TUSCUMBIA, Ala. (WHNT) — Opera Birmingham has announced a new project featuring one of the most recognizable figures in Alabama history, Helen Keller.

In the new production called “Touch,” the opera company is hoping they can bring a new perspective on Keller’s life and her impact.

The story will be set after Helen Keller has graduated college. It will give viewers a closer look into her personal relationships and how they helped make her one of the most influential people in the state.

Opera Birmingham’s director of marketing and community engagement Eleanor Walter knows quite a bit about the Shoal’s pride in one of its most famous residents.

“As a Shoals-native myself, I’m originally from Tuscumbia, I know the pride that the people of the Shoals feel for Helen Keller and all of her extraordinary accomplishments. So for me personally, it’s been really exciting to get to work on this project,” Walter told News 19.

The life of Keller is the ultimate underdog story, as she battled blindness and deafness to fight for women and civil rights. General Director Keith Wolfe-Hughes believes this new project can give people a totally new look into her personal relationships and how they indirectly impacted the rest of America.

“It takes human stories and elevates them in a way that can help us get a better sense of the character, dig into some things more deeply, and then also see how those very personal stories also have a broader impact,” said Hughes

He also said these types of projects take incredible amounts of research and preparation.

Auditions for “Touch” will begin in the Fall of 2022. It is being written by Carla Lucero and Marianna Newirth. The grand premiere is set for January 2024. For more information on this project, you can visit their website here.