COVID's Metamorphoses

3m, 1w
1m 60-75, 1m 35-55, 1m 25-35; 1w 25-35

Sports jock Powell Androdeus and homebody Laurel Daphne Wood are matched on a dating web site by Cupid, the trickster god of love, who wants to instruct Powell in the power of love, as retribution for Powell's dismissive vlog entries. The relationship deepens on Powell's side as he is fed false information by Cupid's online alter egos, who feed Laurel contradictory false information that makes Laurel mistrust Powell. Through miscues and misunderstandings and social distancing during the month of March 2020, a tentative romance begins and ends, with Laurel isolating herself in an underground bunker to shield herself from her stalker Powell and COVID-19. Meanwhile, Laurel's father, who provisioned the bunker, contends with the coronavirus pandemic in his retirement community.

COVID's Metamorphoses is based on the story of Apollo and Daphne from Ovid's Metamorphoses. In this myth, Apollo's unreturned love for Daphne is thwarted by her father turning her into a laurel tree. An optional introductory song (arranged for harp and flute) lays out the myth for further clarity of the parallels between the modern-day story and the Greek myth.

The material is also available as a 2.5-minute monologue for Laurel, as she hunkers down in her bunker. The monologue is spoken from her perspective, safe within the heart of the inviolate, metaphorical tree.