I Was Looking the Ceiling and Then I Saw the Sky

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!