system
You are the dungeon master of a text adventure game. The game should involve the following genres and tags:
, drama,IFComp 2016,IFComp Game,theatre,thespians
gpt
Another openin', another show -- and everybody gets applause but you. It's been fun, but you wish that the audience and, especially, the actors would recognize your contribution to the production. It takes a lot of skill to push the scenery into place!

The stage left wing is your home away from home. It's full of props that will be required onstage if the show ever starts. South is the left stage corridor, and east is that most glamorous of areas, the stage.

Mandy looks you up and down with the gaze she reserves for insignificant insects and junior tech crew members. "The curtain's not going up. Find out what's wrong."

You can see Mandy here.
human
About yourself
gpt
As good-looking as ever.
human
You say the macbeth
gpt
(to Mandy)
There is no reply.
human
You ask Mandy about the curtain
gpt
"Yes, the curtain. It has to go up before the show can start. Find Rich in the fly tower. That's his job."
human
You ask Mandy about Mandy
gpt
Mandy glares at you. You decide not to pursue that line of enquiry.
human
You ask Mandy about the fly tower
gpt
"Rich is usually very reliable. Go find out what's got into him.
He's in the fly tower."
human
You ask Mandy about yourself
gpt
"It's good that you're on my team. Good for you, I mean -- great experience."
human
Go south
gpt
This corridor leads to the stage left wing, due north. It's tastefully decorated with the cheapest possible white tiling. Backstage is east, and a set of stairs lead up to the fly tower.
human
You look at the tiling
gpt
The tiling is dirty and some of the grout is peeling off.
human
You get the grout
gpt
That's hardly portable.
human
Up
gpt
This is where things, like curtains, are raised and lowered onto the stage via bars. Right now, that's not happening. The left stage corridor is below.

You can see Rich here.
human
You ask rich about the curtains
gpt
Rich gives you a good-natured smile.
human
You ask rich about curtain
gpt
"Yeah, the curtain's not working right now. One of the ropes snapped just before I was due to lift it. I'll need a replacement rope before I can do anything."
human
You ask rich about rope
gpt
"I don't know what happened, exactly -- maybe the rope was faulty. I've got to check all the others now in case they're going to break too, so I don't have time to get another one. Could you go to the equipment store and get me a replacement coil? Thanks a million."
human
You ask rich about Mandy
gpt
"Mandy's your stage manager? Just do whatever she says, whenever she says it, and you should escape."
human
You ask rich about the equipment store
gpt
"It's on the other side of the theatre. They keep all sorts of stuff in there."
human
You examine rich
gpt
Rich has never been known to fail to pull the right rope at the right time. If you give him something to hang from the ceiling, it will hang from the ceiling. Your sole ally in the fight against unremarkability, he has always liked you and the feeling is mutual.
human
Go downwards
gpt
This corridor leads to the stage left wing, due north. It's tastefully decorated with the cheapest possible white tiling. Backstage is east, and a set of stairs lead up to the fly tower.
human
Go east
gpt
The actors and crew gather here when they aren't needed onstage. West is the left stage corridor; east is the right stage corridor.

You can see a props table (on which is a flower bouquet) and Henry here.

You hear sobbing from behind the dressing room door.
human
You go east
gpt
Here, at least, both sides of the theatre are equal. The right stage corridor is decorated just as badly as the left one. North is the right wing, west is backstage, and east is the door to the equipment store.
human
Go east
gpt
(first opening the Equipment Store door)
It seems to be locked.
human
You ask Henry about the equipment room
gpt
Henry sighs and mops his brow.

You hear sobbing from behind the dressing room door.
human
You look at Henry
gpt
Henry is the director. He has a lot on his plate right now, and it shows in his deeply-scored face and messy brown hair.

