Sankaram | all decisions will be made by consensus

E R

SC

O

music by Kamala Sankaram libretto by Rob Handel

U

SA

L

all decisions will be made by consensus

PE R

a zoom opera

2

R

SC

O

BRADSHAW, the one who wants to make the rules FITT, the one who is supposed to take the minutes YORGIS, the one who likes to make things HSIEH, the intense one LINSKI, the one who knows they are alive STILLER, the one who was levitating the pentagon before you were born ALLUVIAL, the one who is in the wrong meeting non-singing roles: Bradshaw’s kids Linski’s cat

E

characters:

L

performance notes:

SA

Sung rhythms should be as close to speech as possible.

Boxed sections should be repeated until the next cue point.

PE R

U

Performers should not try to match each other's pulse.

3

E

all decisions will be made by consensus libretto by Rob Handel

music by Kamala Sankaram

œ œ œ œ œ

Œ œ œ œ œ œ œ

If that's ev-'ry - one...

œ œ œ œ { & bœœœ œœœ œœœ œœœ w w

Synth Drum

If that's ev-'ry - one who's com- ing?

jœ œ ‰ œ Œ

w w jœ œ ‰ œ

= 6

˙

BRADSHAW

œ

œ

PE R

Community a- gree ments:

&

œ œ œ bœ œ

‰ œ œ œ œ œ œ

U

?

SA

L

/

œ œ

SC

Arpeggiated Synthesizer

R

BRADSHAW turns on his camera and begins the meeting.

O

Hold Music

°?

BRADSHAW ¢

As-sume best in - ten- tions.

One di - va, one mic.

w bw w w

bww ww Synth Drum

jœ Œ ‰ œ œ

4 10

œ œ œ œ ‰ œ œ œ œ œ bœ œ œ ‰ ˙

BRADSHAW

Not everyone has the same band- width.

O

w & bw w w

CUE CHIME

SC

Synth

œ

R

A re-min- der: you can turn off your vi-de- o.

œ

E

?

Synth Drum

L

œ œœ œ™ œ œ

BRADSHAW

°? ¢ ˙

œ

U

14

SA

=

˙

œ

The one thing we need to decide today...

Synth

PE R

Not everyone has the same band- width.

{

#nw w ww Synth Drum

œ œœ œ™ œ œ

#w w ww

5 LINSKI enters the meeting

LINSKI

˙

It's so good to see you.

#˙

˙

Where are you?

Where are your grandkids?

? #˙

˙

˙

BRADSHAW Excuse me...

O

¢

E

° & ˙

Maybe you forget.

˙

We don't talk...

SC

We don't talk about the grandkids.

I want to see your grandkids.

R

17

L

Synth

SA

=

19

U

?

Synth

PE R

BRADSHAW

We don't talk about the grandkids.

& #w w w w

œ

Synth Drum

/ Ϫ

œ

œ

œ

˙

œ

FITT and YORGIS enter the meeting.

FITT is muted at first.

6 21

˙

‰

Oh. Sorry. You go.

∑

&

∑

R

I think we...

FITT

œ œ

œ

E

LINSKI

#w

O

° &

?

‰

∑

œ œ

˙

œ

I think we...

Oh. Sorry. You go.

SA

L

YORGIS

I'm tak -ing min- utes.

SC

Sorry, I was muted

œ œ œ œ œ‰

?

∑

˙

BRADSHAW

¢

Synth

PE R

U

The one thing we need to decide today...

#w w w w

{

/ œ™ œ œ œ œ œ Œ

#w w ww

œ œœŒ œ™ œ œ

!

7 26

° & œ œ œ œ #œ œ œ ‰

∑

E

FITT

?

R

Just so ev -'ry - bod -y knows.

˙

∑

BRADSHAW

O

¢

SC

The one thing we need to decide today is a

#w w ww

Synth

Synth Drum

SA

L

œ œ œ œ œœ œœœ œ = 29

°?

˙

Now is our moment.

Right now.

PE R ?

BRADSHAW

˙

U

HSIEH

¢

The people are behind us.

œ œ œ œ #œ

˙

date for the act- ion. There was a question about the weather.

Synth

#˙

#˙

˙

There was a question The weather for the about the seasons. action.

˙ The season for the action.

!

32 Enter after HSIEH and BRADSHAW have

8

cycled a couple of times.

°? ˙

œ

œ

œ

Oh. Sorry.

You

go.

œ

˙

œ

‰ Not everyone has the same

R

I think we...

E

STILLER

?

O

HSIEH

?

SC

BRADSHAW

¢

#˙˙˙˙

PE R

U

SA

L

Synth

#w w ww

band- width.

9 35

° Let STILLER complete one cycle before entering. & ˙ #˙ I keep thinking of the ISS.

˙

w

˙

The people up there on the ISS.

