Live Arts Miami presents: MORNING/MOURNING, an experiential opera

Miami Dade College’s Live Arts Miami will present the Southeast premiere of “mɔɹnɪŋ (morning//mourning),” a critically acclaimed modern opera by artist Gelsey Bell, running October 17-19, 2024, at the Art Lab at MDC Wolfson.

Making its first appearance outside of New York, this captivating new work offers a playful and fantastical exploration of a post-human world, inspired by novelist Alan Weisman’s book “The World Without Us.”

Set in a future where humans no longer exist, “mɔɹnɪŋ (morning//mourning)” imagines a world where Earth undergoes a miraculous metamorphosis. Through a five-piece ensemble of singer/multi-instrumentalists including Gelsey Bell, Aviva Jaye, Mia Pak, Brian McCorkle and Paul Pinto, the audience is guided on a poetic journey through the changes on Earth as forests grow back, new species evolve and the world created by humans gradually erodes. The title suggests the dual emotional nature of the show, populated by music that is at once uplifting, hopeful and undeniably sad. It explores the political and ethical contradictions of our current environmental crisis and poses existential questions about what it means to leave a lasting impact on the planet. How long will our influence last? What will the Earth look like without us? And what lessons can we learn today from imagining this future?

The work premiered in January 2023 at the Prototype Festival in New York, where it was sold out and critically acclaimed. “I was immediately struck by its exquisite artistry, unexpected humor, and hopeful tone,” says Kathryn Garcia, executive director of Live Arts Miami, of the show’s premiere. “The work truly transports you to another reality, captivating your imagination with vivid storytelling, beautiful music, and exceptional performances.”

Gelsey Bell, the show’s creator, reflects on the play’s deeper purpose: “This play was created to expand the way we think about timescales, to think about transformation over long periods of time, to highlight the resilience of some human activities and to talk about how long it can take ecosystems to adapt.” She adds: “Opera and experimental musical theatre are great places to explore epic stories. So how much more epic can you get than projecting yourself 1.6 billion years into the future?”

As part of Live Arts Miami’s 35th anniversary celebration, tickets for this unique event are $35. For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit liveartsmiami.org.

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