the trauma of war

Washington National Opera present a world premiere of Grounded, a new work from Tony Award-winner Jeanine Tesori adapted from the 2012-written play of the same name by George Brant. The story centers around Jess, a pilot who used soar through the skies in an F-16. 

Following an unplanned pregnancy, she is reassigned and is tasked with controlling drone strikes from a windowless room in trailer. The disconnect from the carnage she enacts begins to take a psychological toll, and she finds it increasingly difficult to balance her remote killing by day and her family life at night. Starring Emily D'Angelo in the lead role, the stunning production makes use of immersive LED-screens to truly envelope the audience in the traumatic psychological fight Jess must endure.