bastianel makes some notes on a piece of paper, then looks up at Gabriel waiting further direction. Seeing Gabriel’s hesitation, Bastianel prompts:
Maybe technology…
Could use a Bulldozer too?
Merged with biology--
Gabriel, again picking up on Bastianel’s subtle prompts:
With a strong arm to push through--
Gabriel and Bastianel together:
Politics, boundaries
Rules and traditions and feuds
Bastianel:
The taproot of disease--
Gabriel:
could be cured-- and hunger too!!
A pause. Gabriel, now thoughtful:
But who…?
Bastianel is typing feverishly.
Angels, verbally stepping over one another to gain attention, chime in once more:
Einstein! Al!
Basianel continues typing, ignoring their suggestion.
Gabriel:
no, not a passivist
Angels:
Leonardo!
Gabriel, peering at the screen Bastianel is now pointing at, shakes his head:
Overworked.
No, we need someone to lead
not just go their own way
Angels, spying on Basianel’s research:
Joan?…of Arc??
Bastianel straightens up eagerly. Gabriel unconsciously mirrors him:
Yes! Yes. A fighter. A visionary. A ball-breaker!
Perfect.
Bastianel takes down some more notes, then casts a sideways glance up at Gabriel and prompts:
Music as religion…
Their universal language
Bastianel and Gabriel together, excitedly:
Harmonic vibrations
Gabriel:
to cut through the brain’s garbage!
Bastianel:
composer,musician
To transform the world stage
Is there a brilliant one…?
Pause. Gabriel and the angels exchange contemplative glances. Bastianel barely disguises disbelief.
Almost with a hum, Bastianel softly prompts with “M---“
Gabriel and the angel unwittingly catch the spark of her thought and shout triumphantly in unison:
“MOZART!
Gabriel raises his arm commandingly:
“Go! Gather them! “
All rush offstage.
The Operatives have alltogether approved this Scene as being the great outcome based on the suggestions of Graziano Gallo, Nancy Somerville and many others.
Operative Iida has combined the first scene this far and the next step is to write out the Aria of Bastianel. In the Aria Bastianel is telling who he thinks is the suitable set of geniouses to be sent back to the world.
Here is the draft where to continue:
(1)Overture ... music commenting on videoclips and pictures showing mankind's suffering projected on a screen... God's musical voice slowly emerging (as a kind of main theme) and then, at the climax of the overture, awfully thundering with no underlying music ...
2) Sudden darkness and absolute silence fall on stage (few seconds)
3) Lights turn on the Angels Board of Directors meeting, several angels seated round a conference table. An administrative assistant, Bastianel, stands quietly aside when not engaged in passing out copies of documents, refilling cups, or fetching supplies.
Gabriel, trance-like, eyes closed and arms raised, channels God’s thoughts in a kind of stream-of-consciousness:
GABRIEL
Bleak, blind, murky earth
Doubing, doomed, desolate souls
Violent, malignant, warring spirits
withering wretched wasteland
distress…distress
(Gabriel’s meditative state ends. He opens his eyes and lowers his hands to his side. Picking up a tablet from the table, Gabriel assumes a direct and very serious manner, scanning his notes then addressing the collective of angels. )
GABRIEL
As your CEA
I’ve called this emergency session
At God’s request
As these images demonstrate
The Free Will Project
Has not met God’s expectations
Famine and Fear
Terror and Greed
Their ‘milestone’ of a new century
Did nothing
To keep their eyes on eternity
And our merger with Globalism
Still nets a gain in devastations
God is firm
The direction is clear
The deadline is now
We must act
Use our insight
And our influence
To help fix this creation
So I open the floor
To your propositions
GAZARDIEL
I think it’s about time we show humans
Those ignorant little creatures
Let’s give them a run for their money!
I’m talking about a serious punishment!
A good old fashioned punishment!
I’m talking about floods!
I’m talking about massive earthquakes!
Let’s show them
They’ve seen nothing yet!
JOPHIEL
Hate to say this
But isn’t that kind of obvious?
That’s pretty much
What’s been going on lately…
GAZARDIEL
You don’t get it, do you?
Let’s give them something
They can’t misinterpret!
Oceans turning to blood
Animals talking
Fish flying
You get the picture.
JOPHIEL
Is chaos really the answer?
More fear?
More hate?
More pain, more suffering?
GAZARDIEL
All right, all right
You come up with something better.
JOPHIEL
How about this?
A new Messiah!
GAZARDIEL
Look what happened to the last one?
