IMPORTANT NOTICE:
dwb (driving while black) is postponed due to COVID
In the interest of health and safety, due to this current wave of COVID, we regret that we have to postpone our production of dwb (driving while black), which was scheduled for January 21 and 23.
We are working to reschedule this production next season, and will make an announcement once dates are determined.
If you have already purchased your ticket, an email has been sent to you with pertinent information.
Opera Birmingham continues its successful chamber opera series with dwb (driving while black). This new one-act opera explores issues of racial injustice, juxtaposing the story of an African American parent (as her son reaches driving age) with contemporary news bulletins highlighting the dangerous world beyond a parent’s control. dwb continues our Birmingham Speaks initiative, using this production as a springboard for community conversations where art and life intersect.
Sung in English with projected English text.
Please note: This production contains adult themes. We recommend that only high school age and older attend.
Join us one hour before each performance for a Pre-Show Chat with General Director Keith A. Wolfe-Hughes and special guests. Stay with us after the show for a Post-Show Talk-Back with the artists.
dwb (driving while black) is a montage of poetic and haunting moments examining the trials and triumphs Black mothers experience as their children come of age in a society plagued by racism and inequality. In the central narrative, we meet the Mother in her home. The dangerous world outside, however, is out of the Mother’s control, and anxiety builds in her mind and heart as her “beautiful brown boy” approaches manhood and the realities of modern life as a Black person in America.
How to Use Bindle (optional health verification app)
This production has been made possible, in part, by a gift from Scott and Cameron Vowell, and by grants from Alabama State Council on the Arts, The Caring Foundation of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama, The Daniel Foundation of Alabama, Hugh Kaul Foundation, and National Endowment for the Arts, and by support from Alabama Media Group. Student tickets are supported by The Caring Foundation of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama.