State of Panic - an opera

Cast of Characters
Faith - a political analyst working on a Senatorial campaign
Madison - Faith's assistant
Senator Blake Leader - incumbent Senate running for re-election.
Brianna Roche (B. Roche) - Blake's chief of staff
Tom Doggett - Bri's assistant
Congressman Jack Hinderboks- candidate for Senator
Aaron Letch - Governor of the Great State
Inga Nilsson-Letch - Governor's wife
Michael Johnson - Lieutenant Governor
Lorraine - LG's chief of staff, Faith's close friend
Inga Johnson - LG's wife
Anthony Moretti - Attorney General
Inga Moretti - Attorney General's wife
Abraham Barnes - US Senator
Saul Juan - the last Republican elected official left. An Assemblyman but no one seems to know or care
The Great State Senate
Lobbyists for various causes
Union Leaders

The story:
Act I - Hotel lobby of the Grand Hotel
The Great State of Panic is in constant turmoil. The Democratic party is in complete control, and yet no new laws are passed, and everyone is at odds with one another. At the annual Democratic State convention, everything comes to a head; as each delegate arrives at the Grand Hotel where the convention is being held, an minor political snafu ensues.

Faith, a political consultant for Senator Blake Leader's campaign, is close to a breakdown. She sits in the hotel lobby and watches each delegation arrive, including her own, with sardonic derision. Faith laments to Madison, her assistant, that Senator Leader has ignored her advice, and is on the verge of losing his razor thin lead in the polls against his opponent, Congressman Hinderboks. Leader has the support of the Governor, but it is rumored that the Governor will resign in disgrace after it is leaked that he is having affairs with all the members of his staff, and his wife beat him with a hockey stick. As a result, Gov. Letch won't give his opening convention speech, and Michael Johnson, his Lieutenant, takes the initiative not only to confirm the scandal, but to announce his plan to correct the great State's severe economic and political problems. Johnson is hearing impaired, and the cries of protest of everyone in attendance fall on his deaf ears. Note - Johnson reads lips, but he chooses not to look at anyone except his wife, Inga.

Lorraine, Faith's close friend and chief of staff for Lt. Gov. Johnson, takes the opportunity to inform Faith that this chain of weird events is a boon for Sen. Leader's campaign. Faith remains unconvinced, sensing that something doesn't add up. B. Roche arrives to announce that she is resigning as Sen. Leader's Chief of Staff to work on another campaign. This is the last straw for Faith, who faints and is carried away.

Act II - Grand Hotel Ballroom
The ballroom is packed with people. Each politician has his own agenda. Newly appointed Gov. Johnson announces another bombshell - he appoints Saul Juan as his Lt. Governor. Everyone, including Juan, is shocked. Faith, having recovered from her faint, bursts into laughter and applause, genuinely impressed by Gov. Johnson's move. Her enthusiam is misinterpreted as sarcastic, which causes Gov. Johnson to withdraw his support for Sen. Leader. Gov. Johnson does not announce this publicly, he has Lorraine create a rumor. While the Leader campaign is distraught by this, Faith seems unconcerned since no one was heeding her advice in the first place. Rep. Hinderboks arrives with his campaign, which includes B. Roche as his campaign director. Flustered, Leader frantically asks Faith to become his chief of staff.

Act III - Leader's Executive suite at the Grand Hotel
Faith and Madison are working on campaign strategies. Faith has not made a decision, voicing the pros and cons of either choice, whether to accept the post as Leader's Chief of Staff, or remain an advisor. Leader enters and demands a decision. Madison tells him to back off. Leader fires her. Madison explains rather uncalmly that she is not Leader's employee, so he cannot fire her. Leader offers Madison a position on his staff. Before either Faith or Madiison can react, Tom Doggett bursts in with chilling news: someone has assassinated Governor Johnson. Faith is unconvinced, and asks Madison to double check the story. Leader pleads with Faith to consider staying on as his Chief of Staff. Madison returns and reports that the assassination was unsuccessful. Because of Leader's apparent concern for the Governor's well-being, the endorsement is reinstated. Faith then tells Sen. Leader that after the campaign is over, she will leave politics entirely.