As the opera’s first curtain rises to expose a second bleak curtain, marching bare feet and legs cross the stage as the second curtain rises slightly to the sound of the orchestra. Among the feet and legs, aboriginal, European, and African slaves are represented by varying skin tones and ages in the procession. The orchestra stops playing, and the desolate curtain divides before an utterly dark stage. Red lights flash to show mountains and tropical trees in the distance, but there are no humans on stage as red lights become beams of white. The lights blend into a blue and yellow glow, only to flash dark again. Then, a disembodied voice addresses time in respect to humankind. Offstage, “time” is shouted in both English and French successively.
