A Dream Play. The basic stage set consists of a background and two folded out sections. There are three large gilded mirrors that double as doors and windows depending on the current scene. The drama of A Dream Play is formed by a series of tableaus, tied together not by a plot but by a common theme – the suffering of mankind. The main character is the Hindu god Indra’s daughter, who descends to earth to see how people live and everywhere finds pain and broken dreams.
A Dream Play 2009 libretto
Prologue
Prelude
A solo piano piece with a single spot light on the pianist alone, leaving the backdrop dark.
Recitative
A female narrator dressed in a long plain white dress is sparsely lit by a spotlight from above. On the words “split in twain” the narrator’s voice is doubled by a second woman stage right, identically dressed and revealed by a new spotlight.
On the words “multiply” another identically dressed third woman stage left is revealed by another spotlight doubling the words of the first two.
After the words “again reunite” the main narrator again speaks alone. The other two spotlights fade out. After the last words of the prologue the spotlight briefly lights up the other two women and all three of them walk off the stage into darkness in three directions, disappearing into the openings of the three “mirrors”.
“Everything can happen; everything is possible and likely to happen. Time and space do not exist; on an insignificant foundation of reality the imagination spills out and weaves new patterns – a concoction of memories, experiences, improbabilities and utterly free improvisations.
The characters are split in twain, duplicate, multiply and evaporate. They condense, distill and again reunite. But one mind rises above them all. It is the Dreamer; for him there are no secrets, no consistencies, no scruples, no Law.
He does not judge, nor gives out pardons but impartially relates the content of the dream itself. And as the dream often painful is, and much less often joyfully free-spirited, there is a tone of sadness and empathy with everything alive in this labyrinthine tale now beginning to unfold…”
Descent
Rapidly spinning and rotating falling stars are projected on the backdrop. The musicians in front are softly lit while the stage floor between them and the backdrop remains dark. After the last note the entire stage fades to black.
The Castle
The stage is lit up and the set is a castle wall with a man-sized black keyhole in the center of it. Large thorns line the edges of the walls and the two mirror openings are wooden doors.
A large dark red rose is visible on top of a tower in the center of the stage backdrop set.
Seven Walls
There is a castle
And on it a tower
And on top of the tower’s a rose
The castle keeps growing
Its walls getting higher
As days pass
And seasons takes turns
Inside these seven walls
I wait for you to rescue me
I dream of being free
But fear the world outside
More than this place
Am I a prisoner here?
Or free to leave
Inside of the castle
A man sits a’ waiting
An Officer, sword by his side
He cleans out the stables
And ponders his childhood
And wonders how this came to be
Why me
Inside these seven walls
I wait for you to rescue me
I dream of being free
But fear the world outside
More than this place
Am I a prisoner here?
Or free to leave
Interlude 1(Solo Piano)
Lights on the pianist only while the set changes. When the lights come on the stage consists of a dark red open theatre curtain let down over the center stage backdrop. The tower and the rose have now disappeared. A wooden fleur-de-lie decorative edge rises over the three-walled stage set.
The Theatre
During the course of “The Officer and Victoria” the song text is dramatized by a man in a circa-1900 tuxedo including a shiny black hat. During the first verse he appears neatly dressed with a fresh bunch of red roses.
In subsequent verses he is aged according to the text; his tuxedo becomes worn, dusty and the bouquet of roses is exchanged for one wilted and finally for one with just dried stems. For each verse his body language suggests that of an aging man.
The Officer and Victoria
In black hat and tails and with roses in hand
The officer patiently waits at the stage entrance
Door and he vows he will marry his love
Vic – to – ri – a
Vic – to – ri – a
For seven long years he has waited for her
In days when the sun reached the chimneys above and at night
When the darkness of evening has come
Vic – to – ri – a
Vic – to – ri – a
The roses have wilted and the hat’s full of dust
Has she come yet he wonders but the answer is no and he says
I should cancel the supper and wine
The evening time has come and no sign of my love
His clothing’s in rags and his hair has turned grey
The roses have lost all their petals to time and the
Summer is gone and the autumn is here, (spoken) he says:
The fall is my spring for a new season’s near
The Green Fishing Net
This instrumental piece is about one of the characters who has always wanted a green fishing net. Upon returning from his vacation he is asked how the net was and he says it was good, but not as he thought it would be; the subtext being that what we desire does not always live up to our expectations.
