I Was Looking at the Ceiling and Then I Saw the Sky
April 22 - April 30
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IN Series makes history by presenting the first fully-staged American production since its premiere John Adam’s “song-play” I WAS LOOKING AND THE CEILING AND THEN I SAW THE SKY. From the composer of Nixon in China and Doctor Atomic, and with a libretto by famed poet June Jordan, this work dramatizes the aftermath of the 1994 Northridge earthquake, exploring issues of race, gender, and migration in Los Angeles. An opera-musical theater hybrid, the work mixes pop, jazz, gospel, and R&B, underpinned by Adams’ minimalist musical voice and Jordan’s poignant text. Described by the Boston Globe as some of “the most successful crossover music written in our time,” the intertwined characters take the audience on a journey toward love and self-discovery. This production is one of the nation’s not-to-be-missed opera and theater events this year!
About IN Series
We make theater from music: transforming artists, audiences, and community by disrupting expectations, nourishing empathy, stimulating insight, and deepening the conversation. • Authentic partnership is a form of justice.
• Art is a reckoning not only with our history but with our present.
• Making art is an act of optimism.
• Art should generate genuine engagement by building more fully diverse communities.
• Art must not shy away from complexity.
• We work to make art available to all people by breaking down barriers that prohibit participation.
