The centerpiece of the PROTOTYPE 2026 festival will be the New York premiere of What to wear, a comedic, post-rock opera by composer Michael Gordon and the late downtown theater renegade icon Richard Foreman, who penned over 50 plays and nine operas across five decades.

This work-in-process production – the opera’s first re-mount in 20 years – will bring back to life Foreman’s original staging and production, with creative direction by Big Dance Theater co-founders Annie-B Parson and Paul Lazar. The opera offers a commentary on the superficial pressures of society, at a moment when our contemporary world of Instagram, fast fashion, and influencer culture renders Foreman and Gordon’s critiques more cutting and relevant than ever. A collaboration between the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Beth Morrison Projects, PROTOTYPE, and Bang on a Can, this historic re-staging honors Foreman’s legacy after his passing earlier this year, and confirms Gordon as one of contemporary music’s singular voices.

BAM and Prototype by BMP present

What to wear
Direction, Libretto, and Production by Richard Foreman
Music by Michael Gordon
Conducted by Alan Pierson
Creative Direction by Paul Lazar and Annie-B Parson

Original Production by CalArts Center for New Performance

Prices include all fees, which are waived for MASS MoCA members.

Photo: Scott Groller