plasticlopus

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Plasticlopus - A Puppet Opera

On May 16, 2009 at The Hartt School performers premiered a musical theater piece whose topic is environmental: the slowly swirling mass of plastic now larger than Texas, which is also known as The Great Pacific Garbage Patch. It is inspired by sea captain and founder of Algalita Marine Research Foundation Charles Moore.

The main characters are a turtle, and her friend...

humans....

a wizard a fairy

Plasticlopus ....

Thank you to the following puppeteers:

Jenna Wells, Meghan Quinn, Charles Kaplan,

Mylène Poitras, Jonathan Sandstrom and Matt Burry.

to the singers:

Michelle Murray Fiertek, Meghan McGinnes, Christopher deJongh, Miguel Vasquez, John Tedeschi, Jennifer Tyo, Kevin Anderson

and to the instrumentalists: Noriyo Fukui, Peter Scuderi, Matt Sargent, Mary Chuhay, Windsor Johnson, Ariana Straznicky, Jonathan Crane and Erberk Eryilmaz.

Scoring: Vocal: Soprano, mezzo, alto, tenor, baritone, bass

Instrumental: flute, clarinet, percussion, guitar, piano, violin, bass

Plot: Birds and Cloud interact with sea creatures, who are swimming in the ocean, enjoying the waves. Sea turtles Turtlina and Turtleno sing a love duet, discussing plans for the day, whereupon Turtlina announces her plan to ride the currents, and they subsequently part (Turtlina exits). Turtleno sings brief aria about Turtlina, and exits. Plasticlopus 1, 2 and 3, the embodiment of plastic, pass out plastic items to the audience, which are soon collected, and the three figures form into the Plasticlopus Garbage Patch. Turtlina, swimming at sea, becomes trapped in the mass. A Man sails into the scene and tries to free her. Failing to free her, the Man calls on Wizard for help. Wizard exhausts himself and is unable to help. In desperation, Turtlina sings a ballad. Still intent upon freeing the turtle, the Man calls on a Fairy to rescue Turtlina. The Fairy attempts to help but is equally useless. She leaves just before a storm breaks out. The storm blows Child, Mother and Other Man into the Garbage Patch and all are hopelessly trapped as the storm rages. At the climax of the storm, Whale, having heard their cries, swims into the area, disbands Plasticlopus, and everyone climbs in, saved. The storm subsides and they emerge from Whale, at which time Child realizes the extremity of the plastic problem and incites the others to help do something positive about the situation. Humans discuss changing their habits and exit, and Turtlina returns safely to Turtleno, warning the others of the danger. All sea creatures sing a finale in appreciation of the ocean.

My goals are to help educate myself and others about the problem of plastic and to inspire people to look at the ways in which we can all contribute toward sustainability rather than global destruction. Birds and marine animals are often discovered dead from intestinal blockages that are caused by swallowing plastic pieces, and the toxic chemical residues of plastic are now found in the blood of animals and humans alike. In contrast to reality, this operetta, geared toward people of all ages, has a happy ending, and nobody dies.

Libretto

Overture (music – 2 minutes)

(Enter cloud)

Cloud: Feel the breeze

(Enter birds)

Birds: I can fly, oh, I can fly

(Enter dolphin, fish, whale)

Dolphins/fish/whale: Ocean sweet

(Enter seahorse, Starfish)

Seahorse, Whale: Ocean sweet

(Enter Turtlina and Turtleno)

Turtlina and Turleno: Waves carry me

Sea creatures, birds and cloud: How I love to simply float

I feel at peace with all the ocean and the beauteous sky (Ah, the sky!)

I feel at peace with all the ocean and I know how I can fly

Yes I know how I can fly

Turtlina and Turtleno (Aria): I’m yours, as yours as I can be.

You’re mine, our love is like the sea

Vast and wide, and like the current strong

Love bug, to you my heart belongs.

Never, never ever shall we part

Our souls are one

Without you I’d die

(Exit sea creatures except Turtlina and Turtleno)

Pay heed to love when it is true

Don’t doubt what love can do for you

Trust in me, I’ll be right by your side

Love bug, our love’s a rainbow ride

Never, never ever shall we part

Our souls are one

Without you I’d die

My love, I love you!

(Recit)

Turtlina: It’s another beautiful day. What do you think you would like to do today?

Turtleno: I thought I might try to make some new friends today. You know, they’re always saying sea turtles are not very social creatures at all.

Turtlina: What happened to Sam the Salmon whom you brought over last week? He seemed very nice and what a great sense of humor. That joke about fish what was it? Salmon chanted evening. (laughs)

Turtleno: Yeah, and what was it? Swamp Lake (laughs).

Turtlina: Why don’t you invite him again, only tonight let’s make the garlic shrimp.

Turtleno: Okay. I’ll find us the shrimp today, and give him a holler.

