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The Characters
Lydia,
a 12-year-old girl (mezzo-soprano)
Jake
,
a 10-year-old boy (tenor)
Elder Constance,
leader of the Habitat (mezzo-soprano)
Elizabeth,
Jake’s mother (mezzo-soprano)
David,
Lydia’s father (baritone)
Bonobo,
a wise old ape (baritone)
The Setting
A future where climate change has made most places on the planet unlivable, and the surviving
humans have built a shelter they call the “Habitat” to protect them from the outside world.
Everything in the Habitat is a virtual or synthetic copy of what was once found in nature.
The Story
Elder Constance has decided there is no hope for repairing our planet and forbids anyone
to have contact with the outside world. She shares her plan with Elizabeth and David. Jake
(Elizabeth’s son) and Lydia (David’s daughter), overhear the adults’ conversation and are sad to
learn they can never leave the Habitat.
While discussing the bad news, Jake and Lydia are surprised by a talking ape— a bonobo!
Bonobo tells the children how wonderful the world once was before humans neglected nature.
The Story of the Opera
Second Nature
Matthew Aucoin,
composer and librettist
Scenic design by William Boles