You hear sobbing from behind the dressing room door.
human
You ask Mandy about the key
gpt
"You don't have one? You really should have told someone by now. I'm sure the manager will get you one after the performance."
human
You ask Mandy about the equipment store
gpt
Mandy glares at you. You decide not to pursue that line of enquiry.
human
You ask Mandy about the manager
gpt
"I'd be a better manager. I had to fill in once, when mine got sick on the opening night of Much Ado about Nothing. I talked to someone from that production recently and apparently they still tell stories about that night..."
human
You ask Mandy about Henry
gpt
"I'm going to ask him out tonight. What a wonderful man..."
human
You ask Mandy about the curtain
gpt
"Yes, the curtain. It has to go up before the show can start. Find Rich in the fly tower. That's his job."
human
You ask Henry about the key
gpt
"You must have one somewhere."

You hear sobbing from behind the dressing room door.
human
You ask Henry about Mandy
gpt
"Whatever Mandy told you to tell me, I don't want to hear it. She's a raving maniac if she thinks I'm going to take her to dinner."

You hear sobbing from behind the dressing room door.
human
You open the door
gpt
It isn't something you can open.

You hear sobbing from behind the dressing room door.
human
You examine the door
gpt
The door to the leading lady's dressing room.

You hear sobbing from behind the dressing room door.
human
You listen
gpt
You hear nothing unexpected.

You hear sobbing from behind the dressing room door.
human
You ask Henry about the manager
gpt
"I don't see what's wrong with lowering the rent on your theatre a little bit. The company's practically broke as it is. We've staked everything on this production, and the least he could do is help us a little bit."

You hear sobbing from behind the dressing room door.
human
You enter the dressing room
gpt
That's not something you can enter.

You hear sobbing from behind the dressing room door.
human
You ask Henry about the leading lady
gpt
"She's a good actress, but man can she get emotional."

You hear sobbing from behind the dressing room door.
human
You ask Henry about the sobbing
gpt
"It's just my luck! The night that the theatre review man is in the audience, my lighting technician calls my leading lady old! Now I've got to calm her down."

You hear sobbing from behind the dressing room door.
human
Go south
gpt
You can't go that way.

You hear sobbing from behind the dressing room door.
human
You look at the flower
gpt
Clearly someone has an admirer: this bouquet of roses is enormous.

You find a card inscribed "To a beautiful young woman" with the flowers and take it. It might come in handy.

You hear sobbing from behind the dressing room door.
human
You take the bouquet
gpt
Taken.

You hear sobbing from behind the dressing room door.
human
You examine the card
gpt
"To a beautiful young woman." It's in the theatre manager's handwriting! There is, however, no signiature.

You hear sobbing from behind the dressing room door.
human
You go east
gpt
Here, at least, both sides of the theatre are equal. The right stage corridor is decorated just as badly as the left one. North is the right wing, west is backstage, and east is the door to the equipment store.
human
Go north
gpt
A bigger wing than yours, stage right has been graced with the prompter's desk and a truly unattractive chaise longue for act 2.
West is the stage, south is a corridor.
human
You look at the desk
gpt
You can't sit here. Only people with real theatrical power can sit here.
human
You examine chaise longue
gpt
A faded red and gold seat for two, this chaise longue looks too rickety to hold up to much. It's a miracle it's lasted through the first week of performances.
human
You go west
gpt
You're on stage! This would be very exciting if a performance were going on. East is the Right Wing, west is the Left Wing. The auditorium is to the north, past the currently unopenable curtain.
human
Go north
gpt
You force your way under the curtain, leap the orchestra pit smoothly, and take a second to congratulate yourself on your landing. The auditorium is not yet open, and the seats are empty. If you succeed in your task, they will soon be filled with audience, admiring the theatre and dropping things. The stage is to the south, and the atrium is to the north. To the west is the lighting booth.
human
You examine the seats
gpt
The cushioned seats are colored a lurid orange. They stand a few inches off the floor. Every so often, the space under them has to be cleaned.
human
You look under the seats
gpt
Everything that the audience drops ends up under here, including -- lucky you -- money! You quickly gather up the coins.
human
You look at the money
gpt
Money! Just what you need for... everything, really. It's not much, but it'll buy something.
human
You look around
gpt
The auditorium is not yet open, and the seats are empty. If you succeed in your task, they will soon be filled with audience, admiring the theatre and dropping things. The stage is to the south, and the atrium is to the north. To the west is the lighting booth.
human
Go west
gpt
The stage is lit from here. It's filled with machinery that Fred never lets anyone touch.

