The Machine Stops: A New Opera by John Lake and Cecile Goding

The Machine Stops: A New Opera by John Lake and Cecile Goding
Selected Videoclips and Talkback

Opera fan and UI Professor Emerita Miriam Gilbert leads a talkback session on The Machine Stops: A New Opera by John Lake and Cecile Goding, joined by the opera’s lead soprano Élise DesChamps (UI School of Music) and sci-fi scholar Brooks Landon (UI Dept. of English).

The Machine Stops, featuring a libretto written by Iowa author and UI workshop graduate Cecile Goding and original score composed by Iowa City musician John Lake, debuted at the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts in July 2022. Based on a 1909 science fiction story by E. M. Forster, the opera imagines a world where all reality is filtered through The Machine. Everyone lives alone, communicating solely through their hand-held devices. Sound familiar?

Selected videoclips of the CCPA production of The Machine Stops will be shown. Audiences responded to the debut performance with high praise: “Surprisingly contemporary;” “a powerful experience;” “a stunning success;” “beautiful and complex;” “gorgeous music and strong libretto.”