BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music)

Learn more: bam.org/music/2026/einstein-on-the-beach-50 Nov 19—21, 2026 Einstein on the Beach 50th Anniversary Concert The Philip Glass Ensemble The music of the opera by Philip Glass and Robert Wilson Part of Fall 2026 and Next Wave 2026 Some artworks change history, affecting everything that comes after them. Some change us, altering the way we perceive the world. Einstein on the Beach does both. First staged at BAM in 1984 and revived in 1992 and 2012, this revolutionary work returns in a 50th Anniversary Concert presented by the artists who know it best—The Philip Glass Ensemble, led by longtime music director Michael Riesman—with a special artistic installation by Tony and Olivier Award-winning artist and designer Es Devlin inspired by Glass’s early writings about his mesmerizing music. Introduced at the 1976 Festival d’Avignon by visionary director Robert Wilson and iconic composer Philip Glass—who hatched their collaboration after meeting at BAM in 1973—this otherworldly opera has captivated audiences with its luminosity and propulsion, permanently rewiring the rules of storytelling, stagecraft, and composition. Hypnotic, transcendent, and unlike anything before or since, Einstein on the Beach is an experience that demands to be met on its own terms.

SEP 8—20, 2026 The Ford/Hill Project Created by Elizabeth Marvel and Lee Sunday Evans Directed by Lee Sunday Evans Part of Fall 2026 Hailed by TheaterMania as “necessary viewing,” The Ford/Hill Project transforms the verbatim Senate testimony of Anita Hill and Christine Blasey Ford into a gripping, meticulously crafted evening of theater. Created by Next Wave favorite Lee Sunday Evans (HOME, Farmhouse/Whorehouse,FOOD) with Elizabeth Marvel, this Waterwell production channels the historical record through a four-person ensemble, illuminating the emotional weight and historical significance of these pivotal hearings. Thirty years apart, Hill and Ford shared personal, painful experiences on a national stage, speaking with clarity and courage in the face of scrutiny and skepticism. Heard together now, their words resonate across the decades, illuminating the courage it takes to speak truth to power—and the lasting impact of their example. Timely, thought-provoking, and impossible to ignore, The Ford/Hill Project is an essential theatrical experience—and an assertion that history has yet to render the final word. “Necessary viewing not just because of its topic, but because it’s a riveting night of theater” —TheaterMania

Learn more at https://www.bam.org/music/2026/how-does-it-feel-to-look-at-nothing Oct 21—25, 2026 How does it feel to look at nothing Holland Andrews & yuniya edi kwon Part of Next Wave 2026 and Fall 2026 How does life emerge from disintegration? Visionary composer-performers Holland Andrews and yuniya edi kwon make their BAM debuts with the New York premiere of an electrifying interdisciplinary work that fuses sound, movement, and ritual to ponder the ineffable. Voices, instruments, and bodies layer in an ecstatic meditation on nothingness and becoming. Both 2025 Guggenheim Fellows, Andrews and kwon bring global acclaim and rich collaborative histories—from avant-garde music to contemporary dance—into a singular, immersive experience. Offering a seamless fusion of improvisation, composition, and physical theater, these married trans artists of color channel the spiritual journeys they’ve shared into a transcendent exploration of creation itself. More than just a performance, How does it feel to look at nothing is an invitation to witness artistry at once intimate, expansive, and profoundly transformative.

Learn more: https://www.bam.org/next-wave Next Wave 2026 brings bold productions from artists who have presented work at BAM for decades, alongside thrilling creations by artists whose work comes to our stages for the first time. Working in dance, music, poetry, theater, film, movement, memoir, puppetry, and opera, they all create original, individual, and uncompromising art. What they share in common is an emphasis on time: how history is made, how legacy is formed, and how the past informs and shapes the present and future. We are thrilled to welcome back playwright and director Tiago Rodrigues, a BAM favorite for provocative works like By Heart and Catarina and the Beauty of Killing Fascists, returning with La Distance, a poignant drama introduced at the 2025 Avignon Festival. Einstein on the Beach—50th Anniversary Concert commemorates the revolutionary 1976 opera by Philip Glass and Robert Wilson, whose historic collaboration began with a chance meeting at BAM. And you won’t want to miss Minor Music at the End of the World, an extraordinary multidisciplinary collaboration fusing multiple modes of live performance and film. This year’s Next Wave also lays groundwork for a BAM milestone yet to come: the 50th anniversary of DanceAfrica, the nation’s largest celebration of African diasporic dance and music, arriving in May 2027. By providing a platform where African artists like Dorothée Munyaneza and Dorcy Rugamba, both from Rwanda, as well as New Yorkers Nehprii Amenii and Okwui Okpokwasili can create work that deals with historical legacy and Afro-futurist possibility, we honor the vital legacy that choreographer and DanceAfrica founder Chuck Davis bequeathed to BAM.

Learn more: https://www.bam.org/danceafrica May 22—May 25, 2026 DanceAfrica 2026 Uganda: Umoja/Mirembe/Obulungi (Unity/Peace/Beauty)! Artistic Director Abdel R. Salaam This Memorial Day weekend, the nation’s largest festival dedicated to African diasporic dance and music opens Brooklyn’s stages and streets to the rich culture and artistry of Uganda. Now in its 49th year, this year’s festival honors the East African nation’s past, celebrates its present, and rejoices in its future. Working alongside our cultural partners—the visionary DanceAfrica Council of Elders, The Billie Holiday Theatre, the cultural custodians at Weeksville Heritage Center, and our ground-breaking friends at MoCADA—we’re bringing the community together in a weekend equally welcoming to longtime attendees and first-time visitors eager to unpack the artistic tapestry of Uganda. Anchored by heart-pounding performances from Uganda’s Ndere Troupe, the long weekend unfolds with a mix of dance, music, film, and visual art—plus plenty of food, crafts, and fashion at the outdoor bazaar. Enjoy traditional dance and music from Uganda, view visual art, sample FilmAfrica’s cinematic offerings, participate in classes, attend late-night dance parties, and mingle with neighbors from around the block—and around the globe—in the iconic outdoor bazaar. It’s all waiting for you at Brooklyn’s most unmissable summer celebration!

Learn more: https://www.bam.org/im-almost-there Jun 9—Jun 28, 2026 I’m Almost There By Todd Almond Directed by David Cromer Part of Winter/Spring 2026 Love at first sight is easy… letting it through the front door is a freaking Odyssey. All he wants to do is let the perfect man in. But can he overcome his unhinged neighbor, a seductive cult, a self-obsessed vampire, and a cat intent on dragging him to hell? Written and performed by Todd Almond (Girl from the North Country, Gossip Girl) and directed by Tony Award winner David Cromer (Good Night, and Good Luck; The Band’s Visit), I’m Almost There is a rueful, hilarious, and poignant modern love story in song about a man crossing a sea of doubts to find happiness... and good coffee. Initially developed by the award-winning producers of Fleabag and Baby Reindeer, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe hit comes to BAM for a three-week run ahead of a major US tour. Joined onstage by musicians Erin Hill (harp/vocals) and Noah Max Amick (bass), Almond weaves his deeply personal, universally relatable songs into a luminous, lyrical confession about fear, longing, and the courage it takes to let love in. It’s intimate yet epic, and laugh-out-loud funny in all the places it hurts most. I’m Almost There was commissioned by Audible and first produced in Edinburgh and New York City by Audible, Francesca Moody Productions, and DryWrite.