THE SYSTEM OF SOOTHING Treatment by Frank Pesci (Karlsruhe Version: 6/22/15) REALITY VS. PERCEPTION – CONSCIOUS AWARENESS VS. DREAM-STATE RIGHTING PAST WRONGS – REDEMPTION THROUGH SELF-UNDERSTANDING ONE PERSON’S SANITY IS ANOTHER’S INSANITY
CHARACTERS THE TRAVELLER
(Lyric Tenor) Early- to mid-20s, fresh out of medical school.
THE OLD DOCTOR
(Dramatic Bass-Baritone) Late-60s, retired physician
DR. COLIN MAILLARD Mid-40s, Head of St. Dymphna’s Asylum JENNIE
(Lyric Baritone)
(Lyric Soprano) Late teens to early-20s, Maillard’s troubled daughter
CHORUS OF GUESTS (minimum of nine, in the voicing listed below) patients at St. Dymphna’s. If a larger chorus is used, these nine soloists can come from the chorus, or be cast separately. A woman who thinks she is A BIRD A woman who thinks she is a bottle of CHAMPAGNE PETIT GAILLARD, who thinks she is a frog MADAME JOYEUSE, who thinks she is a rooster A man who thinks he is a TEAPOT A man who thinks he is a DONKEY CORDOVA, who thinks he is a head of cheese BOUFFON LE GRAND, a two-headed orator A man who thinks he is a GRANDFATHER CLOCK
(Coloratura Soprano) (Dramatic Soprano) (Mezzo-Soprano) (Dramatic Mezzo-Soprano) (Character Tenor) (Character Tenor) (Lyric Tenor) (Lyric Baritone) (Dramatic Baritone)
THE KEEPERS, supernumeraries; Doctors and nurses confined against their will. © 2015 Ichthus Music Press and Frank Pesci
TREATMENT SCENE ONE FIRST TABLEAU [arias, scene, duet] - A tavern. An OLD DOCTOR sits alone, brooding. He sings of a traveler in a land haunted by memories, under the reign of a mad king. A crowd has gathered around a TRAVELLER, who tells macabre stories of his work with the mentally ill. He is searching for a system of treatment in which patients are cared for as if they are sane. The crowd disperses, and he quietly curses science, who has taken the art and wonder out of everything, including himself. The OLD DOCTOR approaches the TRAVELLER, saying he knows of the fabled treatment, and the asylum where it is employed. TRAVELER implores OLD DOCTOR to accompany him. They set off into the night. SECOND TABLEAU [scene] - At the gate of the asylum, MAILLARD enthusiastically greets the OLD DOCTOR, who is repulsed. He introduces the TRAVELLER to MAILLARD, then takes his leave with a warning – “…believe nothing you hear and only half of what you see!” SCENE TWO FIRST TABLEAU [aria] - In the asylum’s parlor. JENNIE sits at a piano, singing an aria by Bellini. TRAVELLER is enchanted by her, but is wary, as anyone could be a patient. He asks her to explain the aria, and she tells a story of lost love, like a dream from which she cannot awake, and the hope of reuniting. She exits. SECOND TABLEAU [scene, arietta, aria] The TRAVELLER asks if she is a patient. MAILLARD replies that she is his daughter, admonishing him for his insensitivity. He describes the “System of Soothing,” explaining that it was scrapped as dangerous and ineffectual. He cautions the TRAVELLER not to trust gossip about his work, echoing the warning, “Believe nothing you hear and only half of what you see.” Left alone, the TRAVELLER reflects on his own demons, which have plagued him since childhood. SCENE THREE FIRST TABLEAU [chorus, scene, ariettas] - In the Asylum’s dining room. The GUESTS assemble with joy. The TRAVELLER comes to the table, and the GUESTS, pepper him with stories of the asylum’s patients. Suddenly, screams are heard in the distance. MAILLARD brushes it off - the GUESTS are his colleagues, and the patients are safely locked away. He explains that an inmate revolt prompted the implementation of traditional treatments. More screams are heard, but this time, they are getting louder. Panic spreads with the realization that the inmates have escaped their cells. The doors burst open, and the KEEPERS flood into the room, attacking the GUESTS. SECOND TABLEAU [quartet] The OLD DOCTOR walks through the door. Time stops as the three men recognize each other: TRAVELLER is a young MAILLARD, who in turn will become the OLD DOCTOR; JENNIE is their daughter. As one, the three characters plead to her for forgiveness and understanding, lest they become estranged forever. EPILOGUE [instrumental] – The OLD DOCTOR sits alone. A young girl, her face unseen, enters and runs to him. He is overcome with emotion as they embrace. Abruptly, the lights shift and JENNIE comes into view, the GUESTS cowering behind her. The KEEPERS approach from all sides, descending upon them as the lights black out. © 2015 Ichthus Music Press and Frank Pesci