Marble City Opera will present the Tennessee premiere of dwb (driving while black) on Friday and Saturday, October 11-12, 2024, 7 p.m. in the Old City Performing Arts Center, 111 State Street, Knoxville.
dwb (driving while black) is a one-act, one-woman opera that was composed in 2018 by Susan Kander with a libretto by Roberta Gumbel. The main character is a mother contemplating the dangerous world beyond a parent’s control as her son reaches driving age.
The role of the mother will be sung by soprano Allison Sanders. Cremaine Booker will be the music director and play cello. David Verin will play percussion. Sanders, Booker and Verin performed dwb (driving while black) together at Opera Birmingham in 2023. The stage director will be Ivan Griffin, who also directed Marble City Opera’s production of The Christmas Spider in January.
Kathryn Frady, Marble City Opera’s executive artistic director, said, “I became aware of dwb shortly after Marble City Opera’s world premiere performances of I Can’t Breathe by Leslie Burrs and Brandon Gibson in 2022. With dwb (driving while black), we are continuing to tell stories of underrepresented artists and communities.”
Tickets are available Here.
Marble City Opera brings world class singers, directors and conductors to the stage while maintaining a dedication to creating opportunities for local, regional and emerging artists. Marble City Opera is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with strong community ties and connections to other organizations, businesses, schools and artists within Knoxville and the East Tennessee community.
