The initial idea for the composition was that lyrically, it should tell the story of the flight from Glenn's point of view, as he's seated in the titanium capsule - communicating with the operators below. The lyrics emerge from key moments in the flight. The chorus refers to the splashdown. 

Three pieces of audio from the MA-6 Flight audio files were sourced, courtesy of NASA media unit. This realism sets the score firmly into the day of the flight. 

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Stagecraft - turning flight into art

The audience will be immersed in a live or recorded soundscape of jazz-blues from 1954-1963. This is the edgy, mercurial element of the show, as it affects the stage atmospherics substantively. Just as the capsule turns and Glenn is in zero gravity, he is given a 'GO'. The infectious "Surprise, Surprise" is already being faded up at 106 BPM, to signal the orbital odyssey has commenced. The audience will feel the heartbeat and cadence of the track, as it reflects the 'precision', skill and timing of the flight.

Here, the audio, lighting, jazz ensemble join with the tracking operators and Glenn - to "perform" the flight in a most surreal, imaginative way. Glenn's three earth orbits, are being turned into pure art - and experienced as contemporary entertainment.

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