Einstein on the Beach tickets

Widely considered to be one of the most iconic stage achievements of the 20th century, Einstein on the Beach by trailblazing composer Philip Glass and visionary director Robert Wilson has captivated audiences since its premiere in 1976. This otherworldly opera rewrote the rules of musical composition and stagecraft—blowing open the possibilities of the genre by incorporating experimental music and theater in a way that was unlike anything experienced before or since. Now, five decades after it was first performed and in celebration of the composer’s 90th birthday, this avant-garde music theater piece is realized in the first ever new production since its premiere.

Imaginative innovator Phelim McDermott of Improbable directs this highly anticipated North American premiere, completing his portrait trilogy of Philip Glass operas (Akhnaten and Satyagraha) about figures who changed the world through the power of their ideas. Inspired by Einstein’s scientific ideas and brought to life by Philip Glass’s mesmerizing score, this experiential staging blends a talented cast of vocalists, instrumentalists, actors, and movement artists with light, sculpture, technology, and the gravitational pull of quantum physics in an atmospheric, morphing world by acclaimed designer Tom Pye. As Einstein pushed the boundaries of perception and shifted a paradigm in science, this landmark new Armory commissioned production takes audiences on an imaginative journey through time, space, humanity, and the way we understand the world.