The tagline for the Industry's new theatrical production Crescent City is “Gallery by Day, Opera by Night,” and while that gives audiences some sense of the impressive innovation in this interdisciplinary “hyperopera,” nothing can fully prepare them for the experience ahead. Debuting on Thursday the 10th, Friday night's visual artists' reception interrupts opening weekend to celebrate the unprecedented involvement of the half-dozen accomplished sculptors and installation artists in creating this cutting-edge masterpiece. While not explicitly referencing Hurricane Katrina, the story centers around the inhabitants of a soulful, bohemian city in the midst of disaster — and it's precisely this dark, stormy, sexy city that the artists have constructed in a vast warehouse north of downtown. Musicians, dramatists and artists worked collaboratively, letting the cross-pollination of their inspirations bring their evolving vision to life. The music and story unfold between set-pieces like a dive bar, swamp, or hospital — one each designed by Mason Cooley, Brianna Gorton (who curated the art), Katie Grinnan, Alice Könitz, Jeff Kopp and Olga Koumoundouros). Audiences have the option of being seated down around and among the sets, or else moving freely along the perimeter so that every viewer experiences the show through both its action and its artistry in a unique, individual way — and might even be inspired to go back for another look. Atwater Crossing, 3245 Casitas Ave.; artists reception, Fri., May 11 8-10 p.m.; performances May 10-27, 8 p.m'. $25-$75; free gallery hours Wed & Sat., thru May 26, noon-6 p.m;. theindustryla.org.

Thursdays-Sundays, 8 p.m. Starts: May 10. Continues through May 27, 2012

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