LIVINGRY: THE BALLAD OF BUCKY FULLER

A One-Man Trim Tab

The stage is sparse except for several geometric structures suggestive of Fuller's geodesic domes. They're translucent and lit from within, changing colors throughout the performance. Center stage features an old-fashioned salesman's trunk emblazoned with "LIVINGRY CORP." At the back, a projection screen displays changing imagery: Earth from space, blueprints, mathematical patterns. The house lights dim as a spotlight illuminates the trunk. It slowly opens, and BUCKY FULLER emerges - not as we remember him, but as a spectacular song-and-dance man in a shimmering suit that somehow incorporates geometric patterns. He wears his iconic thick glasses, but they catch the light like prisms.

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ACT I: THE RETURN

BUCKY: (Looking around, adjusting his glasses)

Well, hello there! R. Buckminster Fuller, at your service once again! (checking his watch) I see it's 2025. Fashionably late, as always.

(He steps fully out of the trunk and approaches the audience)

You know, when you're dead, they finally listen to you. "Oh, that Bucky was ahead of his time," they say. Well, time caught up, folks, and I've come back with a new approach.

(He does a little soft-shoe dance step)

Last time around, I was all equations and lectures. This time? Song, dance, and salesmanship! Because if I learned anything watching from the great beyond, it's that humans don't buy truth—they buy showmanship!

(Music begins - an upbeat, slightly retro tune)

SONG: "SPACESHIP EARTH (GOING DOWN)"

BUCKY: (Singing)

WELCOME ABOARD SPACESHIP EARTH
NO INSTRUCTION MANUAL AT BIRTH
WE'RE BURNING FUEL WITHOUT CONCERN
WHILE THE OXYGEN TANKS OVERTURN

(Tap dancing across the stage)

OH, SPACESHIP EARTH IS GOING DOWN
WHILE BILLIONAIRES ESCAPE THE TOWN
BUILDING ROCKETS TO REACH THE STARS
LEAVING EVERYONE ELSE WITH THE SCARS

BUT I'VE GOT A PLAN,
A BRAND NEW DEAL
MORE PRACTICAL THAN MOST WOULD FEEL
IT'S NOT LEFT OR RIGHT OR IN-BETWEEN
IT'S COMPREHEN-SIVE BY DESIGN!

(He spins and the lighting shifts dramatically)

ACT II: THE PITCH

BUCKY: (Now in full salesman mode, pulling gadgets from his trunk)

Ladies and gentlemen, I didn't come back just to criticize! No sir! I came back to SELL you something magnificent. Not a product—a PROCESS! Not a gadget—a GESTALT!

(Pulls out a small model of a geodesic dome)

See, last time I was here, I tried to revolutionize shelter. Made it lightweight, efficient, beautiful.

(Tosses the dome into the air where it hangs suspended)

But you turned my domes into music festival attractions and military radar stations!

(Shakes his head)

I wasn't thinking BIG enough. Today, I'm selling you the complete package. The whole enchilada. The full Fuller!

(He pulls out a sign that unfolds into a banner reading "LIVINGRY")

LIVINGRY! The opposite of weaponry!

While weaponry is designed to kill, LIVINGRY is designed to LIVE! To thrive! To make life so irresistibly wonderful that war becomes obsolete!

(Music begins for the next number - a carnival barker-style patter song)

SONG: "THE LIVINGRY SALESMAN"

BUCKY: (Rapid-fire singing)

STEP RIGHT UP, DON'T BE SHY
I'M SELLING SOMETHING
YOU CAN'T BUY
WITH DOLLARS, EUROS, CRYPTO OR YEN
IT'S A COMPLETE REDESIGN OF HOW WE'VE BEEN

(Does a series of increasingly complex dance moves that mimic systems connecting)

I'M THE LIVINGRY SALESMAN
I DON'T TAKE CASH,
I TAKE CHANGE BEHAVIOR,
THINKING, SYSTEMS REARRANGED
THE PROFIT ISN'T COUNTED IN YOUR BANK
BUT IN THE FUTURE GENERATIONS' THANKS

I'M SELLING DYMAXION SOLUTIONS
NOT PIECEMEAL POLITICAL DELUSIONS C
OMPREHENSIVE ANTICIPATORY DESIGN
FOR THE HUNDRED PERCENT OF HUMANKIND!

(The music builds to a frenzy as he dances wildly, then suddenly stops)

ACT III: THE DEMONSTRATION

BUCKY: (Slightly out of breath, moving to center stage)

You think I'm crazy? Maybe! But I've run the calculations.

