Adoration

February 19 - 23, 2025
Redcat

Composed by Mary Kouyoumdjian; libretto by Royce Vavrek

A piercing look at intolerance and mass hysteria in the digital age.

At a Glance

  • Based on the film by Atom Egoyan 

  • Music by    Armenian-American   composer Mary Kouyoumdjian 

  • The    16th collaboration  between LA Opera and Beth Morrison Projects 

Hate is too often portrayed as binary. We either hate or we don’t. We hate someone for something they did or some perceived slight, or we hate “the other.” Yet we are not born with hate—it is learned, nurtured, and developed over the course of a lifetime. 

An adaptation of Atom Egoyan’s 2008 film of the same name, Adoration follows Simon, an orphaned high school student. As part of a dramatic writing exercise, Simon’s teacher encourages him to appropriate details from a historical terrorist attack as an event perpetrated by his parents. When his story goes viral, Simon uses the hysteria within his community and on the internet to highlight the challenges of intolerance and racism in our society. The fictional and actual circumstances of the loss of Simon’s family are revealed in fragments, only fitting together with the final revelation that the prejudices of Simon’s maternal grandfather led to his parents’ deaths.

Adoration tells two simultaneous stories—a fictional story of terrorism and betrayal juxtaposed with a real story of family strife and rejection of something foreign.

 Running time: approximately 90 minutes (performed without intermission)

Presented at REDCAT (631 West 2nd Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012).

Commissioned, developed and produced by Beth Morrison Projects

Off Grand    productions are supported by a consortium of generous donors to    LA Opera’s Contemporary Opera Initiative, chaired by Barry and Nancy Sanders

Get More With a Design-Your-Own Package

Mix and match operas, concerts, and Off Grand performances for a custom season of 3 or more shows.
Customize which shows and dates you attend plus receive added benefits!

Photos & Videos

You May Also Like

View all events

Questions?


Give us a call Tuesday - Saturday 10am - 6pm at 213.972.8001 and we'll be more than happy to answer any question you may have.