In this chapter of a larger speculative mythology, a precolonial African village is at the cusp of a major upheaval. The community is entangled in an argument that could shape the future of all of their lives. This collective reckoning explores the fraught relationship between ancestors, future generations, and the role of ritual. A sonic and visual landscape of reflective textures, contouring shadows, and thrumming facilitates an intimate exchange between performers and the audience.

past dates

Brooklyn Academy of Music, Brooklyn, November 28-December 2, 2023

Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, premiering May 12-13, 2023

REDCAT, Los Angeles, May 25-27, 2023

Museum of Modern Art, in process showing as part of the Marie-Josée and Henry Kravis Studio residency, August 23, 24, 26, 2022

conceived and written by Okwui Okpokwasili
directed by Peter Born
original songs by Okwui Okpokwasili with sound score by Peter Born
movement developed by  Okwui Okpokwasili and Peter Born in collaboration with Audrey Hailes, AJ Wilmore, mayfield brooks, McKenzie Frye, Stacy Lynn Smith, and Samita Sinha
set/lighting/video design by Peter Born
sound design by Peter Born and Will Johnson
production management by Michaelangelo DeSerio
costume co-design and fabrication by James Gibbel
dramaturgy by Katherine Profeta
performed by Okwui Okpokwasili, Audrey Hailes, AJ Wilmore, mayfield brooks, McKenzie Frye, Stacy Lynn Smith, and Samita Sinha

adaku, part 1: the road opens was commissioned by the Institute for Contemporary Art/Boston and co-commissioned by the Brooklyn Academy of Music for the 2023 Next Wave Festival. Developed in residency at The Museum of Modern Art as part of the Hyundai Card Performance Series, 2023 Summer Stages Dance @ ICA/Boston residency, the Brown Arts Institute at Brown University and the Mercury Store. Additional support was provided by New England Foundation for the Arts.