œ #œ

∑

œ

O

¢

R

œ

˙

STILLER This is not the way to go. I was levitating the Pentagon be- fore

/ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ

were born.

L

œ œ Œ

you

SC

& #w w ww

Synth Drum

Whoa! It traumatized me.

It must be like that movie.

Anyone know that movie?

˙ ?

Synth

E

FITT

SA

= 38

FITT

° &

˙

U

It was on the WPIX Channel 11 After School Movie.

?

STILLER

Synth.

∑

PE R

¢

ww { & #w w

œ

Synth Drum

/ œ

œ

œ

œ œ

œ

œ œ

œ

Œ

10 39

?

˙

˙

‰

Wait.

˙

œ

E

What's it called?

What's it called?

œ

˙

band- width.

Not everyone has the same

˙

œ

¢

& #w w ww

PE R

U

SA

/ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ

L

The one thing we need to decide today is a

What's

‰

it

˙

This is not the way to go.

I was levitating the Pentagon be-

œ

œ

œ

the

act

œ

SC

BRADSHAW

O

STILLER

?

œ

#œ

R

FITT

° &

date for

#œ -

ion.

!

11 41

¿

˙

Œ

(ugh!)

?

called?

œ œ

œ

#œ

were

born.

SC

? ˙

YORGIS

œ #œ

L

HSIEH

CUE CHIMES Synth

œ œ œ

That's how we win.

Right now.

#˙ The people are behind us.

U

PE R

? ¢

œ

˙

Now is our moment.

BRADSHAW

˙

what to do with beauty. what to do with funny.

SA

˙

∑

œ

The action must be beautiful. They don't know The action must be funny.

?

Ó

They send...

STILLER

fore you

œ Œ

E

œ

R

FITT

O

° &

˙

There was a question about the weather.

#˙ There was a question about the seasons.

˙ The weather for the action.

˙ The season for the action.

12 43

° ¢& Ó

˙

w { & nw ww

At the last second be-fore take- off

w w ww

/ œœœœœœœœ

Synth Drum

= 47

° ¢& ˙

FITT

œ

placed by

taken a-

three astronauts are

˙

˙

way

and re-

!

O

Synth.

˙

R

Wait!

œ œ œ œ œ ˙

E

œ œ œ

SC

FITT

œ

œ

fe - male astronauts.

œ

œ

œ

œ So

now

the

crew

{

U

Synth

SA

L

three

œ

PE R

=

w w ww

Synth Drum

œ œ œ

œ œ œ œ

œ

œ

49

FITT

Synth

& œ

œ

œ

is

three

male

œ as

œ -

œ

tro - nauts

œ

œ

œ and

three

fe

-

œ

male astronauts.

13 51

° &

œ ˙

œ œ

˙

And the three remaining male astronauts are like

E

FITT

what?

And they can't get used to these

œ

œ œ

R

˙

wo- men.

?

O

HSIEH

Once we

?

said no

leaders.

Œ

BRADSHAW

œ

SC

¢

˙

Guys....

I'm going to suggest...

œ Synth Drum

=

/

œœ

œ œ œœ

53

° & ˙

FITT

œ œ œ

œ

œ

˙

œ œ œ

chang ing

and

they

hold their shirts over themselves to

co - ver them- selves.

˙

˙

Now is our moment.

Right now.

U

They keep walking in on them

? ‰ œ ‰ œ

PE R

HSIEH Yes.

Œ

But

?

BRADSHAW

¢

!

L

w & w w w

SA

Synth

œ

‰

Listen.

Œ

œ

œ

œ

∑

˙

I'm going to suggest...

Synth

Guys, Guys...

!

14 55

° &

˙

I was 13 watching this

E

˙

˙

on the WPIX Channel 11 After School Movie

at 3:30 in the afternoon.

R

FITT

œ

˙

STILLER

? ˙

YORGIS

œ

SC

I was levitating the Pentagon be-

This is not the way to go.

œ

œ

were

born.

œ

œ œ œ

œ

O

? ˙

fore

you

˙

œ

œ

The action must be beautiful.

PE R

?

BRADSHAW

U

?

HSIEH

SA

The action must be funny.

¢

CUE BELL Synth

L

They don't know

what to do with beauty. what to do with funny.

That's how we win.

15 57

?

w

BRADSHAW

˙ I'm going to suggest...

R

/ œœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœ

= 60

SOUNDSCAPE

Male voice

& ?

L

˙ w

bw ww

˙˙

Oh

Ooh

!

SA

Synth.

breathe.

O

Synth Drum

w w & bw w

Let's just take a minute and

SC

Synth

E

˙

After the MALE VOICE ends, ALLUVIAL enters the meeting.

ALLUVIAL

U

=

PE R

Is this Conflict Archaeology?

