ROBERT ASHLEY

DUST

Imagine a street corner anywhere in the world, where those who live on the fringes of society gather to talk, to each other and to themselves, about life-changing events, missed opportunities, memory, loss and regret.Five "street people" recount the memories and experiences of one of their group, a man who has lost his legs in some unnamed war. As part of the experience of losing his legs, he began a conversation with God, under the influence of the morphine he was given to ease his pain.Now he wishes that the conversation, which was interrupted when the morphine wore off, could be continued so that he could get the "secret word" that would stop all wars and suffering.Performed by Sam Ashley, Thomas Buckner, Tom Hamilton, Jacqueline Humbert, Joan La Barbara, "Blue" Gene Tyranny and Robert Ashley

© 2000 Robert Ashley / Lovely MusicAll rights reserved under international and Pan-American copyright conventions.

Printed and published in the United States of America.

No part of this book may be reproduced, performed, or utilized in any form or by any means including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and/or retrieval system without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Typography & design: Nancy Foote/By Design

Special thanks to Sam Ashley, Thomas Buckner, Jacqueline Humbert and Joan La Barbara, who performed "Dust" along with the author; to Tom Hamilton, who recorded and mixed Dust; to “Blue” Gene Tyranny, who played synthesizer; to Yukihiro Yoshihara, who designed the visual presentation of the opera; to Yasunori Kakegawa, who assembled the video images; to Nobuyoshi Umeki, who created the glass control system; and to Rosemary Quinn, who consulted with the author on the story.

"Dust" was commissioned by Kanagawa Arts Foundation and Dorothea Tanning.

The opera was produced by Yasuyo Kondo for Kanagawa Arts Foundation and by Mimi Johnson for Performing Artservices, Inc.

The Japanese premiere took at Kanagawa Prefectural Concert Hall, Yokohama, on November 15, 1998; the U.S. premiere took place at The Kitchen, New York City, on April 14, 1999.

Production funding support was received in the U.S. from The Asian Cultural Council, The Fund for US Artists at International Festivals, The Helen W. Buckner Charitable Lead Trust, and The Trust for Mutual Understanding; and in Japan from the Japan Art Fund and The Nomura Cultural Foundation.

Production cooperation (USA): Sony Electronics Inc., Ikkan Art International, Inc.

Production cooperation (Japan): Art Dynamics, Inc., Adobe Systems Co., Ltd., EPA, Image and Measurement, Inc., teevee graphics, Inc., Nippon Sheet Glass Co., Ltd., Media Vision Inc., Meta Creations, Ray Corporation.

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