Baruch College Performing Arts Center and Opera Omaha will stream the virtual premiere of “dwb” (Driving While Black) from October 23 to October 29.
Composed by Susan Kander, sung by soprano and librettist, Roberta Gumbel, and performed on cello and percussion by New Morse Code (Hannah Collins, cello, and Michael Compitello, percussion) the work is described as:
“a taut, 50-minute music-theatre work about racism, erasure, and the fear that black parents experience when they send their kids out into a world that too often sees them not as a child, but as a threat. This powerful music-drama documents the all-too-familiar story of an African American parent whose beautiful brown boy approaches driving age, and what should be a celebration of independence and maturity turns out to be fraught with the anxiety of “driving while black.”
Following the event, there will be a live-streamed “Artist-Community Dialogue on Racial Injustice and Driving While Black” on Thursday, October 29 at 6 p.m. EST. Separate registration for the discussion is available here.
To purchase a “pay as you can” ticket for the performance, visit the BPAC event page here.