Anthem is based on the novella by Ayn Rand.  Ms. Rand is known for her philosophy of “Objectivism”.  Ayn Rand’s novels and stories focus on individualism and the importance of “self”.  Anthem is a story about the individual being dominated by collective control.  This story shows that this can happen when people and their society slowly learn to accept small incremental reductions in their individual rights.  Collective thought and totalitarian control then take over and all individual rights are eventually lost.  Anthem is the story of how one individual’s independent thought and inner strength overcomes the repression of collectivism and how life without any form of individualism is a life not worth living.

Anthem is told through the words of Equality 7-2521, in diary form.  Equality 7-2521 is a young man who lives in the future after a time called the “Great Re-birth”, in which all technology is carefully controlled and in its most primitive state.  Society has eliminated all awareness and understanding of individualism.  Words such as ‘I’, ‘me’, or ‘mine’, do not exist in spoken or written language.  Therefore, nearly the entire story is told in the ‘first person plural’.  Independent thoughts and/or actions are strictly prohibited by law and everyone lives and works in groups as a collective body also known as the “Great We”.  In charge of these collective groups are various councils such as; the Council of Vocations, the Council of Scholars, The Palace of Corrective Detention, etc. 

Equality 7-2521 experiences deep, inner turmoil because he finds that he secretly has independent thoughts and desires.  For instance, he is drawn to a young woman named Liberty 5-3000 who is a seed planter.  He also longs to be a scholar more than anything else, but in a collective society such as the “Great We”, preference is strictly forbidden.  Sensing that Equality 7-2521 is different than his fellow brothers, the Council of Vocations is apprehensive about giving him a job that could lead him to independent thought and exploration and therefore assigns him the to the dull and mundane job of a street sweeper. 

While out sweeping streets, Equality 7-2521 finds a long lost hidden tunnel from the “Unmentionable Times” and decides to explore it, against the wishes of fellow sweeper, International 4-8818.  While in the tunnel he begins conducting secret scientific studies by reconstructing an electric light which he makes operable.  When he shows his discovery to the Council of Scholars, they immediately condemn Equality 7-2521 for having the audacity to act as an individual and threaten to destroy the light.  Equality 7-2521 escapes into the forest, from which no person has ever returned.  Upon hearing of his escape, Liberty 5-3000, (Equality’s secret love) runs into the forest to find him.   Together they discover a very old house from the “Unmentionable Times”, the time before collectivism.  It is there they rediscover the forbidden word that disappeared so long ago … ‘I’.  Together they decide to use this new sense of self to build a new society, a society of individuals.

If you would like to learn more about Anthem the Musical and download music from the play, please visit the official Anthem the Musical website.