Saturday, March 26, 2022 8:00 PM
Sunday, March 27, 2022 4:00 PM
Power Center
Octavia E. Butler’s Parable of the Sower
$12-20 student tickets available
Based on the post-apocalyptic novel written in 1993 by the late Afro-futurist and science fiction author Octavia E. Butler, Parable of the Sower is a genre-defying work that harnesses two centuries of Black music.
Written by Toshi Reagon and Bernice Johnson Reagon (founder of Sweet Honey In The Rock), Parable chronicles the spiritual awakening of young Lauren Olamina amidst a dystopian America wracked by the violence brought on by unrelenting greed and systemic injustice.
Exploding the form of an opera, Parable fuses science fiction, African-American spiritualism, deep insights into gender and race, and climate activism to construct a mesmerizing meditation on the future of human civilization.
Please join us after the Friday, March 25 performance for a brief Q&A with the artists, hosted by Dr. Toni Pressley-Sanon, Associate Professor of Africology and African American Studies, Eastern Michigan University.
With Performers
Marie Tatti Aqeel, Alina Carson, Helga Davis, Kyle Garvin, Jared Wayne Gladly, Toussaint Jeanlouis, Karma Mayet Johnson, Morley Kamen, Alexandra Koi, Josette Newsam, Shelley Nicole, Toshi Reagon, Noah Virgile, Evie Schuckman
Orchestra
Monique Brooks, violin
Zach Brown, cello
Bobby Burke, percussion
Fred Cash, Jr., bass
Chogyi, guitar & keyboards
Matt Graff, percussion
Millicent Johnnie, choreography
Arnulfo Maldonado, scenery
Dede M. Ayite, costumes
Christopher Kuhl, lighting
John Kemp, audio systems
Abigail Deville, art installation
Yasmine Lee, movement director
Thank You to Our Sponsors
PRESENTING SPONSOR
- UMS Board Co-Chair Lisa D. Cook
- UMS Board Co-Chair Rachel Bendit & Mark Bernstein
PRINCIPAL SPONSOR
FUNDED IN PART BY
MEDIA PARTNERS
UMS LOBBY
Introducing Parable Path A2Ypsi
Complementing UMS's performances of Octavia E. Butler's Parable of the Sower, Parable Path A2Ypsi is a series of gatherings, activities, and events related to the production beginning in January and running through March 2022.