Lighting Designer

Opera Kelowna presents the first half of their 2-part studio production, The Queen in Me. With a cleverly comical critique of how race, gender, and sexuality are portrayed in opera, this production gives voice to characters who’ve wept, raged, and died onstage for centuries—now it’s their turn to speak.

Combining comedy, drama, and opera, The Queen In Me is a tour de force created and performed by Teiya Kasahara 笠原貞野.  One of Canada’s most exciting and innovative sopranos, Teiya Kasahara (they/he) takes the stage as one of opera’s most famously complex characters, the Queen of the Night. But the character interrupts their normal performance of vengeance-via-vocal-pyrotechnics to look back at what Mozart has made of her in The Magic Flute. From there, the audience becomes part of the show as they meet characters from Puccini’s La Bohème, Madama Butterfly, Turandot, and Manon Lescaut; Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor; Verdi’s Macbeth and Rigoletto; and R. Strauss’ Salome. Each character delves further into what opera has historically demanded of its women, both as characters and the artists who portray them.

This Opera Kelowna presentation is the Western Canadian premiere of the Theatre Gargantua/Amplified Opera / Canadian Opera Company / Nightwood Theatre co-production. It is performed with a local string ensemble under the musical direction of Rosemary Thomson.

The Queen In Me

Rotary Centre for the Arts

Qalb means heart in Persian, the native language of the beloved 13th century poet, Rumi. Diving into his world of thoughts and poetry, 1s1 Theatre’s latest production Qalb – A Journey of the Ego is about heart and resilience. Inspired by Dawn Jani Birley’s life as a Deaf person facing audism, her struggle for equity is relatable to all dealing with oppression. Birley turns to the philosophy of Rumi to transform her isolation, anger, and frustration into a force of love in the world.

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Qalb

Tarragon Theatre

très loin is a visual and kinesthetic installation created in collaborative partnership with choreographer Sylvie Bouchard, visual artist Ed Pien, composer Phil Strong with music consultant Laurel MacDonald, dramaturg Anne-Marie Donovan, lighting designer André du Toit, costume designer Cheryl Lalonde and four performers: Sierra Chin Sawdy, Sully Malaeb Proulx, Raelyn Metcalfe and Pulga Muchochoma.

très loin

The Theatre Centre

What You Won’t Do For Love is a hybrid live-theatre and film performance starring renowned environmentalists Dr. David Suzuki and Dr. Tara Cullis as they reflect on their 50-year romantic relationship, and their adventures and advocacy for the planet. This charming and conversational show asks, can we learn to love the planet as much as we love other people?

Lighting Designer

André du Toit

Events

Upcoming events

Mar 13, 2026

What You Won't Do for Love · FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre

Past events

Feb 26, 2025

The Queen In Me · Opera Kelowna

7 - 14 Sep, 2024

Qalb · Tarragon Theatre

About

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