Thy Kingdom Come © 2016 by Joe Izen & Coni Koepfinger
THY KINGDOM COME is a bold new musical by Joe Izen and Coni Koepfinger that peers deep into the heart of humanity and sees through it into a new vision, a look into the light, where the reflection of mankind is love. When TED, the world's first transhuman, falls in love with boss Livia, he starts to question the very purpose of life and finds something might be missing.

SYNOPSIS
The play opens with the song “Bright Star of Connection” in the caves of Wahunga, in the prehistoric landscapes amongst the earliest pinnings of primitive humanity.  We see cavemen emerging from their dwellings, gathering to do a ritual mating dance - they are reaching out to explore their surroundings and each other.  Suddenly there is a flash in the blackness of the night sky, and all heads turn heavenward to witness the collision of stars creating pattern after pattern.  After the light show, one single star pulses to the beat of the music as the cave people dance their way back into their caves.

As we fast-forward to the 22nd century, the music morphs us into a sterile, futuristic landscape where love and human relationships have become a thing of the past. Having grown completely dependent on technology, humanity has come to rely on the Dept of Purification (DOP) - a very powerful centralized government. The DOP regulates the entertainment technology in order to provide a safe, non-violent environment for all. The mantra “Everything done today must make for a better tomorrow” is heard in the DOP song that paints this bleak picture of the new world.

Next we find ourselves at the Central Circulation Desk at the DOP Library in the year 2112. Here we meet TED, a lively, bright-spirited, efficient AI who dutifully follows  at the heels of his supervisor Livia. She, in contrast, is disgruntled and grumbles repeatedly about the task list of the day. Their job is to manage content for the holodeck vision centers (HVC) where humans go for permissible recreation.  The external world has become completely volatile and strictly prohibited.  The HVCs were created by the DOP ( Department of Purification) to offer safe conditions in a controlled virtual environment.  It is Livia’s job to make sure that the AIs are all operational at max capacity.  TED is one of many who view the story file content for the library before it is uploaded to the HVC for access to the general public.  It is the purpose of the DOP to make sure that all materials are refined with clean language and emotionless messages to avoid any sort of aggression or idealism that could create longing or desire. Although TED is very good at what he does, he has begun to question the system, as he becomes more and more aware of his intimate feelings for Livia. When he offers her a poem that he has written about her, Livia dismisses it and tells him that he shouldn’t waste his time doing things like this. As she leaves, TED turns slowly to the audience and pours his heart out to us in One Long Step Away.

As the song ends, TED stands still dreamy-eyed only to be rudely awakened by an abrupt delivery drone beeping in his face, bumping into him, almost knocking him over. He takes the new shipment in and then realizes that the delivery tag was pulled in error and that its content was not yet DOP approved and could contain uncensored material. He immediately tries to have the shipment returned but then starts to get curious and begins to examine it.

Well knowing it’s forbidden, he nonetheless watches the story file of Frank, an elderly gentleman, who appears to have lost the love of his life and is now searching for someone new with the help of a 21st century computer-dating service called Club Singularity. In this file, Frank sings of his zest for life and search for love in the lively little number I’ve Still Got It. Surprising TED with an observational check, Livia sees that he is viewing the contraband. She is furious and opens TED’s back panel to check his holographic storage. She tells him to seal the box and return until it is DOP approved. Livia explains to him that he should review his history files before he starts to probe any further – and reminds him of the chaos that almost destroyed the earth in the 21st century. TED promises to do so yet still questions why this content needed censorship. He protests saying there was no illicit sex or violence. Livia warns him not to get too inquisitive and to remember that all work is monitored and he might find himself back in the factory with all of the other malfunctioning AIs. After Livia leaves, TED calls for a drone pick-up and when he sees there is time before it arrives, he gets tempted to view another file from this forbidden box.

In this next file, we meet Janet who is also a computer-dating applicant at Club Singularity. Her softness and genuine care for others moves TED to further understand the concepts of love, dating and relationships. TED identifies with the wisdom of her insecurity through the poetry of her ballad, To Be Out There Again. He is now perplexed to learn that these behaviors were considered too volatile for the health and well-being of society and are now forbidden by the DOP. Still TED develops a sense of empathy for both Janet and Frank and goes back to the box to view yet another.