This isn't even my meeting.

Is this the Elgin Marbles Working Group?

This isn't even my meeting.

64

{& Synth

ALLUVIAL turns camera off.

bw w w w Synth Drum

œ œ

œ

œ

œ

16 66

˙

It's called something like it came from planet

SC

œ

˙

YORGIS

? b˙ I hate the passive voice.

œ œ

IT'S

œ

œ

Œ

TO - TALLY SYNCHRONOUS

˙

b˙

Taken under advisement.

The passive voice is the

U

Decisions will be made

Œ

explode.

˙

SA

HSIEH

‰

pears.

the social media disap-

L

All

bœ

Cause it turns out they knew the earth was going to

earth

œ

action doesn't matter

If we can't dance, the

bœ

& ˙

?

E

I was muted

˙

R

Sorry

FITT

˙

˙

O

LINSKI

° ˙ &

BRADSHAW is still deep breathing.

?

BRADSHAW

Synth

Synth Drum

∑

PE R

¢ w w & bw w

/ œ

!

17 68

˙ I don't want to take

part.

If we can't dance,

œ

bœ

˙ So they send up three Adams and

three

Eves.

˙

˙

HSIEH

¢

œ And the

œ bœ

three Eves you know

PE R Bats?

foot.

Synth

‰ œ

œ bœ ‰

are like...The three

Eves

are like...

œ

∑

bœ ‰

Bees?

∑

∑

Bats?

˙

The rot at the

!

bœ

œ

HSIEH

˙

œ

œ ‰

œ

U

° &

?bœ ¢

or something

bees

The active voice is the voice thorn in the of the

SA

70

YORGIS

are like...

L

Synth

=

?Œ

Eves

œ

˙

pressor.

voice of the op-

&‰

‰

bœ

SC

yelling

FITT

œ

There are only

Instead of

LINSKI

bœ

˙

YORGIS

?

œ

œ

And the three

b˙

˙

?

‰

O

&

FITT

E

LINSKI

˙

˙

R

° &

˙ bœ root.

˙ bœ

The moth in the cloak.

bœ The taint in the

Œ

blood.

!

LINSKI, FITT, YORGIS, HSIEH, and BRADSHAW turn off their cameras.

18 73

LINSKI

‰ œ Oh. Sorry.

œ Œ

You

go.

&

∑

? ˙

SC

O

FITT

∑

R

I think we...

œ

E

° ˙ &

bœ

˙

STILLER

I was levitating the Pentagon be-

?

PE R

¢

CUE BOTTLE

Synth Drum

you

were born.

∑

∑

U

HSIEH

Synth

fore

∑

SA

YORGIS

?

œ

L

This is not the way to go.

œ

œ

/

Synthesizer

w bw w w œ œ

œ

œ

œ

19 76

Speak the lines as deliberately as possible, tasting each consonant. Play with contour as you like.

Synth Drum

∑

œ

If we don't come back from the march

If a car is speeding toward you

If we are on a plane and some men stand up and ask if anyone is Chinese.

E

If I don't come

bww { & ww

w bw w w

bww ww ∑

/ œ Œ Ó

= °? ¢

∑

∑

∑

∑

Go to your godfather's house by the lake.

Don't accept a ride with anyone.

w bw ww

w bw w w

bww ww

∑

∑

U

w bw w {& w

∑

Put on all your warm clothes.

SA

Pack up all the food in the house in your backpack.

Synth.

back

bww w

∑

L

80

STILLER

R

∑

O

Synth.

∑

SC

STILLER

œ

b˙

°? ¢

PE R

= 84

STILLER

°? b˙ ¢ œ

œ

If I don't come back

Synth.

bww {& w

∑

∑

If anyone asks you where your parents are

say they are waiting for you by the lake.

say they are waiting for you by the lake.

DON'T GO TO THE TENNIS CENTER

w bw w w

bww ww

w bw w w

bww ww

20

FITT, YORGIS, HSIEH, and BRADSHAW turn their cameras back on.Sing this section as quickly as you can. It should feel very dense.

FITT, STILLER, HSIEH, and BRADSHAW freeze.

˙

b˙

Whoa! Then they get sucked out of the ship.

They get sucked out.

R

∑ œ

? œ b˙

O

FITT

° &

∑

STILLER

?

If we are out together and you see two or three men you don't know come and stand around me and talk to me you keep moving, don't run

don't come back

œ œ ∑

œ œ

‰

?

∑

HSIEH

-

ple

SA

Or for ex - am

˙

¢

∑

U

?

˙

PE R

Our zoom account tho

Synth.

bww {& w

I - ke-ba-na

b˙

I have something to tell you.

BRADSHAW

œœœ œ

bœ

L

YORGIS

SC

If I

E

89

w bw w w

I'm with another group.

