Tenenesse’s Marble City Opera is set to present “dwb (driving while black).”

The opera will be showcased on Oct. 11 and 12, 2024 in the Old City Performing Arts Center.

The opera is a one act work which was composed in 2018 by Susan Kander with a libretto by Roberta Gumbel. It tells the story of a a mother contemplating the dangerous world beyond a parent’s control as her son reaches driving age. The role of the mother will be sung by soprano Allison Sanders and Cremaine Booker will be the music director and play cello. David Verin will play percussion.

The opera will be staged by Ivan Griffin, who also directed Marble City Opera’s production of “The Christmas Spider.”

In a statement Kathryn Frady, Marble City Opera’s Executive Artistic Director, said, “I became aware of ‘dwb’ shortly after Marble City Opera’s world premiere performances of ‘I Can’t Breathe’ by Leslie Burrs and Brandon Gibson in 2022. With ‘dwb (driving while black),’ we are continuing to tell stories of underrepresented artists and communities.”