There is no dramatization but the backdrop is being lit by green lights behind water tanks causing moving, rippled patterns to be projected on the stage set.
The Ballerina
During “The Ballerina” the song text is again dramatized while the musicians (apart from the soprano) are only minimally lit. The Ballerina and her Partner dance slowly and gracefully in the moonlight (a spotlight following them) and the starlight (stars projected on the stage floor).
Towards the end of the second verse her partner disengages and leaves her alone, her hand holding on to his until the very last moment when he disappears into the dark while she remains dejectedly with her head lowered as the light fades out to black.
I still can feel your arms
Held tight around my slender waist
And when we danced
The Moon stood still
And the Stars would guide
Our feet
You’d whisper in my ear
I’ll be forever here with you
But then you left
And now I know
That you will not
Be back
The Star Quilt
Only the musicians are lit during this piece. The stage transforms by the theatre curtain being raised and removed. The wooden doors are gone and the original set of three large gilded mirrors is back.
Interlude 2 (Strings)
Only the musicians are lit during this piece. The stage is transformed in the dark by having an arched iron church gate covered in green vines and flowers replacing the center mirror. The mirrors are wrought iron doors. Colorful fresh flowers line the stage floor along the walls of the stage set.
The Marriage
Husband and Wife
You said the sweetest joy in life is also
It’s most bitter fruit
But I can’t deny I said “please do let’s try”
And take me as your faithful wife
You know the cliffs and the rocks
That we face
So you must know your way ’round
Them all
“I am poor I am old what I like
You might hate
Will you love me in spite of all that?”
We will both compromise
And if nothing else helps
Then a child will distract our pain
For beauty is free and in time you will see
That our union was meant to be
We will both compromise
And if nothing else helps
Then a child will distract our pain
For beauty is free and in time you will see
That our union was meant to be
The Promise
Behind the musicians a marriage ceremony is taking place. During the first part of the piece, the bride and groom slowly walk towards the flower-covered Iron Gate. During the second half a wedding ceremony takes place with the couple saying their vows and exchanging rings. At the end of the piece they briefly kiss as the lights go out.
Agnes Aria
A brief pause to express the passing of time. When the lights come up the backdrop is no longer lit and the church gate and flowers have been removed. The iron doors are large windows seen from the inside. Dirty grey torn curtains hang down from them.
While the singer sings this piece, a spotlight is on a woman in a rag-like grayish dress sitting next to a grey cradle lit from below. She rocks the cradle and her face expresses more sadness than joy.
Hush my child; I hear your cries
Why do you greet the morning with tears?
Are you sad?
Are you cold?
Do you miss your mother’s breast?
Hush my child; I’ll come to you soon
Why can’t you smile at the gifts that life brings?
Where is the joy?
Where is the calm?
How can I still your wounded heart?
Hush my child; I’m here by your side
I’ll sing you a lullaby; open your ears
Try not to cry
Try not to sob
Rest in your cradle and sleep will arrive
Hush my child; my patience is frail Why are we born to a world that’s so cruel?
Discord
Trials & Tribulations
Interlude 3 (winds)
During the last instrumental piece the backdrop has changed and the backdrop shows a seascape with dark clouds. Two small islands are visible – one festively lit up, the other one dark and foreboding.
Lina’s Song
No dramatization is necessary as the emphasis is on the singer and the words. This being a piece with almost the entire ensemble performing, the stage should be almost fully lit.
My sister and I grew up happy and close
As two sisters should
But as we grew older the city called out
With its Siren Song
Our father said if you leave
You can’t come back
But she left
And I stayed
Ten years have gone by, five children I’ve had
You can tell I’m sure
Always done what I’m told, if I questioned at all
I’ve was beaten too
On Sundays’ in church
I get chastised as well
In God’s name
Is this fair?