JOPHIEL
But this time it’s going to be different
Thanks to modern technology
Their methods can spread
The word faster, more purely
No riddles or parables or whatever they were
A Prophet who dies happily
…I like ‘happily’
GABRIEL
This didn’t work as God planned last time.
People divided instead of united.
It’s still getting worse day by day!
Really makes God look bad.
No, I’m afraid we can’t risk it
GAZARDIEL
I’m just saying
Punishment!
JOPHIEL
Messiah!
GAZARDIEL
Punishment!
JOPHIEL
Messiah!
BASTANIEL
Excuse me!
I’m very sorry to interrupt
But I have an idea
GAZARDIEL
But you are very small and insignificant
GABRIEL
We are running out of options here
Let the boy speak
BASTANIEL
How about helping people in their own way
I mean, haven’t there been quite good people
That have done, you know, like good stuff
GAZARDIEL
Like who?
JOPHIEL
Always so cynical.
GABRIEL
Yeah, give the boy a chance, will you
Now Bastaniel, who do you have in mind?
(This is where the angels decide who they will send back to Earth)
The Second Scene could address the selection of the 3 heroes with a witty dialogue between Gabriel and Bastianel. Maybe start with Gabriel dismissing the others out of their heavenly conference room, and Bastianel (as the administrative assistant he is) could go fetch a big ol’ dusty “Book of Souls”. There could be some fun repartee as they flip through the pages, commenting on the pros and cons of possible candidates, with Bastianel slowly gaining confidence and ultimately controlling the selection process while making Gabriel think they are all his ideas….ending with mutual boasting pride and appreciation for their own 'genius' once they've latched onto the perfect 3.
I am pretty happy with the choice of the three heroes, I agree ... I find it original and inspiring.
I also like the idea of the choir lending voice to God, I believe it's pretty effective.
At the same time I find that the structure of the characters described is unbalanced. I was crowded out reading this part of Sivi's post as I thought we were in the phase of choosing the heroes of the story only. In any case we have a platoon of "good fellows" and only Lucifer against them ... mmmmhhh ... no ... I fear that doesn't work ... that reduces almost to nil the chance to set up the humorous (and somehow vain) fight between good and evil that is one of the pillar of the plot ... I'm aware of the constrains due to the maximum number of leading and supporting roles but then I would suggest that we cut out the angel guides (Gazardiel and Jophiel) and replace them with two devils as indeed they are the true antagonist of our three heroes. Shaping the casting in such a way allow us to better and more effectively handle the central part of the plot in which Wilde, Mozart, Joan and Bastianel will face the threat brought to their plan by Lucifer and the other two devils ...
Please note that the text in capitalized letters implies spoken dialogue, rather than sung.
Act 1, Scene 1
1)Overture ... music commenting on videoclips and pictures showing mankind's suffering projected on a screen...
2) Sudden darkness and absolute silence fall on stage (few seconds)
3) Lights turn on the Angels Board of Directors meeting, several angels seated round a conference table. An administrative assistant, Bastianel, stands quietly aside when not engaged in passing out copies of documents, refilling cups, or fetching supplies.
(Gabriel, trance-like, eyes closed and arms raised, channels God’s thoughts in a kind of stream-of-consciousness)
GABRIEL
My poor Man
Seed of my soul
Hate, greed, lust
Makes you blind
I can’t stand
This view any longer
I shall do
What must be done
(Gabriel’s meditative state ends. He opens his eyes and lowers his hands to his side. Picking up a tablet from the table, Gabriel uneasily flips pages back and forth, scanning his notes. Assuming a direct and very serious manner, he tensely addresses the collective of angels)
GABRIEL
As your CEA
I’ve called this emergency session
At the Lord’s request
And with specific directions
As what you’ve seen clearly proves
Heaven has failed to connect
To connect
With our audience on earth
Our attempts at bailout
Very quickly dried out
Famine and Fear
Hate Wars and Greed
The promise that brought
The new century dawn
Is the wail of a baby who
Won’t ever grow
And the globalization
Still nets a gain in devastations
We must stop mankind self-destruction
Now
The Free Will Project known as “Man”
Doesn’t meet God’s expectations
My friends our task is set
We’ve been given an ultimatum
The new directive is the “Judgment Day”
That means
Win or fail
Live or die
And that too to us apply ...
(Rumours of concern around the table)
Not only Man at the stake
My dear friends you can bet
There’s our own role
On the game board
If we don’t make His will
We will pay out the bill
If we fail to succeed
If we don’t save the breed
What you think He will do?
He will push us to doom!
We will be cast down to hell
And you all know that I’m not lying ... so well ...
