Another City

A Note from the Creators

When we set out to speak with folks experiencing homelessness in Houston and those working to help the unhoused, we were overwhelmed by the generosity with which people opened up their spaces of refuge, and their hearts, to us. We were deeply moved by the eloquence, the music of their voices. Their stories—rich and varied, running the gamut of failures and triumphs, pain and joy—form the fabric of this opera. Diving deeper into our research, we discovered that any city grappling with homelessness is actually two cities coexisting, like parallel universes, one laid atop the other. How its inhabitants cross over from one city to the next—to be of service, or to attempt to shift the paradigm, or to meet a family member where they are—is not just about the act of seeing, or not seeing. It is the rare person who has the tools and resourcefulness to straddle the divide. The Navigator in ANOTHER CITY, named for an actual job title, has this ability. Like all others in this line of work, he must combine the skill of a social worker with an intimate knowledge of, and the ability to move fluidly between, the city’s hidden, forgotten places. It is our hope that the experience of this opera can, in some small way, help its audiences traverse that space between their own two cities, and, in so doing, start to build another, more harmonious city, wherever they are. For, as we wrote, we began to understand that Houston, in all its vibrant idiosyncrasy, could be any city. The problems plaguing that metropolis are universal. The city in this opera could be yours.