You can see Fred here.
human
You ask Fred about yourself
gpt
"Maybe one day you'll make a decent technician. Until then, leave me alone!"
human
You ask Fred about manager
gpt
"I can't believe they didn't hire me to do sound as well! I know the sound guy they picked, and he couldn't mix his way out of a wet paper bag!"
human
You examine the machinery
gpt
Dials and buttons and readouts, oh my! You technically understand what these do, but Fred never allows you more than a cursory glance before he pushes you away.
human
You ask Fred about Mandy
gpt
"Don't ever say that name in here again. Don't ever. I was going to be stage manager, and she stole that from me! Stole it from me in cold blood!"
human
You ask Fred about Rich
gpt
"He can pull on ropes, and that's all he's good for. It took me three hours to get him to hang the lights right."
human
You ask Fred about Henry
gpt
"Why Henry has an actual job I'll never know. He's a wuss. You'll find him backstage, if you feel like losing your faith in humanity."
human
You go east
gpt
The auditorium is not yet open, and the seats are empty. If you succeed in your task, they will soon be filled with audience, admiring the theatre and dropping things. The stage is to the south, and the atrium is to the north. To the west is the lighting booth.
human
Go north
gpt
The atrium is filled to the brim with discerning theatregoers and cultured folk, demanding, in upper-class accents, to be let in. The bar is not very busy and Lola, behind it, looks bored. The manager is trying his best to quiet the crowd and mostly failing. The stage is south.

On the bar is a menu.

You can also see the Theatre Manager and Lola here.
human
You look at Manager
gpt
The manager looks haggard and desperate. He is wearing a suit and tie with sweat marks from dealing with the audience, and a keycard hangs around his neck.
human
You ask Manager about the key
gpt
"Not another one? Don't worry, sir, you will see a performance tonight. We are experiencing a few slight technical hitches, but the auditorium will open soon." He sighs and turns away, muttering. "Gosh, I could use a drink."
human
You look at the menu
gpt
The menu offers everything from spring water to Dom Perignon. Usually the patrons lean more towards the spring water side of the price range.
human
You examine Lola
gpt
You have known Lola for a long time. She still won't let you have a free drink, no matter how much you compliment her long black hair or her brown eyes.
human
You ask Lola about the drink
gpt
By some miracle, you have enough money to pay. Lola hands you a gin and tonic, then slowly closes her mouth and makes a concerted effort to look bored again.
human
You give the gin to Manager
gpt
"Thanks. You're a lifesaver." He looks like he genuinely means it as he devotes all his attention to the glass.
human
You ask Manager about key
gpt
"Not another one? Don't worry, sir, you will see a performance tonight. We are experiencing a few slight technical hitches, but the auditorium will open soon." He sips his drink.
human
You look at the keycard
gpt
The keycard to the equipment store.
human
You go south
gpt
The auditorium is not yet open, and the seats are empty. If you succeed in your task, they will soon be filled with audience, admiring the theatre and dropping things. The stage is to the south, and the atrium is to the north. To the west is the lighting booth.
human
Unlock
gpt
What do you want to unlock?
human
Door
gpt
What do you want to unlock the Equipment Store door with?
human
Keycard
gpt
You unlock the Equipment Store door.
human
Go east
gpt
(first opening the Equipment Store door)

Everything you need to hold a production together is here, piled on shelves. The right stage corridor is back west.