Now my sister’s come back from the city at last
And joy is abound
A calf’s being slaughtered, a ball is prepared
For her happy return
But for me who have toiled
Every day of my life
There’s no song
There’s no dance
Only sorrow
Fairbay Tango
This piece describes an upper-class party at one of the islands – Fairbay. A choreographed tango by a couple dressed in 1900 fashionable clothes and hairstyles is performed, bearing in mind that the scene is played out in the Swedish archipelago as opposed to a Latin country, meaning that overtly Latin references cannot be used in the choreography.
Ugly Edith
The story told here is of a plain woman sitting on the stairs outside her parent’s house where a dancing party is being held. Her mother wants her to come in and enjoy herself but when she was inside no one asked her to dance making her feel humiliated.
On stage a small set of wooden stairs protrude from the center backdrop while festive lights shine in through the two windows. During the sung verses a woman sits on the stairs, her body language reflecting dejection. During the instrumental waltz she gets up and dances a flowing waltz as she pretends to hold an imaginary partner.
The holidays are here
Each night’s a new affair
Mother says come in
Enjoy the song and dance but
I’ve sat three hours and
No-one has noticed me
Sitting there alone
Pretending not to care
My hair’s a mess and
I’ve no hat to cover it
I know that I’m not fair but
Beauty’s not for all
My only wish is that if
Only once in life
Someone would come up
And ask me for a dance
Quarantine
Quarantine describes two young lovers on a ship that get stopped by a quarantine master who insists they stay in quarantine for 40 days on a small island reeking of sulfur fumes. During the piece the woman’s dress (light blue) and her flowers (red) gradually fade to white by the end of the piece.
It is a story about love and joy destroyed by powers we are all unable to control, even though we have not in any manner brought this on by our own doing.
I Will Fall
This is the emotionally deepest point of the opera, the two windows are covered by long white window curtains and backstage fans cause them to gently move in the wind.
Light from the behind the windows insinuate dim moon-beams. During the instrumental middle section a female solo dance can be inserted.
Soon sweet darkness
Will cover me with beams of moonlight
And then, I will grow wings
White just like the falling stars, and I’ll fly
Over you
And I will fall
Again
Into the ground
And wake up
Night, release me
Free me from my flesh and blood
And when, I have grown wings
Light just like a morning wind I’ll fly
Over you
And I will fall
Again
Into the sea
And I won’t wake up
The Mirror
At the first note of this instrumental piece, three identically dressed female dancers appear standing in the “spaces” of the three large mirrors. They enter the stage through them and perform a choreographed dance based on the theme of the piece – that the world was created mirror-reversed and only appears correct when viewed in a mirror.
Psalm 419
This is one of two songs that steps outside the entire narrative, the other being “Hope”. They are sung by a different singer than the pieces within the opera and no acting or dancing should take place, the focus being on the words directly addressing the audience.
In case you haven’t seen by now
Our lives are less than perfect
Each day we strive to do good deeds
But somehow end up
Causing pain to others
We all have our duties
And mine I know is to be all
I can be
A woman and a wife and also
Mother of a child
That all in life can-not be fair
I realize but still
Why must it be quite so un-fair and
Why does he who works the most
Get least bread?
And if you pick a flower
Someone will come and tell you
That it’s not yours
But no-one can take from me all the
Love that’s in my heart
Dream or Poetry?
2 X 2 = 2
2 x 2 is a throwback to the dreams we have about being back in our old school again and the twisted logic that dreams in general can impart; since 1 x 1 = 1 then 2 x 2 must equal 2. Apart from a projection of a backwards running clock and the text of 1 x 1 = 1 and 2 x 2 = 2 on the center backdrop there is no other staging.
The Four Faculties
A piece performed by strings only. The title and narrative is about the four primary disciplines of the universities in 1900; theology, philosophy, medicine and law and their internal squabble regarding which holds the true keys to the nature of the universe.
Recitative
Silence. The distant sound of wind blowing. The winds recite. One woman stands in center, narrating in full voice, the other two further behind and to the sides double her words but in audible whispers as if the center narrator interprets their words. The woman are equally dressed as the opening recitative.
Listen!
The Lament of the winds.
