The privacy show excerpts libretto

The Privacy Show excerpts for sawdust.docx

1

THE PRIVACY SHOW Music by Kamala Sankaram Libretto by Rob Handel

characters and doubling: DOROTHY, a computer professional ETHAN, a computer professional turned whistleblower RAJ, head of the company Chorus of Geeks/Chorus of Agents: TEMPEST/ ALEX/ CHARLIE/ and THE TABLETTES, a chorus of singing computer-generated faces

contact: dazedorpheus@gmail.com handelnyc@gmail.com

Â

Developed with the support of The Civilians R&D Group, New Dramatists, Opera America, and Todd Mountain Theatre Project.

The Privacy Show excerpts for sawdust.docx

THE PRIVACY SHOW is a techno-noir musical confronting the issue of privacy in our digitized society.

The global architecture of the Internet has facilitated access to knowledge, economic growth, and freedom of expression. At the same time, it is eroding our right to individual privacy. This is one of the central questions of our time: how much of our individual right to privacy are we willing to relinquish in the name of security? And, over time, how will this loss of privacy change us as a global culture?

THE PRIVACY SHOW explores the urgency of these questions on multiple channels, telling a classic tale of love and espionage while confronting the audience with data mined from their online digital footprints.

THE PRIVACY SHOW takes place in the immersive environment of “Secrets,” a bar in the fictional Silicon Hills. Audience members are seated throughout the bar at tables with built-in touchscreens. Each screen is a singing face, including the faces of audience members captured as they entered the theatre, matched using facial recognition technology, and animated — with lyrics that include audience members' private information, acquired in real time during the performance.

These singing screens provide a counterpoint to the central drama, which reimagines the morally complex love story of CASABLANCA for an age of plenty. When Dorothy lands her dream job as chief software engineer at a behemoth in Silicon Hills, she doesn't expect her past will come crashing in as her ex-boyfriend Ethan becomes the world's most famous whistleblower. Of all the geek joints in all the towns in all the world, he decides to hide in hers.

2

The Privacy Show excerpts for sawdust.docx

THIRTEEN EYES ETHAN SNYDER, the world's most famous whistleblower, gives a TEDtalk.

ETHAN They told me, the bad guys are winning We must find superior nerds They said they were drowning in data A zettabyte numbers and words I built them a beautiful filter But they only used it to hoard There’s no shortcut to winning a chess game But it’s easy to steal the whole board You’re never alone You’re always onstage Don’t answer that phone Don’t visit that page There’s no shade on your window No doorknob, no tie No darkness, no corner No lid on their eye They think you don’t care that they’re watching You’ve got nothing to hide so it’s fine And they need every word that you spoke on that call On that night in July of ‘09 You’re never alone You’re always onstage Don’t answer that phone Don’t visit that page There’s no shade on your window No doorknob, no tie No darkness, no corner No lid on their eye

3

The Privacy Show excerpts for sawdust.docx

SCROLLING BACK DOROTHY, at home, can’t sleep, so she scrolls back through old messages.

DOROTHY Where are you Why don’t you answer Where are you Who are you with I’m worried Where are you Are you there We were supposed to meet I’m at your place Where are you I’m at the bar I’ll order you a Mezcal Emoji Emoji Be there in ten Going straight to bar Mine too Meeting over I would with you too Ethan I would with you Dorothy I don’t know do you Do you want that It’s normal to want that Nothing What do you mean Are we that old But she wants to get pregnant Julie is sick of Ben Ben wants to have us over Jesus I was stuck in one with Julie I was stuck in the elevator with Ben Mine too

4

The Privacy Show excerpts for sawdust.docx

Almost over Me too I’m in a stupid meeting Where are you Emoji Emoji Be there in ten Depressed please bring sushi (she scrolls back a ways) I think I am too Dorothy (she scrolls back a ways) I like it when you type my name I felt that way too Dorothy (she scrolls back a ways) I’m at the bar It’s Dorothy You gave me your number It’s Ethan (she scrolls forward) Where are you DOROTHY falls asleep with her phone in her hand.

5

The Privacy Show excerpts for sawdust.docx

BURN ETHAN, needing DOROTHY's help, confronts her f2f in Silicon Hills.

ETHAN This isn't the world we were making.

Remember how it was?

Some kid in Bangladesh Could play chess with some kid in Ohio.

A girl in Baghdad Could tell the truth about our soldiers.

And there was a word called backchannel.

And that word meant safe.

It meant privacy.

Not: they're watching every keystroke.

Not: they see what you just deleted.

And they're locating your phone And they're listening through your TV And they're coming in your door Here they are DOROTHY No one cares, Ethan, No one cares We live in public now We share everything Don't tell me they know where I am I'm on Facebook I'm on Tumblr I'm everywhere at once And I've got nothing to hide ETHAN Imagine if it was you they wanted to stop We've got to think of tomorrow Of a day when you can't say out loud What you're thinking And what is happening, Who is missing And why they're gone DOROTHY I'm not afraid of the government Governments are amateurs No one cares, Ethan, No one cares what they decide They care what we decide This is where we run things ETHAN We've got to think of tomorrow Even if it means We take this shiny life And burn it to the ground

6

The Privacy Show excerpts for sawdust.docx

DOROTHY I've got nothing to hide I worked for this shiny life You can think of tomorrow I've got to live in today I've got nothing to hide ETHAN (very close to her) You do now.

Â

7