Turtlina: Will you tell him to bring his wife he was talking about, Salmonella. I think that I will go out for a swim today.

Turtleno: Okay, love, but be careful. There was a questionable forecast on SeaNN this morning.

(They embrace and Turtlina exits.)

Turtleno: (Recit) Women are ultra liberated these days.

I’m surprised she’s letting ME get the shrimp.

I’m for equal rights for every gender type

But sometimes a man’s gotta show he has…

(Aria)

Women are ultra liberated these days.

Once upon a time they wouldn’t dare

Wander off in the ocean

unprotected, into commotion

But times have changed,

Turtlina, my dearest’s

a lady of action, not much of a theorist

she’s a tough ol’ cookie

And I know she’ll make it safely back home into my arms

Just as surely as the sun does shine

As truly as a pharaoh loves his shrine

I may not be as smart as Mr. Albert Einstein

But Turtlina is my lifeline!

[spoken] Ok I better get going on that shrimp…

(Turtleno exits)

Turtlina: Free I float, currents carry me

and I am so free, how I love to float, so free

Chorus: Pop, tst, tst, tst

Female voices: Ooo Male voices: Ahh

(Enter Plasiclopus)

Plasticlopus: (aria) Well a hundred years ago, some really smart folks got together.

They had their rubber eyes on making life a whole lot better.

Chorus: “Everything we’ve made will either rust or turn to dust

Plasticlopus: All these melting, withering, biodegrading lame-o human contraptions

Chorus solo voices: Let’s make something new, something that lasts, that’s got some class

All: let’s kick some…”

Plasticlopus: By 1926 they thought up vinyl and PVC.

10 years later polyurethanes seemed the new decree.

nylon, teflon, polyester made the 1940s zestier.

Then Saran wrap sweet so you can keep a scrumptious treat.

And Styrofoam for every home to ship a package off to Rome (Chorus: Mmm….I like Rome)

But plastic bottles are the thing I love the best of all.

They come in sizes extra tiny, medium and tall

They come in blue or red or green but clear’s the kind on which I’m keen

Most plastic’s invincible because once it’s been made

It cannot be retracted into the parts that were compacted

Do YOU use it? (Chorus: Uh-huh) Does HE? Does SHE? Do THEY use it too?

(Chorus: Whadda YOU think?)

I love plastic so much - Plastic’s my community!

(Musical Interlude while whale swims around)

(Plasticlopus returns)

Plasticlopus: Come one, come all, let the garbage fall

Bring your rope, bring your cup to the dump and watch it float; you’ll see me gloat.

Are you done with that?

Make a garbage patch. Make a garbage patch. (laughs)

Are you using that? Are you done with that?

Ha! Ha! Ha! Make a garbage patch!

(Plasticlopus exits and Turtlina enters, swimming around near the Great Garbage Patch)

Turtlina: Free I float, currents carry me

And I am so free, so free, so free…

Oh my, what’s that? What’s wrong? What is wrong?

Oh no, I can’t move. I am stuck. I can’t move!

I paddle, yet I don’t go anywhere!

Where’s my Turleno now? I might need him.

What will happen? I can’t do much. I’ll just have to wait and see.

(Man enters, humming)

What’s that? I hear a sound, a sound?

What’s that? I’m sure I hear a sound, from somewhere, from somewhere…

Help! Help!

Man (humming): A sound

Turtlina: Oh. It is a human.

Man: How can you say that? You don’t know me at all.

Turtlina: I know you’re a human and this mess looks very human, I’d say.

Man: It’s true I am a human but I mean, you absolutely no harm.

Turtlina: Well, how can I know that for sure?

Man: You look like you’re in distress. Let me help you.

I think I can. I think I can. (Man tries to reach Turtlina)

Well, then again… I can’t quite reach you. This isn’t easy.

I think I am going to need

Turtlina: Oh great! Not only is he human but he can’t help me!

Man: Give me a minute. I think I know someone who can help.

(Enter wizard)

Wizard (aria)

I'm as old as all the universe is.

I've been told that I can break most curses.

I've been called a hundred thousand names, yes!

like Merlin, Gandalf, Wotan, Dumbledore, Agrippa, Prospero

that’s just to name a few

It's a thrill to take a trip out to the sea.

I'll fix any mess wherever it may be,

and I've heard your lone-some and most desp'rate plea

I've come to set you free! Yes, I shall set you free!

(Wizard attempts with audience-generated magic command, written at beginning of show, waves wand, etc. but to no avail)

Turtlina: (Spoken) I thought you said he could help.

(Aria) I am stuck in what once was the sea.

Though you try, you can’t help me.

What a mess this ocean is; it’s not the ocean I once knew.

Look at what you people did! How can you be so unkind?

I don’t know why you do what you do. Am I here to die?