Born beneath the skies of Heaven
We were chased by lightning of Indra
Down on the dust-covered Earth…
The litter of the fields
Stained our feet;
The dust of the highways,
The smoke of cities
The foul breath of man,
We had to endure…
But out on the wild seas
We roamed free
Filled our lungs,
Shook our wings,
And washed our feet
Indra
Lord of Heavens
Hear us when we sigh
The Earth is not clean,
Life is not easy,
Mankind is not evil,
Nor are they good.
They live as best they can,
One day at a time.
The sons of dust
In dust must walk,
Born of dust
To dust they return.
Feet to walk with were they given,
But not wings.
Covered in dust they became,
Is the fault theirs
Or yours?
We are the winds, children of the air,
We carry the lament of mankind.
Did you hear us?
From the chimneys of autumn,
From the cracks in the window panes,
When the rain cried upon the tin roofs?
It is us, the winds,
Children of the air,
From the breast of mankind
Who we have traversed,
Have learned these songs of lament.
In hospital beds, on battlefields,
But most often in nursery rooms
Where the newly born cry out,
From the pain of just being
It is us, us winds
Who howl and yell
Woe! Woe! Woe!
The waves sing.
It is we, the waves,
Who have cradled the winds to sleep!
Green cradles, us waves.
We are wet, and taste like salt;
Acting like the flames of fire;
Wet flames.
Extinguishing, burning, washing,
Creating, spawning.
It is us, the waves
Who cradles the winds
To peace and rest!
Fingal’s Cave
The only “pure” dance sequence in the Opera in which the three female narrators dance to a choreographed dance based on the theme of the Winds and the Waves, making use of large fans and the light of spotlights reflected through water tanks.
The Sacrifice
The final set consists of the two side windows covered by hanging white sheets. A simple altar with lit wax candles is placed against the center backdrop.
A Child Left Behind
The altar is set and the candles
Are already lit
And all of the windows are covered
With tall white sheets
And when I leave my heart
Will break in two
Tied to this Earth
By a child left behind
Now all that is left of the roses
Are only their thorns
The stage lights are out and the actors
Have all gone home
And when I leave
I will carry the dreams
Of all the children
That got left behind
Ascent
A small fan placed where the altar stood blows lit strands of yellow, orange and red paper upwards to simulate a fire. Halfway through the piece the lights dim and stars are projected on the backdrop, only this time the stars appear to rise rather than fall.
Postlude
The prelude revisited by piano and strings with minimal lights on the musicians only.
Epilogue
Hope
The second of the songs that steps outside the narrative. The stage is fully lit and the dancers/actors and any other participating musicians and stage hands should also be present standing on stage against the center backdrop.
My Dear, it falls on me to
Tell the tale
That no-one ever really wants to hear
About the ones who lost the love
They had, and also those
Who never even found a love to keep
Them warm
On lonely nights
But just a single kiss
Can start a fire
And you must know
The warmth that fire brings will also burn
And leave behind just ash
But still
As long as there’s love there’s hope
And until then
I will believe
That I am not alone
For those, who’s stood beneath
A winter night
And waited for a falling star to grant
A wish or maybe even two
Or three, I have to say
The seeds we plant and tend will
Always grow and strive
Towards the sky
But just a single tear
From those who’s lived
Will make a sea
A sea that swallows men without a thought
Of whom they leave behind
But still
As long as there is truth there is hope
And until then
I will believe
That I am not alone
And now, we all know how
The story ends
And yet we still go on in spite of all
Believing that our hearts will always beat
And never stop
But like a promise left out in the rain
We know
Somewhere inside
That just a single word
Can give us courage
In this cold world
This world that carries us through empty space
As black as darkest night
And yet
As long as there is faith there’s hope
And until then
I shall believe
That we are not alone
Youtube
Filmerna är från en livekonsert in juni 2010.
- The Officer and Victoria från A Dream Play
- Yhe Green fishing Net från A Dream Play
- I will fall från A Dream Play till
- Quarantine från A Dream Play
- Interlude från A Dreamplay
- The Ballerina
- Fingals Cave
UPPHOVSPERSONER
A Chamber Opera for small Orchestra And Soloists Words and Music by S. J. Pettersson – After the play by August Strindberg