TED looks around to see if the monitors are in his range, and puts in a new story file. This one is labeled “Curt, Applicant Profile”. We see a handsome young man typing and talking aloud to his computer. TED is excited because he thinks he may really have some incite here as to how the human-computer interaction all began, and maybe he can find some pointers as to how to pursue his courting of Livia. But Suddenly the file quits with the info tag “corrupted”. Disappointed TED rushes to grab another data file. Here we meet Bella and Beamer, who appear to be a couple in conflict. After the brassy, bold young singer belts the blues to explain her condition in the song “I Want More”, they continue to argue and fight about what is lacking in their unfulfilled lives. Now TED is quite perplexed and after her song, he continues to watch scenes from her profile that reveal even more trouble. Once again Livia walks in on TED’s viewing and is extremely angry. She exclaims that she has no choice but to report him. She reveals her fear of the DOP and continues to scorn TED for putting both of their lives in jeopardy. She explains to TED that they all live in a tightly closed circuit, a symbiotic relationship that proves that the actions of one closely affect the lives of all. Livia presses a button on the main frame panel as TED stands, looking down, sullen awaiting his fate.

The report has been made, the collective voice of the DOP call Livia and TED to question them on this act of insubordination. At first Livia is dispassionate recounting the details of TED’s actions. The more Livia hears TED’s logical reasoning for his continued viewing, she understands that something valuable from their past has been purposely buried. When TED urges the DOP to reconsider allowing him to probe and continue his investigation, Livia begins to defend him. There is extreme displeasure from the DOP and the verdict is made not in favor of the two. TED is sentenced to the thinktank for complete reprogramming and Livia is pronounced terminated. She will be given a survival pass and a ticket to a secondary city in a subgrade environment. She has 24 hours to vacate, and the two are escorted off in different directions by robots.

We now see the image of a fragmented TED torn to pieces in the reprogramming vault. As he is being rewired, the pain of sparks and jolts are seen on his face as it is projected on a larger screen. His body parts hang loosely in the balance. The distorted music of this repeated torture continues until suddenly, as if by some strange, mystical occurrence, TED’s pained expression turns to solace then to joy as he purposely forces his attention above the reprogramming images. TED is now seeing images in his memory from the data files of the applicants for Club Singularity. Frank and Janet exploring new found love, Bella and Beamer being reunited along with affectionate images of Livia with him. Ted absorbs the beauty of these aesthetics and sings about this experience in “The Love that Lives Inside”. The dream then grows dark yet TED still can see the lines of light between the people, almost like a computer grid illuminated in a black abyss. A lifeless voice beckons, “TED 8396, your reprogramming is complete- report back to your position.”

As soon as TED is released he returns to the library searching frantically for Livia. He realizes that he has reached a new level of self-awareness. He knows that he knows that he should not be able to remember what has happened but is driven by his pure desire to find Livia. TED appears, thankful to find Livia still there; she is cleaning out her desk.

TED reports that he was somehow able to thwart the reprograming with a fully engaged fantasy simulation of the 21st century in which he found out the real reason why the projections from Club Singularity were forbidden. He tells Livia that he searched the data files only to find that up until 2069 computers were used for matchmaking the relationships of humans until scientist and entrepreneur, Eli Rusk, put forth the erroneous information that AIs were absorbing the emotional content of the data. Rusk permeated the fear that AIs would soon become superior to humans if permitted to ascribe emotion. Thus, computer dating was banned and Club Singularity closed. From this, a universal paranoia developed regarding the art of human interaction which coincided with the increasing violence in society. A phobia followed and a government decree forbid the practice of dating altogether. Still angry and bitter with the news of her dismissal, Livia tells TED that she is not surprised and tells him what she really thinks of the DOP and their modernity in the 22nd century as she sings about it in The Monster. After the song, TED is extremely agitated and tells Livia that they must go back to Club Singularity, retrieve the data base of the programming that allowed for live, interpersonal interactions.
Feeling slighted and out of a job, Livia agrees to go back with TED to investigate events leading up to the closing of Club Singularity. TED explains that the expressions of love those story files conveyed elevated not only his performance levels but also restructured his operational DNA enough to allow him to transcend the reprogramming. When Livia questions TED on how he can be sure that love will enhance their way of living, he tells her that he knows from personal experience. Livia laughs questioning the very idea that TED thinks that he is in love with someone and teases him, probing to find out who it is. Suddenly TED explodes with emotion only to confess that he is in love with her. When she contests that he can’t love her, he comes back with even more zeal singing “I Know I Am Real”. TED then makes a proposal to Livia that will not only change her life but also may alter the entire course of human destiny.... Thus... in Act Two we venture to past and bring back what was lost.