(The projection screen begins displaying complex equations and models)

We already have all we need. Did you know with current technology, we could:

(With each statement, he pulls an impossible number of objects from his small trunk)

Generate clean energy for everyone! Provide shelter that works with nature! Create transportation without pollution! Design cities that enhance rather than destroy! Feed every human without depleting the soil!

The problem isn't technology. It's not resources. It's DESIGN. It's INTENTION.

(His demeanor shifts, becoming more sincere)

We've designed an economy that rewards all the wrong things. Weapons over wellbeing. Extraction over regeneration. Competition over cooperation.

(Music begins, a more thoughtful, ballad-style song)

SONG: "THE WRONG GAME"

BUCKY: (Singing with heart)

WE'VE BEEN PLAYING THE WRONG GAME
KEEPING SCORE OF THE WRONG THINGS
MEASURING WORTH IN DOLLARS AND FAME
WHILE THE BIRDS FORGET HOW TO SING

(Moving slowly across the stage, interacting with audience members)

YOU DON'T CHANGE THE GAME BY FIGHTING THE RULES
YOU INVENT A NEW ONE THAT MAKES THE OLD OBSOLETE
I'M NOT HERE TO BLAME, ACCUSE, OR REFUTE
I'M HERE TO BUILD THE PATH BENEATH YOUR FEET

THE UNIVERSE IS ABUNDANT BY DESIGN
THERE'S ENOUGH FOR ALL IF WE ALIGN
OUR CLEVERNESS WITH OUR COMPASSION
IN A NEW ECONOMY FASHIONED
FROM THE TRUTH THAT WE'RE ONE CREW
ON THIS VESSEL SAILING THROUGH
THE COSMOS, PRECIOUS AND DIVINE

(The song ends as he returns to center stage)

ACT IV: THE CLOSE

BUCKY: (Now in a spotlight, the rest of the stage dark)

Folks, every good salesman knows when to close the deal. And here's my offer:

(He opens his hands and a hologram of Earth appears above them)

I'm offering you everything. A world that works for everyone. A civilization worthy of the name. A future where your grandchildren look back and say, "They finally got it right."

The price? Everything. Everything you thought you knew. Everything you thought was fixed. Everything you thought was impossible.

(He closes his hands and the Earth disappears)

I know what you're thinking: "But Bucky, how do we start?"

(He chuckles, removing his glasses and cleaning them)

You want a blueprint? A 10-step plan? A TED talk?

(He puts his glasses back on and looks directly at the audience)

That's the old me talking. The new me knows better.

(He begins to sing the final number, a gentle but powerful anthem)

SONG: "START ANYWHERE"

BUCKY: (Singing)

START ANYWHERE,
BUT START TODAY
THE FUTURE'S NOT SOME FAR-AWAY
IT'S BUILT IN EVERY CHOICE YOU MAKE
IN WHAT YOU GIVE AND WHAT YOU TAKE

START ANYWHERE,
BUT START WITH LOVE
FOR THIS SWEET EARTH AND STARS ABOVE
FOR STRANGERS' FACES
YOU DON'T KNOW
FOR CREATURES HIGH AND CREATURES LOW

(The music swells)

YOU ARE LIVINGRY!
YOU ARE THE CHANGE!
YOU ARE THE BLUEPRINT AND
THE BUILDER
THE DREAMER AND THE DREAM!

(He begins to dance again, but now his movements are graceful, less showman-like, more authentic)

INTEGRITY IS WHAT I SOLD
WHEN I WAS YOUNG AND WHEN I'M OLD
A UNIVERSE THAT WORKS FOR ALL
NO ONE TOO BIG, NO ONE TOO SMALL

(As the song continues, he begins returning items to his trunk)

I'M JUST A GHOST OF THINKING PAST
I'VE COME TO DANCE AND SING AT LAST
THE SONG THAT SCIENCE COULDN'T SAY
THAT WE CAN BUILD A BETTER WAY

(The music softens as he stands by his trunk)

EPILOGUE

BUCKY: (Speaking over gentle music)

You know, when I was alive the first time, they called me a utopian. As if that were an insult! What's the alternative? A dystopian? A status-quo-ian?

(He laughs)

I prefer being a utopian salesman to a apocalyptic prophet any day.

(He starts to get back into his trunk)

I'll leave you with this: The universe is a remarkably efficient system. It doesn't waste energy. It doesn't waste life. Only we do that.

Don't waste your life fighting what doesn't work. Build what does.

(He's almost completely in the trunk now, just his head visible)

And if you see me on the street corner, singing my Livingry songs, toss a little courage in my hat. I don't need your money.

(He winks)

I need your audacity.

(He closes the trunk from the inside. The stage goes dark except for the glowing geometric structures, which pulse with light. After a moment, they too fade to darkness. End of play.)