Work — An Opera
A cast of many characters all interact with the Big Box. They sing the praises, the concerns and condemnations we have come to understand are all symptoms of Big Box Syndrome.ACT 1
OPENING SCENE: A crowd is gathered for the ground breaking ceremony. Corporate representatives are on hand to explain to local people how wonderful the project is for their town. The location is the outdoor parking lot of a former lumber yard, aluminum sliding glass front doors forever shut to the public in plain view.
(PR Guy sings:)
We’ve finally arrived, you barely survived this long without us.
Your lives are going to change, but that’s a good thing
Because we bring the ability for everyone in your family
To re-construct your kitchen floor at lower cost.
Furthermore: We present an opportunity for your whole family
To join the serving staff in our new facility.
There are many tools for you to buy
Now that we have arrived in your community.
We offer everything to you except equity.
We are The Company.
You are Society;
We are the floor store
Where you will soon be shopping more.
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(Chorus made up of townspeople in blue shirts with white collars sing and do a soft shoe shuffle:)
Caulk and seal, caulk and seal
Mud tape sand, mud tape sand.
Ain’t life grand?
(PR Guy:)
We are not a pill dispensary, we don’t sell clothes
or groceries.
We specialize in tile and paint, rubber plants do not relate
to what we offer here.
