STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS Nadine Foley A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF MUSIC May 2019 Committee: Marilyn Shrude, Advisor Elainie Lillios Katherine Meizel ii ABSTRACT Marilyn Shrude, Advisor Stream of Consciousness is a fifteen-minute one-act opera scored for solo soprano, three ​ voices, piano, electric guitar, and electronics. It is based on an original libretto by Rachael Smith (MM Composition, University of Louisville) that focuses entirely on the fictional character Liv_Is_Live, a young woman who is a full-time video game streamer. The work showcases some of the struggles that streamers face: isolation, constant questioning of their chosen profession, and interaction with a chat room full of anonymous viewers who are often rude or abusive. Beyond that, it addresses the more universal theme of being a woman working in a male-dominated industry. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS For the opportunities and learning experiences that I have had while creating this piece, I would like to acknowledge the following: Marilyn Shrude; Hillary LaBonte; Elainie Lillios; Katherine Meizel; Heather Strohschein; Sidra Lawrence; Stephen Hennessey; Rachael Smith; Nich and Allie, who can be found on Twitch as Nicholena and Alliestrasza. Finally, I would like to thank women, in general, for existing. iv STAGE SETTING AND SYNOPSIS Stage Setting Liv_Is_Live (Soprano) - She is seated at a desk that has a computer and microphone on it, is in ​ casual clothing and photo-ready makeup, and is wearing headphones. Audience (3 voices, register below that of the soprano) - They are scattered around the hall in all ​ black. Grand Piano + Ebow - In the absence of a grand piano, a keyboard capable of creating a drone ​ similar to that which the ebow would create may be used as a substitute. Electric Guitar + Ebow - 2 ebows required for performance (cannot be shared by guitar and ​ piano). Fixed Media (3 tracks) - Contact the composer at [email protected] for access to ​ ​ ​ the fixed media tracks. Video Recording - The video recording must feature the soprano of the current performance. As ​ such, the video recording will need to be created. Synopsis INTRO: The stage is dimly lit. During the fixed media, Liv enters in a good mood and sits at her ​ desk. She fiddles with her computer, as well as her appearance. SCENE I “START”: Liv begins her stream and interacts with her audience. At first, their ​ interactions are normal, but over time the audience becomes increasingly aggressive and toxic, leading Liv to become increasingly flustered. At the height of their aggression, the audience moves to the physical stage and begins to circle Liv. She abruptly closes her computer and storms off. INTERLUDE 1: Liv re-enters and begins to move slowly around the stage. Her demeanor is ​ sombre and introspective. The audience members spread out and stand in place at the back of the stage. SCENE II “STOP”: Liv is off-stream contemplating her position online as well as in life. ​ INTERLUDE 2: Liv re-opens her computer and loads the video of her earlier stream. ​ SCENE III “VOD”: Liv is rewatching the earlier stream while continuing her previous ​ contemplation. The audience members leave the stage one at a time. Her viewpoint gradually begins to shift. v PERFORMANCE NOTES Audience voices can exist in any register below that of the soprano, and the part can be transposed at the octave accordingly. Video projection equipment is required for the video recording used in SCENE III. During the rehearsal process, record the soprano at a computer desk from a webcam on a solid backdrop. She should look like she is streaming. All recorded parts are directly taken from SCENE I. The soprano should listen to a metronome over headphones; record each section individually. Place the three recordings together in a single video which will then be played and paused accordingly during the performance of SCENE III. The live soprano and video should always start together, but are allowed to drift apart throughout a section of dialogue. no meter; freely within context of given tempo ebow continues to sound for duration of thick line n niente (nothing) sustain given pitch or continue figuration for duration indicated naturally spoken text (never sung) Ebow [L]/[R] indicates the setting of the ebow switch, left or right, when looking directly at the switch (sim.) continue the previous action with the key cover (fallboard) and pedal down, rapidly tap fingers on the key cover rapidly as if typing on a computer keyboard vi repeat material for duration of wavy line as fast as possible; like grace notes begin or end at point indicated keep ebow in place and strike the body of the guitar; a demonstration can be found here ​ keep ebow in place; touch and then release the indicated harmonic; a demonstration can be found here ​ cover all strings of the guitar and pluck indeterminately; a demonstration can be found here; a variation on this ​ ​ technique involving glissandi happens at measure 42, with a demonstration found here ​ move the ebow between its normal position and a position over the pickup closer to the neck of the instrument in the rhythm indicated; a demonstration can be found here ​ vii cover all strings as before, then pluck individual notes; a demonstration can be found here ​ keep pedal depressed until otherwise indicated (ped.) pedal remains depressed Approximate duration is ca. 15 minutes. n mf 2 SCENE 1 - "START": Liv is seated at her computer, alone in her home. 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