The Industry is an experimental company that expands the operatic form. We bring together interdisciplinary artists to create collaborative performances that engage the cultural landscape of Los Angeles and beyond. We believe that opera is a living form that should respond to new perspectives and voices in contemporary culture.

We value experimentation, collaboration, and boldness.

The Industry has led the operatic, multidisciplinary, and public art fields by developing singular performances in unexpected places. We pride ourselves on a holistic approach to creation: everything we do is a considered part of a whole work, not just what ends up on “stage.” We integrate artistic ideas, production, audience experience, and civic engagement. 

We prize site-specific approaches that challenge the traditional relationship between the artist and the spectator, as well as the relationship between the spectator and the community. Multiplicity becomes our most important characteristic: whether it’s the plurality of viewpoints in productions without a fixed perspective; or the variety of artists involved in a project, who maintain an independent artistic identity while strengthening the integrity of a team; or the cultural diversity of the artists bringing the work to life.

This endeavor has evolved during the last decade and more, with every project bringing new dimensions, and people, to our organization. Today, our leadership team features Tim Griffin (Artistic & Executive Director), Sarah Wass (Deputy Director), and Marc Lowenstein (Music Director), in collaboration with our larger Company and staff. Our leadership in recent years included an Artistic Director Cooperative (2021–2024), which featured composers and artists Ash Fure and Malik Gaines, in addition to director Yuval Sharon, who founded The Industry in 2013.

Read about our projects here and our chronology on our Wikipedia page here