God is firm
The direction clear
The deadline is now
We must act
And help God to fix His creation somehow
And remember:
Losing is not in my vocabulary
(All the other angels around the table get upset at Gabriel’s words)
CHOIR
What a shame
It’s unfair
What a threat for no blame
We deserve more respect
We have faithfully served
If the men all got lost
If something went wrong
It is not our fault
God simply laid his bet on the losing horse
(Gabriel takes the floor again)
GABRIEL
Shut up retain your tongue!
The Almighty can’t go wrong
I would suggest more caution ...
Yes He said “Save the Man!”
Well I don’t give a damn
But what else can we do?
We’ve got too much to lose
You know better than me
How His fury can be
And Lucifer as well
So now squeeze your brains before I start to yell ...
(Discussion starts – Angels around the table, each at his own turn, speak)
ANGEL 1
Men are fearful creatures
Mostly are frightened by pain
Let’s give ‘em a reason to ache
A plague a new virus strain ...
ANGEL 2
Why don’t we get back to the old school
A fire rain or a Deluge
Humans will be scared to hell
And promptly to wisdom reduced ...
GABRIEL
Not at all!
You forget our goal
We must save the man
Not purify the earth
ANGEL 3
Let us manipulate their dreams
You know it’s already been done
You know it has worked for awhile
It’s time to put up a new show ...
ANGEL 4
We should send a New Messiah
By using the internet
He might talk to the whole world
...well at least ... to whoever connect ...
GABRIEL
Don’t you see?
This is not the key!
It will still end the same
And for that we will be blamed
(Voices overlaps in a noisy “crescendo” until Bastianel shyly tries to gain the floor)
BASTIANEL
SIRS ... MAY I DARE TO EXPRESS ...
GABRIEL
WHAT???
BASTIANEL
... MY POINT OF VIEW ...
... WITH YOUR PERMISSION OF COURSE
(All angels laugh at him, but Gabriel hush up all of them by a movement of his hand ... then ironically smiling ...)
GABRIEL
PLEASE BARTHEL ...
BASTIANEL
BASTIANEL SIR ...
GABRIEL
SORRY ... BASTIANEL SURE ... SPEAK ... I CONCEDE MY PERMISSION ...
BASTIANEL
Instead of messengers
Who never fit in
We could send leaders
Who, instead of rejecting money and power
Adapt them, use them as the tools they are
To change big things, in bigger ways
Creative minds, spirits GENIUS of the past times …
Let’s see what we have got on hand …
Look down into the Limbo
I’m sure there we will find the right Men …
(All the other angels now turn to him irritated and sarcastically comment on his proposal)
SO YOU THINK SOME DRUNK SINNER MIGHT FIT BETTER THAN A PURE ANGEL OF GOD?
CHOIR
What a nuts
He’s a fool
Blasphemous
Insane
He’s a chump
Misbelieving
Conceited
A sham!
If we bet on his dream
We will win a nightmare!
We will be dragged down to hell
We can’t place our trust in such a foolish spell!
GABRIEL
SILENCE PLEASE!
I FIND BASTIANEL’S PROPOSAL WORTHY OF A MORE RESPECTFUL ATTENTION …
... ACTUALLY ... I LIKE IT ...
(all the other angels have now stopped laughing and shouting and look at Gabriel trying to understand if he’s speaking seriously ... Gabriel’s eyes clearly reveal he’s not kidding ...
GABRIEL
So this Board of Directors approves …
Hello!
The other task is now closed. Thank you all very much for your ideas! The operatives had a meeting concerning the characters, and we decided that the geniouses are:
Mozart
Oscar Wilde
Joan of Arc
Although there were many interesting suggestions we finally decided that choosing three geniouses instead of four would benefit the story. This way we can have more space to develop them properly and it is also easier to create the drama and suspense between three than four characters. The combination of two artist and one war hero and saint feels original and inspiring.
We also had to think about the rest of the characters because in the original synopsis there are so many that we don’t have enough singers to play them. We thought that instead of four guide angels we could have two, Jophiel (Illumination) and Gazardiel (New beginning). There would also be Gabriel and Bastianel. These singers could play other roles in the second and third act.
Lucifer is naturally a very important character as the antagonist of the story so he/she would be the forth lead role. The giants could be played by the choir.
We also thought that voice of God could be played by the choir. That could be a powerful way to demonstrate that God is something more than just a person, that it could be in fact in everything and in everyone.
