William Kentridge's award-winning chamber opera *Waiting for the Sibyl* (2019) makes its New York premiere in Brooklyn as part of the inaugural Powerhouse: International arts festival at Powerhouse Arts. The opera, inspired by the Cumaean Sibyl myth, features an original score by Nhlanhla Mahlangu and Kyle Shepherd, and blends Kentridge's animated drawings, collages, and sculptures with live performance. The production won an Olivier Award in 2023.
The premiere matters because it marks the first U.S. staging of a major Kentridge work that reflects on uncertainty, fate, and the algorithm as a modern oracle—themes made more resonant by the Covid-19 pandemic. The article also highlights Kentridge's thwarted attempt to tour the piece alongside Alexander Calder's *Work in Progress*, revealing tensions between artistic vision and the logistical and financial constraints imposed by the Calder Foundation's protection of Calder's original artworks.