Grant & Grace
An Opera in One Act

 SYNOPSIS
 

Grant, a young man in love, has decided to offer a gift to a young woman, the object of his affections.  The gift will be a love poem he crafts specifically for her.

 

He finds a quiet place to work.  He has come prepared with notepad, pencil, and a large book of love poems.   As he begins, he soon realizes that his own words and ideas are not going to be sufficient, so he turns to his trusty, inspirational resource -- the book of poetry.  As he thumbs the pages, he finds very eloquent phrases penned by some of the greatest poets.  As he forms his thoughts and begins to write, Grace appears.  Initially, she simply repeats his words.  The further Grant proceeds, the more animated and alive Grace seems to become.

 

Although Grant can not physically see or hear her, Grace begins to voice thoughts of her own that differ from those of Grant.  She questions his choice of words and begins to make suggestions, to which Grant responds.

 

He realizes that phrases borrowed from the master poets might not capture the personal sentiment he intends to express.  He continues searching his book for more appropriate language and stumbles onto love song lyrics from the 1960s and 70s.  Oddly enough, moved by Grace’s promptings, he discovers that some of these lyrics express the same concepts as the classic poems of love.

 

Even as Grant, in unwitting collaboration with Grace, collects and pens his thoughts, he begins to question the value of his work.  In spite of Grace’s arguments, Grant gives up and exits, leaving her alone.

 

Grace, knowing that she is Grant’s creation, fears that without him her existence will soon come to an end.  When she realizes that she hasn’t disappeared, she concludes that she must still be on his mind.

 

She decides that if she is going to be complete and beautiful, it’s up to her.  So, she takes Grant’s ideas, sorts through them and arranges them into a cohesive whole.  In the process, she insinuates her love for Grant – the creation loving the creator.

 

Grant suddenly returns, exclaiming that he has it all worked out -- that everything just came to him.  He can now finish the poem.  Even though Grace is upset for not getting her due credit, she helps him finish his work.

 

As they finish writing and reading the final product, they exit, leaving the big book of love poems behind.

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Not only is this an opera that exams the language of love, but it gives the audience a glimpse into the creative process -- the interaction between the creator and the creation.











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