So here are all the characters:
Mozart (male)
Oscar Wilde (male)
Joan of Arc (female)
Gabriel (male)
Gazardiel (female)
Jophiel (male)
Bastianel (female)
Lucifer (female)
God (the choir)
The Giants (the choir)
This way we would have 4 leading roles and 4 supporting roles. It is possible to add a role or two later if needed, but this way our story won’t be overcrowded before it’s too late to change things.
Suggestions that are used as premises in the following scenario for an opening scene:
1) use Gabriel as God’s Representative on the stage, rather than having God be a person. This way we could use gender-neutral terms when referring to God (and avoid some costuming clichés too!)
2) Although the suggestions below rely on individual singers playing the roles of the 4 angel guides in Act 1 Scene 1, each could perhaps have a unique choral accompaniment. Then when the subsequent scenes on earth take place, the guides could perhaps be present solely in the form of their choral voices-- ‘god shots’ that sound out on occasion to help the earthly geniuses along the correct path. The 4 singers would then be free to take on different assignments in the subsequent scenes.
Act 1, Scene 1
Curtain opens with Gabriel (as God’s Representative) standing stage right, facing the stage wings (no pun intended…). Behind Gabriel a group of other angels are gathered, including Uriel/Creativity, Perpetiel/Dream, Josphiel/Illumination, Gazardiel/New Beginning, and the novice Bastianel. All face the right stage wing, looking slightly upwards, mesmerized as they watch and listen, some of them clearly aghast.
Bright bursts of light emanate from offstage where they are watching, the flashes accompanied alternately by terrifying sounds of battle, piteous cries of starving children, the agitated honking of car horns at what sounds like crowds of beggars, painful coughing and moans of agony. The lights and sounds slowly fade.
Gabriel turns to the group behind him
Gabriel:
God has a new calling for you
We know of your many angelic deeds—
A guiding hand,
A flash of insight,
Watching over as children sleep
But…
God believes there is more you can do
You see their actions and hear their thoughts (gesturing over to stage wing on the right):
“God is dead” or
at least far away
No one is listening when God talks
Yet—
Even the most of unholy of them
Will call on an angel now and again
So your God is now asking you
To beat your wings with a greater span
Awaken them!
Your turn—save them!
You’re charged with creating The Plan
Put your halo’d heads together
Ideas, yee angels, bring us your best ideas!
The future of earth resides in your hands.
(Much bustling, pondering, creating of lists and hand-waving amongst our angels. Almost eagerly, Gazardiel steps forward)
* Gazardiel:*
Think how wonderfully
A soul on earth transforms
When told of ‘incurable’ disease
Life becomes precious
Small things…cherished
Vision…unclutters
Think how wonderful
To ‘inflict’ all with this
manner of gift
A plague, perhaps?
Swiftly rising flood?
Gabriel pause, then speaks thoughtfully
Gabriel:
Too indirect
Often…misinterpreted as punishment
‘wrath’ of God nonsense
Fear is the opposite of the feeling we want
(Uriel and Perpetiel raise their hands together, then at a nod from Gabriel speak rapidly)
* Uriel, Perpetiel:*
Let us manipulate their dreams
You know it’s been done…
Let us plant visions of humanity
Show scenes from their lives
Played out with integrity
Really…you know it’s been done!
Gabriel:
Free Will, good friends, Free Will
This borders on tampering
With that sacred tenant
Besides—those there on earth
Think a ‘dream’ is something
That can never be attained
Josphiel then steps forward
* Josphiel:*
We should send a new Messiah!
It’s been too long
The message has grown stale
Now their methods can spread
The word faster, more purely
A Great One who will answer all questions
Answer for all to hear together
No riddles or parables or whatever they were
A Prophet who dies happily
…I like ‘happily’
Gabriel:
Yikes.
This didn’t work as God planned last time.
Peopled divided instead of united.
Hell, it’s still getting worse day by day!
Really makes God look bad.
No, I’m afraid we can’t risk it.
(Following Gabriel’s response, confused, agitated conversation takes place amongst the angels. The novice Bastianel raises a hand. )
* Bastianel:*
Instead of more messengers
Who never fit in
by sheer definition
of their outcast natures
We could send leaders
Who, instead of rejecting money and power
Adapt them, use them as the tools they are
To change big things, in bigger ways
Creative minds, GENIUS souls--
Think of what we have on hand
Those washed pure again,
lulled in limbo—
Mozart! (etc.)
I'm very excited to continue creating the libretto with you!
Iida
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Comments
If brevity is important for the 'genius selection' scene, we could revise the suggestions previously submitted by having Bastianel merely enter a string of key words into the computer, and have the top 3 names in the returned results be Joan, Mozart, and Wilde.
Dear Nancy,
Thanks for these you are awesome!
-Sivi