Composer and playwright Derek McPhatter, pictured, presents new songs from "Water Riot in Beta: A Cyberpunk Rock Opera," part of an Afrosurrealist musical inspired by sociopolitical implications of water scarcity in the Midwest. Photo by Jaclyn Simpson

Composer and playwright Derek McPhatter, pictured, presents new songs from "Water Riot in Beta: A Cyberpunk Rock Opera," part of an Afrosurrealist musical inspired by sociopolitical implications of water scarcity in the Midwest. Photo by Jaclyn Simpson