World of the Play
There is surveillance EVERYWHERE. It's not uncommon for the government to put secret cameras on streets or just outside your window. People still wake up to check their phones. And all the news that gets reported seems strangely positive. Like it frames the government as always being in the right... leaves out the sad world events. The citizens eat breakfast and it's almost like deja vu, everyday is the same and it's so freakin' BORING. All the other countries have put a trade embargo on us, so no imported spices or foods. (Sidebar: Just think about this the next time you're enjoying fruit, read the label to see where it comes from. It's WILD if you imagine a world where that was no longer an option!)
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Everyone carries around the weight of this, especially those who lived before the "The Great Coup de tat". Before the “Great Coup” we had countries known as Canada and the US and Mexico. Now it’s all one unified right-wing land mass. People hide behind a veneer of contentment but are in fact miserable, trapped. No one can admit this, because dissenters always "disappear". Their cell phones are how the government keeps tabs on them, you have to have it...OR ELSE. So in 2070 everyone is still glued to their phone, but this is a warped re-imagining of that
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Citizens dress in a uniform of gray scale that is modest. Everyone wears a wig to make hair appear uniform too. A brown crew cut for men, and a brown bob for women. The conservatives don't like rabble rousing, no provocative or flashy clothing. The exceptions are (a) special events like The Poverty Ball (b) celebrities who get to do whatever they want [because that will NEVER change]. Everyone speaks in this weird way--polite, detached, unspecific, (people avoid saying any physical descriptions, politics, religion, sexual orientation, race, etc.) So imagine if political correctness was enforced LEGALLY. People speak in a way that's almost military-like, using last names. "Hello Citizen Daniels." "Evening, Citizen Carter."
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The ultimate goal of a citizen (who is white) is the same as it's always been: make enough money to own a private residence. It's rare to be able to do this, most have to rent very tiny, almost unlivable dormitory style housing, like living in a bee hive. But the wealthy have PRIVACY!!! That's the new definition of luxury. Peace, quiet, safety and a safe haven to escape the madness of outside. The ultimate goal of a citizen (who is black or POC) is to STAY ALIVE. They all know that the mysterious disappearances are targeting them. And they also know that once someone goes, they are gone forever. To quote one of my fave musicals, “There is no Urinetown, we just kill people
The Communities
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The wealthy
We meet these bombastic people very much out of touch with reality at the Poverty Ball. It’s like they are unaware of all the suffering that’s taking place just outside the doors. They have private bods, robot boyfriends, fresh produce and access to meats and fish. Of course celebrities, politicians, nepo babies, etc. are in this mix. They have names of constellations because in their minds, they are all STARS. ((They are ORION, FORNAX, URSA MAJOR, HYDRA, MOSES)). The only outlier here is HOODINI, who has a true rags to riches story. He is a first generation Arab man whose parents both fled the Syrian war as children in the early 2000’s. He’s a rapper who will gladly pay the fines than adhere to any government sanctioned rules. And like any celebrity who’s filthy rich, he really can get away with whatever he wants.
The almost non-existent middle class
There are those rare few who have a private residence. They can afford modest furnishings and the roof over their heads but not much else. They eat broth soup and beans and dehydrated powders in smoothies. Their clothing isn’t high fashion, but it’s at least clean. This includes (SARAH, OLDER BROTHER, MOTHER, J-DUB).
The working class a.k.a. worker bees (the majority of the population in the public dormitories)
Most people do not have any ancestral wealth and after the Coup, their livelihoods and neighborhoods were destroyed. The cost of living is astronomical so they have to share living quarters in bunkbeds with…whoever is around. They don’t know if they’ll get to eat that day. They hand wash their clothes when they can, but they might save that soap for themselves. This is the actual poverty that the wealthy are making a joke of. (JAMEELA, GRETA, NICOLE, MORGAN, SPENCER)
The Nighilists (the hippies who live “off the grid”)
These folks are living in a commune and growing their own food outside of the reach of the government surveillance. They have to sew and mend their clothes by hand. They will recycle and reuse the hell outta everything. They spend all day getting their hands dirty with anything from basket weaving to chopping lumber to making meals from farm to table. They live in a minimalist way so that they can eventually flee the country with less baggage. (NIARA, MAX, AMME, NELSON, ELI)