˙ I know some of us have another meeting.

w bw ww Synth Drum

œ œ™ œ œ œ™ œ œ œ™ œ œ œ™ œ

21 92

{ & #nw w ww

A prac-tice I've

writ - ten a - bout.

w #w w w

= 95

YORGIS

°? ¢ ˙

˙

˙

{ & #w w ww

99

œ œ œ#œ I'm

Synth.

w { & #w w w œ œ™ œ /

I'm

w #w w w Synth Drum œ œ ™ œœ œ ™ œ Ó

œ œ œ #œ œ œ

œ œ

PE R

YORGIS

diegetic fact.

U

= °? ¢

œ œ™ œ œ œ™ œ Ó

œ œ œ#œ

#˙

SA

Synth.

Synth Drum

œ œ

œœœ œ œ œ

shar - ing a link with the group right now.

L

Bracketing and planning is a

SC

O

Synth.

Flo-wer ar - ran- ging.

œ œ #œ

E

I - ke -ba - na.

œ œ œ œ œ #œ œ

R

YORGIS

°? œ œ œ œ ‰ œ œ œ #œ œ ¢

shar-ing a

#U ˙ œ œ œ œ œ œ#œ œ œ œ

link with the group right now.

I'm

#w w ww Synth Drum

œ œ™ œ

œ

shar-ing a link on Nor-dic larp - ing.

22 103

œ œ œ œ #œ Guys can you hear me?

You're all fro- zen.

R

STATIC

œ œ™ œ œ œ™ œ œ œ™ œ œ œ™ œ

œ œ™ œ

/

œ œ™ œ

SC

O

Synth Drum

‰ œ œ œ œ

Œ

E

YORGIS

°? ¢

SA

L

=

YORGIS

œ œ

can you

PE R

Guys

Œ

U

106

°? œ ¢

FITT, STILLER, HSIEH, and BRADSHAW unfreeze. LINSKI turns her camera on.

œ œ œ œ

You're all

Œ

∑

fro - zen.

Synthesizer

bw w w w

œ œ™ œ

Synth Drum

/

œ

∑ œ™ œ

œ œ œ™ œ

œ

109

23

° &

˙

œ

Œ

It's just another moment we don't know we're a-

‰ œ

‰

Their eyes burst. Whoa.

STILLER

œ

Their eyes burst

˙ Don't look back.

project on the built environment.

We don't re - iterate the built environment.

SA

We don't simp-ly

This is the after school movie

œ œ œ ˙

˙

L

œ œ

?

YORGIS

˙

If they take you to a place with a lot of other people.

Walk. Don't look back.

˙

˙

SC

˙

?

I wanna dance.

R

˙

&

live.

E

˙ If we can't dance

FITT

˙

O

LINSKI

˙

?

˙

˙

HSIEH

U

I have something I'm with another group. to tell you.

?

˙

BRADSHAW

¢

˙

Synth

Synth Drum

PE R

I know some of us I know some of us have another meeting. have to go.

w & nw w w /

∑

∑

œ

∑ œ™ œ

œ œ œ™ œ

œ

24 LINSKI and STILLER turn off their cameras.

œ

This is the

#œ œ

œ œ

‰

YORGIS miso dressing

Okay.

œ œ

#œ

œ I'm with

Red-neck

Re

œ

?

U

& #w w ww

PE R

Synth

ing.

SA

Daddy's work-

L

BRADSHAW

¢

#œ

˙

Their eyes burst

œ œ

Or: a hy- drau - lic swan.

œ

HSIEH

after school movie.

SC

We re- place it with

? #˙

#˙

˙

Whoa.

Their eyes burst.

?

#œ Œ

R

‰

O

FITT

E

113

° & ˙

œ

-

volt.

Œ

˙ I can get you a gun.

25

YORGIS turns off his camera.

HSIEH walks away in a huff.

116 HSIEH is not wearing pants.

∑

E

?

∑

∑

œ

∑

R

∑

œ

˙

O

FITT

° &

BRADSHAW turns off his camera.

BRADSHAW

¢

w # w nw w

/ œ™ œ œ œ œ™ œ œ œ

w bw w w œ

∑ œ™ œ

œ œ œ™ œ

œ

SA

Synth Drum

w bw w {& w

L

Synth.

SC

I think we pick it up from here tomorrow.

U

= 119

œ

∑

PE R

FITT

° ˙ ¢& DOOMSDAY

Synth Drum

w bw w w

w { & n#w w w /

∑

œ™ œ

∑

THE MOVIE IS CALLED DOOMSDAY MACHINE

MACHINE

Synth.

˙

œ œ

Œ

w # w nw w œ

œ œ œ™ œ

∑ œ

bœœœœ nœœœœ

œœœ œœœ œ œ

jœ Œ œ ‰ œ