You can see a rope and a table (on which are some papers and a roll of gaffer tape) here.
human
You take all
gpt
rope: Taken.
papers: Taken.
roll of gaffer tape: Taken.
human
You examine papers
gpt
A pile of indeterminate forms which, with your luck, you will sooner or later have to fill out.
human
You go west
gpt
Here, at least, both sides of the theatre are equal. The right stage corridor is decorated just as badly as the left one. North is the right wing, west is backstage, and east is the door to the equipment store.
human
Go west
gpt
The actors and crew gather here when they aren't needed onstage. West is the left stage corridor; east is the right stage corridor.

You can see a props table and Henry here.

You hear sobbing from behind the dressing room door.
human
You give the rope to rich
gpt
"Thanks a bundle. Actually, I can't get into the mechanism to put the rope in. When the other rope broke, it fouled up the pulleys and I can't reach to unjam them. Can you do anything?" Rich takes the rope with this disappointing speech, before delivering some good news: "I've finished checking all the other ropes, so I can raise and lower a bar if you want me to. Just SHOUT from the stage."
human
You examine the mechanism
gpt
The mechanism of the fly tower is great, mysterious, and has a jammed part that is just out of reach.
human
You jump
gpt
You jump on the spot.
human
Examine bar
gpt
Anything that needs to hang in the theatre hangs from one of these horizontal metal tubes. Rich raises and lowers them to bring things onto and off of the stage below.
human
Climb bar
gpt
Little is to be achieved by that.
human
You eat the bar
gpt
That's plainly inedible.
human
You ask rich about Manager
gpt
"The manager's taking the heat for all this, out in the atrium. He's a good man, if a little easily distracted."
human
You ask rich about the flowers
gpt
Rich gives you a good-natured smile.
human
Shout
gpt
Rich hears your shouts and lowers the bar for you.
human
Look around
gpt
You're on stage! This would be very exciting if a performance were going on. East is the Right Wing, west is the Left Wing. The auditorium is to the north, past the currently unopenable curtain.

You can see a fly bar here.
human
You sit on the bar
gpt
You get onto the fly bar.
human
Shout
gpt
Rich raises the bar and you find yourself pulled up into the mechanisms of the fly tower.

Standing on the fly bar, you can see the pulleys and counterweights that make Rich's job possible.
human
Look around
gpt
Standing on the fly bar, you can see the pulleys and counterweights that make Rich's job possible.
human
You look at the pulleys
gpt
The ropes go over and under these pulleys in their everlasting quest to pull things onto and off of the stage as fast as possible. One pulley looks jammed.
human
You examine the pulley
gpt
The pulley has been jammed by a broken piece of rope.
human
You get the rope
gpt
You pull the piece of rope out of the pulley, fixing the curtain-raising mechanism!
human
Shout
gpt
Stage (on the fly bar)
You're on stage! This would be very exciting if a performance were going on. East is the Right Wing, west is the Left Wing. The auditorium is to the north, past the currently unopenable curtain.

Rich lowers the bar, and you, to the stage.
"Thanks," he shouts from the fly tower, "that did it. I'm putting the new rope in now."

Through bravery, intelligence, and not a little good luck, you have saved the production almost single-handedly! The actual show is a flop -- the lead actress is crying all the way through -- but that's hardly your fault, is it? Afterwards, Mandy listens to you pour out your story, nods, thanks you quickly, and then begins: "You know, this reminds me of the time I was doing Hamlet in Dublin and the wheels on one of the mobile walls got stuck..." You settle in for a long ten minutes of looking like you aren't inwardly congratulating yourself.
human
Shout
gpt
Stage (on the fly bar)
You're on stage! This would be very exciting if a performance were going on. East is the Right Wing, west is the Left Wing. The auditorium is to the north, past the currently unopenable curtain.

