Science fiction opera coming to Coralville explores a future beholden to 'The Machine'

Imagine a time when pandemic, war and environmental decay have forced us to live underground.

Imagine each of us living alone, communicating only through our devices. Hard to imagine?

Such a future was predicted by British author E.M. Forster in his 1909 science fiction story "The Machine Stops." Forster was remarkably prescient as he described a world in which physical isolation had become a way of life, marked by video meetings and online schooling, punctuated by the increasingly addictive activity of doom-scrolling.

As I began exploring plots for a new libretto, "The Machine Stops'' seemed particularly relevant. The late neurologist Oliver Sacks, in a 2019 New Yorker article, referred to "The Machine Stops'' as a story about "the subtle, pervasive draining out of meaning, of intimate contact, from our society and our culture." Facing colleagues and kin on screens around the world, I too relate to Forster’s tale of a family of sorts, disconnected by custom and distance.

The creative question I needed to ask was, how do I turn this science fiction story, full of social commentary and looming destruction, into an opera? And why opera?

To me, the answer was simple. I love opera. I love being caught up in the pageantry, the costumes, the sets — and above all the music — that turn an often simple plot into a dramatic work of art.

Obviously, the heart of any opera is the music. I asked John Lake, one of Iowa City's most versatile musicians, to try his hand at composing an operatic score — drawing on a lifetime of listening to not only the great operas of Richard Wagner and Igor Stravinsky but also rock 'n’ roll, from Frank Zappa to the Beatles. Those who have seen early rehearsals of the opera describe it as: "A stunning success! Libretto, score, performance" and "a perfect metaphor for our fear and loathing and social imprisonment."

Producer and music director Ed Kottick describes "The Machine Stops" as a chamber opera, with 12 musicians supporting a cast of seven — all from the eastern Iowa area. The cast includes mezzo soprano Élise DesChamps, from the University of Iowa's Music Department, in the leading role of Vashti.

Playing her son, Kuno, is baritone Jeremiah Shobe, a voice teacher and soloist with the Iowa City Chamber singers and with the CCPA in concert. Other roles draw from Iowa City’s abundant community of artists.

To bring this dance of words and music to the stage, director Josh Sazon — involved in community theater, both on and off stage, for many years — has assembled a crew to create futuristic sets, lighting effects and costumes to imagine a society far below the surface of Earth.

Prepare to be seduced and forewarned by "The Machine Stops: A New Opera" playing at the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts, (1301 Fifth St., Coralville) July 30 at 7:30 p.m. and July 31 at 2 p.m. Tickets can be obtained through the CCPA box office or by visiting TheMachineStopsOpera.com.

Cecile Goding is a member of The James Gang, a nonprofit community-building organization based in Iowa City. She was introduced to opera while in the Iowa Writers' Workshop through a "Words and Music" seminar taught by Iowa Poet Laureate Marvin Bell and David Gompper, director of new music at the University of Iowa.

This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Science fiction opera coming to Coralville is a story of our time