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Oracle

Book, Music and Lyrics by Jay Turvey & Paul Sportelli

Present day Delphi, Indiana

Leigh, a 40-something who works in a hardware store, has lived in Delphi, Indiana all her life. She is fed up with her circumstances but doesn't know how to change things. She's got a 20-something boyfriend Jim, who is a baker, but Leigh is uneasy about their age difference and uncertain of their future. While wrestling with her demons, the Oracle of Delphi magically appears on Leigh's fireplace mantle. Phoebe, the Oracle, has been banished from ancient Greece by the god Apollo for becoming pregnant. At the next full moon, Phoebe will be transported back to ancient Greece where she will give birth and be forced to sacrifice her baby. The Oracle's presence becomes a catalyst for change in the lives of all three characters, as the worlds of Phoebe, Leigh, and Jim collide in ways that are both comic and profound.

Sneak peak of "In the Middle of the Night" from Oracle.
In the Middle of the Night

Performed by Patty Jamieson and Julie Martell at the Shaw Festival's Coffee Concert Series on June 6, 2010.
Featuring Paul Sportelli (piano), Emma Banfield (violin), Alex Grant (cello),
Anna Redekop (viola) and Kathryn Sugden (violin).


Opening

How Do They Do It?

The Baker's Song

In the Middle of the Night

Finish What You Start

Little White Plastic Purse

And Breathe

Little Wonder

ORACLE was workshopped and presented at the Summerworks Festival in Toronto in 2011, and it was workshopped at Arena Stage in Washington, DC in 2012. A demo recording was made from the live Arena Stage workshop performance, and features Hannah Willman, Manna Nichols, and Jobari Parker-Namdar, except for the song "Little Wonder," which features Julie Martell from the Summerworks presentation.


 
The inspiration for this musical comes from a trip to Greece in 2009. While visiting the ruins of ancient Delphi, the mystical power of the place was overwhelming. The contrast of our very modern selves with this ancient site remained with us and became the springboard for our story of a contemporary world disrupted by an older one.

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