This House

A New Opera

By Ricky Ian Gordon, Lynn Nottage, & Ruby Aiyo Gerber

Premiere: World Premiere 2025, Opera Theatre of St. Louis

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Notes

We walk in the shadows of ancestors.

A house is more than four walls and a roof — it is a keeper of memories and a witness to legacy. The Walker family has lived in the same Harlem brownstone since the 1920s, and they have fought hard to keep what they have. When Zoe returns home after many years away, she asks her mother Ida and her brother Lindon to let her renovate the dilapidated building. But Ida and Lindon cannot let go of the past. The house is their whole world, and every room is full of ghostly voices and painful memories. As hidden truths about the family’s legacy come to light, Zoe begins to realize that the secrets harbored within these walls are deeper and more profound than she ever dared to imagine.”

—Description courtesy of Opera Theatre of St. Louis