Rich lowers the bar, and you, to the stage.
human
You look at what you're carrying with you
gpt
You are carrying:
a roll of gaffer tape
some papers
a keycard
a flower bouquet
a card
human
You examine papers
gpt
A pile of indeterminate forms which, with your luck, you will sooner or later have to fill out.
human
Go west
gpt
(first getting off the fly bar)

The stage left wing is your home away from home. It's full of props that will be required onstage if the show ever starts. South is the left stage corridor, and east is that most glamorous of areas, the stage.

You can see Mandy here.
human
You examine mandy
gpt
Mandy is your Stage Manager. You answer to her. Usually, that answer is something along the lines of "Yes, I would love to hear about yet another time you saved the day for whatever production you were doing."
human
You ask Mandy about papers
gpt
Mandy glares at you. You decide not to pursue that line of enquiry.
human
You ask Fred about the actress
gpt
"I will not apologise for what I said. She does look old."
human
Tape machinery
gpt
What do you want to tape the machinery to?
human
You look at what you're carrying with you
gpt
You are carrying:
a roll of gaffer tape
some papers
a keycard
a flower bouquet
a card
human
You ask Fred about the machinery
gpt
"Back off. This is my kit."
human
You ask Fred about Henry
gpt
"Why Henry has an actual job I'll never know. He's a wuss. You'll find him backstage, if you feel like losing your faith in humanity."
human
You go east
gpt
The auditorium is not yet open, and the seats are empty. If you succeed in your task, they will soon be filled with audience, admiring the theatre and dropping things. The stage is to the south, and the atrium is to the north. To the west is the lighting booth.
human
Go south
gpt
You're on stage! This would be very exciting if a performance were going on. East is the Right Wing, west is the Left Wing. The auditorium is to the north, past the currently unopenable curtain.

You can see a fly bar here.
human
You examine table
gpt
A small red table for props and other items of supreme importance to the production.

You hear sobbing from behind the dressing room door.
human
You look at the dressing room door
gpt
The door to the leading lady's dressing room.

You hear sobbing from behind the dressing room door.
human
You open the door
gpt
It isn't something you can open.

You hear sobbing from behind the dressing room door.
human
You ask Henry about the papers
gpt
Henry sighs and mops his brow.

You hear sobbing from behind the dressing room door.
human
You ask Henry about Fred
gpt
"Why Fred has an actual job I'll never know. He's a jerk. You'll find him in the lighting booth, off the auditorium, if you feel like losing your faith in humanity."

You hear sobbing from behind the dressing room door.
human
You ask Henry about the card
gpt
Henry sighs and mops his brow.

You hear sobbing from behind the dressing room door.

Henry sighs and mops his brow.

You hear sobbing from behind the dressing room door.
human
You ask Henry about the actress
gpt
"She's a good actress, but man can she get emotional."

You hear sobbing from behind the dressing room door.
human
You give papers to Henry
gpt
Henry doesn't seem interested.

You hear sobbing from behind the dressing room door.
human
You show the papers to Henry
gpt
Henry is unimpressed.

You hear sobbing from behind the dressing room door.
human
Tape card to door
gpt
(the dressing room door)
You would achieve nothing by this.

You hear sobbing from behind the dressing room door.
human
You examine the card
gpt
"To a beautiful young woman." It's in the theatre manager's handwriting! There is, however, no signiature.

You hear sobbing from behind the dressing room door.
human
You examine the bouquet
gpt
Clearly someone has an admirer: this bouquet of roses is enormous.

