Lincoln Center Theater has announced that it will showcase “Intimate Apparel,” a new opera by Ricky Ian Gordon with a libretto by Lynn Nottage.

The opera, which will open on March 23, 2020 (previews are set to open on Feb. 27, 2020) will be directed by Bartlett Sher, who has become a staple at the Metropolitan Opera.

“Intimate Apparel” follows the story of Esther, who makes her living sewing corsets and ladies undergarments. She embarks on a romance via letters with a mysterious suitor from the Panama Canal, allowing her to realize that confidence in herself will change her world.

The work is based on Nottage’s original play, which premiered off-Broadway in 2004 and won the NY Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play.

The opera was developed by Lincoln Center Theater and the Metropolitan Opera as part of the Met / LCT New Works program. This is the latest work developed within the program. Others include Nico Muhly and Craig Lucas’ “Two Boys,” the upcoming “Eurydice” by Matthew Aucoin and Sarah Ruh,” as well as “Grounded” by Jeanine Tesori and George Brant.