Can You Make An Opera Out Of The MOVE Bombing? Bill T. Jones And Friends Are Giving It A Try

In 1985, Philadelphia police attempting to evict and arrest members of the militant activist group MOVE dropped a bomb on the group’s headquarters, causing a fire that burned down an entire city block. Jones, composer Daniel Bernard Roumain, and librettist Marc Bamuthi Joseph are creating a new work about the disaster and its aftermath for Opera Philadelphia’s inaugural O festival this September. David Patrick Stearns talks to Jones and Joseph about how the piece is coming together.