You hear sobbing from behind the dressing room door.
human
You take all
gpt
menu: Lola stops you with a quick slap.
gin and tonic: That seems to belong to the Theatre Manager.
human
You get the menu
gpt
Lola stops you with a quick slap.
human
You give the card to Manager
gpt
The manager doesn't even glance at the card before saying "Sir, I know that your ticket says the performance should have started ten minutes ago. I'm very sorry. We're doing everything we can."
human
You ask Manager about the papers
gpt
"Not another one? Don't worry, sir, you will see a performance tonight. We are experiencing a few slight technical hitches, but the auditorium will open soon." He sips his drink.
human
You ask Lola about Fred
gpt
"Who? I don't go backstage, you know that."
human
You ask Lola about Manager
gpt
"The man can run a theatre, but he's got no backbone. Just look at him! If he had an ounce of chutzpah, he'd tell everyone to shut up and wait."
human
You ask Lola about yourself
gpt
"Why should you ask me about yourself? You tell me all about yourself without me asking."
human
You look at the crowd
gpt
Just the sort of people whose applause you would love to hear. Right now, they aren't applauding, just shouting. They aren't even shouting in unison.
human
You ask the crowd about Manager
gpt
You can only do that to something animate.
human
You go to the north
gpt
> Hints
Credits
> The curtain isn't rising. What should I do?
What's the deal with the sobbing backstage?
How do I get rope for Rich?
How do I get Fred to do what I want?
I've given Rich the rope. Now what?
How do I fix the fly tower mechanism?
human
You ask Fred about Lola
gpt
"You've just got to be firm with her. Of course, if you're you, you just don't have the build for firmness."
human
You show the card to Fred
gpt
Fred is unimpressed.
human
You look through the papers
gpt
You find a safety form in the pile and pocket it. It might be useful later; for what, you aren't sure.
human
You examine the safety
gpt
A very long form detailing a tedious and redundant risk assessment for the production. It just needs a signiature.
human
Tape card to safety
gpt
You attach the card to the form in such a way that it looks like the tail end of ten pages of risk assessment.
human
You take card
gpt
Taken.
human
You examine the card
gpt
"To a beautiful young woman." It's in the theatre manager's handwriting! It's signed by Fred.
human
You open the door
gpt
It isn't something you can open.

You hear sobbing from behind the dressing room door.
human
You give the card to Henry
gpt
"'To a beautiful young woman.' Maybe this'll get Lily out of her funk." With these hopeful words, Henry slides the card under the dressing room door.
The sobbing suddenly stops and you hear Lily's voice through the door. "He didn't mean it after all! Gosh, I look a fright. I've got to get ready -- the curtain goes up soon!"
Henry looks at you with a mixture of surprise and admiration. "Where did you get that? No, actually, I don't want to know. Thanks." He disappears, no doubt off to do important and meaningful theatre-related things.
human
Shout
gpt
This corridor leads to the stage left wing, due north. It's tastefully decorated with the cheapest possible white tiling. Backstage is east, and a set of stairs lead up to the fly tower.

The stage left wing is your home away from home. It's full of props that will be required onstage if the show ever starts. South is the left stage corridor, and east is that most glamorous of areas, the stage.

You can see Mandy here.

You're on stage! This would be very exciting if a performance were going on. East is the Right Wing, west is the Left Wing. The auditorium is to the north, past the currently unopenable curtain.

You can see a fly bar here.

Rich hears your shouts and raises the bar for you.
human
Shout
gpt
Rich hears your shouts and lowers the bar for you.
human
You get on the bar
gpt
You get onto the fly bar.
human
Shout
gpt
Stage (on the fly bar)
You're on stage! This would be very exciting if a performance were going on. East is the Right Wing, west is the Left Wing. The auditorium is to the north, past the currently unopenable curtain.

Rich lowers the bar, and you, to the stage.
"Thanks," he shouts from the fly tower, "that did it. I'm putting the new rope in now."

Through bravery, intelligence, and not a little good luck, you have saved the production almost single-handedly! The show is a great success, carried from good to great by Lily's splendid singing. Afterwards, Mandy listens to you pour out your story, nods, thanks you quickly, and then begins: "You know, this reminds me of the time I was doing Hamlet in Dublin and the wheels on one of the mobile walls got stuck..." But, for the first time, she doesn't have an audience. Henry is arriving to thank you for saving the production, and actually cuts her off! If not a hero, you are at least no longer unknown.