A double bill for Manitoba Underground Opera exploring the dangers of believing in the idea of love than more than love itself.

Anna Sokolovic’s Svadba / Bartok’s Bluebeard’s Castle.

Both shows will be part of a season planned by the company exploring ideas around marriage and weddings.

I’m thrilled to head to Virginia, USA this summer to work as a directing fellow at Wolf Trap Opera.

I’ll be assisting La Boheme in the Filene Center - a 7,000 seat indoor/outdoor venue and Elegy for Young Lovers in The Barns - a 300 seat restored barn.

I’ll also be directing the annual NOI+F pops concert.

More info at the links below:

The season:

https://www.wolftrap.org/opera.aspx

The fellows:

https://www.wolftrap.org/opera/people/fellows.aspx

I’m directing Amahl and the Night Visitors for Opera Kelowna with Les Dala playing and conducting and his son Andreas Dala in the title role.

“Gian Carlo Menotti’s 45-minute opera captures the essential spirit of Christmas in this unique retelling of the compassionate story of the Three Kings, who stop for shelter at the home of Amahl, a crippled shepherd boy who lives with his poor widowed mother.”

https://www.operakelowna.com/2019-amahl-and-the-night-visitors/

I’ll direct this year’s fall production at The Glenn Gould School at the Royal Conservatory.

Siren Song, by Jonathan is a bizarre, true story. A young sailor on HMS Ark Royal exchanges letters with a beautiful and successful model. Over time a romantic and passionate relationship develops, but a meeting proves increasingly difficult to arrange...

Nov. 1st and 2nd, 2019 - 7:30pm

Mazzoleni Concert Hall

273 Bloor street, Toronto

https://www.rcmusic.com/events-and-performances/the-glenn-gould-school-fall-opera

I’ll direct this wonderful family show for my debut with Manitoba Underground Opera.

A retelling of the well-known fairy tale incorporating music written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.  Both opera lovers and opera newbies will delight in this family friendly show, for children ages 5-12. Parents and caregivers are welcome to attend. 

https://manitobaundergroundopera.com/the-three-little-pigs

I’ll be leading a new style of performance for Theatre SKAM’s beloved project “Fashion Machine” in partnership with the Harbourfront center in Toronto for the BRAVE festival, 2019.

https://www.harbourfrontcentre.com/brave/events/index.cfm?id=10525&festival_id=328

July 13th-14th, 10am-5pm

July 20th-21st, 10am-5pm

@ HarbourKIDS Tent

235 Queens Quay West, Toronto Ontario

Bad Penny Presents: The 48 Hour Opera Project

You write it, direct it, design it and perform it, all in the space of 48 hours.
WHY??? Because when there’s no time to say no, magic happens!

Described as “a feat of impossible theatre” and “unapologetically opera, unapologetically insane,” this is the speed theatre event you never knew you needed.

Get together a composer, a director, an accompanist (piano or otherwise) and a group of 2-5 performers and make something that’ll blow our minds!
Email badpennyopera@gmail.com with "48 hour Opera Project” in the subject line. Apply fast, because we’re only accepting six teams.
Non-participant admission to show: 5$. Cash bar available.

How does it work? Details below...
...
A few rules:
- You must have a minimum of 2 performers in your show, and a maximum of five. Opera is multidisciplinary, so performers could be dancers, actors or instrumentalists, but at least one must be a singer!
- It must be an original work.
- Minimum 5 and maximum 7 minutes in length.
- You’re a composer and a singer? An accompanist and a director? Some other combination? Great! You're welcome to do multiple jobs, but make sure that you have enough time to work and rest so you don’t let your teammates down.
- Have to work your day job? We don’t care as long and you and your teammates can work out a schedule and make it happen by opening night!
- Teams must provide and create their own costumes and props. Sets must be minimal.

Now on to the fun part. To make sure you you don’t break those rules and write it before hand, we will be introducing new mandatory elements for your opera throughout the 48 hours. What do I mean by that? Well, that show about the couple in love that takes place in space? Now one of them is a mermaid. BOOM!

On Tuesday, June 18th at 6pm, the groups will all meet to discuss the required elements. Then you are off to make your opera!
Scores/scripts will be due at 2pm on Wednesday, June 19th.
Each group will be given one hour of rehearsal time in the space before the final performance at 8pm on Thursday, June 20th.

(Though we recommend pre-formed groups, if you want to take part but don’t have a full team, please email and we may be able to play matchmaker.)

Event Link: https://www.facebook.com/events/1642023365930482/

I’ll be directing Cowtown Opera’s 4th offering of the season - Carmen - at Cspace in Calgary.

Pared down to a fast-paced, four character romantic thriller, this Carmen will still have all the music you love in a sleek 90 minute adaptation. Come see this contemporary staging and kick off stampede season with something different.

Set and Props by Jennifer Arsenault, Lighting Design by Lisa Floyd

Music Direction by Evan Mount

Dates:

May 24th and 25th @ 7:30pm

May 25th and 26th @ 2:30pm

Tickets and More Information:

http://cowtownoperacompany.com/

I’m assisting director Francois Racine on Vancouver Opera’s main stage festival offering - Gounod’s Faust.

This is French grand opera at its best, featuring an all-Canadian cast and a staging never before seen in Vancouver.

Faust, an aged and bitter man, sells his soul to Méphistophélès in return for youth and the love of Marguerite, an innocent young woman. By trying to have it all, he loses everything.

Dates:

April 27th and May 2nd @ 7:30pm

May 5th @ 2:00pm

Tickets:

https://www.vancouveropera.ca/faust/

I’ll be directing this double bill as a scene study project with the artists of the Yulanda M. Faris program at Vancouver Opera.

Les Larmes du Couteau is a dark dadaist comedy designed to burn down the world…

The Little Matchgirl Passion is a meditation on remorse designed to lift us back into it.

Featuring: Nicole Brooks, Gena Van Oosten, Scott Rumble and Daniel Theilmann.

Music Direction by Leslie Dala and Perri Lo.

Dates

March 15th and 16th

This is an invite only event, but please contact me if you’re interested in attending and I’ll see what I can do!

I’ll be directing Burnaby Lyric's 2019 production at the Shadbolt Centre for the Performing Arts. 

L’ elisir D’amore by G. Donizetti is an infectious and classic comedy featuring some of this great composer’s most beautiful music. Appropriate for children of theatre-going age.

Featuring Kallie Beth Clayton as Adina, Sergio Augusto as Nemorino, Aaron Paul Durand as Belcore and Michael McKinnon as Dulacamara.

Costumes by Gina Morel and Production Design by Joseph Spitale.

Music Direction by Angus Kellet.

Dates:

February 23rd and 28th; March 2nd @ 8pm
February 25th and 27th @ 2pm

Tickets:

https://tickets.shadboltcentre.com/TheatreManager/1/tmEvent/tmEvent1094.html

I’m assisting Kelly Robinson on this production of Merry Widow at Vancouver Opera.

I'm very happy to be joining Vancouver Opera again as the resident Young Artist director for their 2018/19 season. The opportunity start with me assisting Kelly Robinson on his production of Die Lustige Witwe in Fall of 2018. More to come for the remainder of the season.

https://www.vancouveropera.ca/2018/08/21/meet-the-2018-2019-yulanda-m-faris-young-artists/