(Storm clouds are gathering, people from other lands enter into visible area, exit)

Man:Turtlina:

I see you may not want to trust me nowIt looks like the clouds are gathering

but I think there is someone elseIt looks like a storm

I haven’t talked to him in a whileMy destiny may be to die

Don’t say that! It’s not true; just give me one momentOkay. It’s not like I’m going anywhere.

(Enter fairy - Aria)

Fairy: So you think, you can blink, when your life is on the brink

And the whoosh, in a flash, I appear.

Well you’re right, I’m in sight, so reveal to me your plight, and I’ll hold my magic tight

Let me see… let me see….

My resume is very long although I’ve no degree

My wand is super duper strong, on this we can agree

I’ve made young Peter fly, helped Dorothy get back home

For teeth I will stop by, leaving money in your room

This will not be tough; I am good enough, I am good enough!

spoken: “Sweet silver saplings swoon, merry make my muscly moon, peel or pry pressed plastic pieces and free the flailing crying creatures” (things swirl around a bunch but it doesn’t work)

I am shocked, we are blocked, I should not like being mocked

I am fab. I don’t dabble in tricks.

Don’t despair, look right there, she’s a turtle not a hare, and I’m sure I have the right flare!

Let me see… let me see…. (more frustrated/tightlipped)

My powers never fail me so hang on give me a sec

These goofy words are awfully hard so I will go and check

spoken: “Page two thousand twelve: for apocalypses and environmental disasters, speak the following words while standing on your elbows with the wand held between your teeth. Make sure you have just eaten an organic kale (thrown on stage from audience) and don’t have bad breath.”

(gets on elbows, holds wand between teeth and speaks another audience generated magic spell):

(with renewed hope) Now patience people wait, for turtles aren’t fast

It’s better to turn fate, and have the outcome last.

I am sure I can, I just know I can, I can

(Ad lib, starts having anxiety attack, begins to hyperventilate, etc)

(Fairy exits. Enter Child, Mother and Other Man, blown in from ship, Turtlina is completely trapped. Everyone in peril, -storm soundtrack accompanies music- chaos)

(Enter Whale who frees all from Plasticlopus mess)

Whale: With beauty all around I swim, a creature of mother earth.

Climb inside my mouth. It is dark and warm. I can shelter you.

(Storm subsides)

Child: Mother, is is safe to come out

Mother: Oh, yes, I think so.

Man: Oh, dearest whale, we’re grateful for what you have done.

Turtlina: I must return to my home. I must warn the others.

Man: Goodbye Child: goodbye Other man: Goodbye Mother: Goodbye

Turtlina: Goodbye (Exit Turtlina)

Child: Mother, we must do something… something…. wait a minute. I have an idea.

We have to take some action.

Man: Take some action?

Child: Tell everyone you know

Man: We can do something?

Child: It isn’t fair to the animals. They eat the plastic. It gets inside. They die.

All: We must do something! They die.

Mother: This is not good.

Aria

Women: We can’t just fly it to the moon.

Men: We can’t just ship it off to Mars.

All: We have to (take responsibility) clean the mess we made

Stop using things that won’t biodegrade.

I know I can try to find a new way. I know the human race is capable of better.

Women: We can’t just dump it on the ground.

Men: We can’t just throw it out to sea.

All: We have to (take responsibility) break the chain of waste

Stop buying things that are plastic based. I know we can try.

People change. Patterns change. One by one.

I’m gonna talk to all the leaders that I know. I believe that I can change too.

(Exit people, discussing plans)

(Enter Turtlina and Turtleno)

Turtlina:Turtleno:

Lovebug, oh how I missed you so.How I missed you so. My love where did you go?

It was awfully frightening. I was scared.

There’s more plastic than you know.I missed you, you know.

Safe, I am safe again.Now you’re safe again

We snuggle shell to shellWe snuggle shell to shell.

When I am near you all is well.When I’m near you I feel so good

I’m positiveAll obviously is well and I’m certain that

Never, never, never, ever shall we part.Never, never never ever shall we part.

Our souls are tied, Our souls are tied,

Without you I know, I would die!Without you I’d surely die.

My love, my love.My love, my love.

(Enter Seahorse, Jellyfish, Octopus Birds)

Dolphin/ Fish: Turtlina, welcome

Starfish: Welcome home, you’re safe for now.

(Enter Seahorse, Jellyfish, Octopus Birds)

Clear, stay clear. (Beware) Danger is near.

Turtlina: I came close to my death, my end.

All: Are we safe? What has the sea become?

Turtlina: How can they fix the ocean now?

All: Plastic plastic plastic plastic plastic plastic

does not does not does not does not does not

bio bio bio bio bio bio bio

degrade degrade degrade degrade degrade.

It stays forever.

Ah. This is the only place I can be.

Waves hold me. Wind, hold me. Ocean hold me. Hold me.

I can almost touch the sky! Ocean deep. This is my home.

Oh, the ocean, the sea. Ah!