Photo: Kevin Yatarola

Inspired by a world not unrecognizable from our own, Octavia E. Butler’s Parable of the Sower is a lively blend of music and theater based on Butler’s classic—and prescient—1993 novel. The book, set in the not-too-distant future, tells the story of teenager Lauren Olamina, who, after losing her family, ventures from her gated community in Los Angeles into an America wracked by environmental degradation and economic inequality. In the special concert presentation based on the acclaimed work at the Emerson/Paramount Center Robert J. Orchard Stage March 23–26, 30 songs from 200 years of African American tradition are sung by 20 musicians, driving this emotional tale of faith and possible redemption.