Inferno 2025 Program

Follow re:Naissance / IndieFest on socials!

• Instagram
• Facebook

About the Work

Inferno is a new hip-hop opera in development by Omari Newton and Amy Lee Lavoie. re:Naissance is proud to present this concert performance of the music & script at IndieFest 2025. The work blends hip-hop, rap, beat boxing, sampling, R&B, and contemporary opera in celebration of IBPOC voices. The story reimagines Dante’s Inferno as a feminist, anti-establishment, and anti-colonial allegory.

At the core of this production are four powerhouse vocalists: Teiya Kasahara, an opera singer, Leo D.E Johnson, Soul and Blues, Kimmortal, Rapper and hip hop artist, and Scribbly Doodle, beatboxer. In the context of this story, this unique quartet of voices illuminates that in the age of AI and stolen art, singing together becomes an act of resistance and a deeply human reclamation and reminder of what cannot be stolen.

Synopsis

In this adaption of Dante’s Inferno, Hell is reimagined to be a Spotify-esque headquarters – with each floor of the skyscraper representing a different layer of hell. Our story follows Vie, a young producer, whose music has been stolen by the company, and Mo, the building’s security guard who has their own experiences with having their music co opted. Together, Vie and Mo embark on an epic journey to take back the rights to their work. Their ultimate goal? Reach the top floor of the skyscraper and confront the CEO (a.k.a. The devil).

With each floor representing a layer of Hell, Vie and Mo are pitted against a series of obstacles on their way to the top. Perhaps their greatest threat is an AI generated Treble Clef known as “Trebi-C” that becomes their unwanted guide, controlling the elevator and their floor access. In doing so, Trebi-C forces Vie and Mo to engage with characters on floors that seem to put them off their journey, when in fact they offer them insights into how to battle the CEO and get what they want.

Meet the Team and Cast

For nearly 40 years, Micheline Chevrier has pursued her craft as a stage director, artistic director, playwright and teacher in Canada and abroad. She has worked as a stage director for the Shaw Festival, at the National Arts Centre, Theatre Calgary, Alberta Theatre Projects, Citadel, UniThéâtre, Globe Theatre, Prairie Theatre Exchange, Manitoba Theatre Centre, Canadian Stage, Young People’s Theatre, Théâtre français de Toronto, Centaur Theatre, Geordie Theatre, Segal Centre, Imago Theatre, Théâtre New Brunswick and BeMe Productions (Barcelona and Munich), among others.

Micheline has directed over 90 productions, staging works by Molière, Shakespeare, Churchill and Coward as well as works from Canadian authors John Murrell, Wendy Lill, David Young, Colleen Murphy, Erin Shields and Ann-Marie Macdonald, to name just a few. She has directed a number of plays by Quebec authors, including Michel Tremblay, Michel Marc Bouchard, Jean-Marc Dalpé, François Archambault, Pierre-Michel Tremblay and Carole Fréchette.

Omari Newton is an award-winning professional actor, writer, director and producer. As a writer, his original Hip Hop theater piece Sal Capone has received critical acclaim and multiple productions, including a recent presentation at Canada’s National Arts Center. He has been commissioned by Black Theater Workshop (BTW) in Montreal to write a companion piece to Sal Capone entitled Black & Blue Matters. Omari and his wife, fellow professional playwright Amy Lee Lavoie, have received commissions from The Arts Club Theatre to co-write a new play: Redbone Coonhound. A bold and innovative satirical comedy that confronts instances of systemic racism in the past, present and future. Omari is co-directing the first in a series of rolling world premiere at The Arts Club Theatre in October of 2022. The play will then open in Montreal (Imago Theatre) & then Tarragon Theatre in Toronto. The husband and wife duo also just completed “Black Fly,” a satirical adaptation of Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus that centers on Aaron and Lavinia. Newton’s work in Speakeasy Theatre’s production of Young Jean Lee’s The Shipment earned him a 2017-2018 Jessie Richardson Award for Outstanding Performance by an Actor, as well as a nomination for Best Direction.

Amy Lee Lavoie is an award-winning playwright and a graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada’s Playwriting Program. Her first play, Rabbit Rabbit, received its premiere production with Infinitheatre, earning Amy Lee two MECCA’s for Best Text and the Revelation Award. Rabbit Rabbit has since been produced across Canada and in the US. Other plays include Me Happy (co-written with Matthew Mackenzie/Summerworks Festival), Stopheart (Factory Theatre) Genetic Drift (Pi Theatre/Boca del Lupo) My Tom (Railtown Lab Series), Scout’s Honour (Radio Play/Imago Theatre) and C’mon, Angie! (Touchstone Theatre/Leroy Street Theatre) which was hailed as “visceral, important, life-changing theatre.”

Debi Wong is a fearless and award-winning XR producer, creative director and multidisciplinary artist who has made a significant impact on the contemporary operatic scene and creative technology sector. She is the Founding Artistic Director of re:Naissance Opera in Vancouver, BC and co-executive producer and co-curator of Signals Creative Technology Expo at The Vancouver International Film Festival. Some of her recent accolades include: Executive Producer of Whipped Cream’s music video experience, The Dark (CIMA Bold Award Winner, SXSW Official XR Experience Selection); Co-creator and Executive Producer of Live From The Underworld (Aurea XR Award, double winner in creativity and innovation), and she recently opened TED 2023 conference singing as The Solar Ambassador in K Allado McDowell’s new AI opera, Song Of The Ambassadors. Wong was recently named one of the world’s 100 most influential experiential designers by XP Land’s XLIST.

Mary Ancheta is a Canadian Filipina born in Hamilton, Ontario. While teaching at the Ontario Conservatory of Music she received her B.A. of Music at McMaster University. Now a Vancouver, BC based composer you can hear her work on such Networks as Showtime, Netflix, HBO, National Geographic, Bravo, The Hallmark Channel, CTV, Fox, Crave, The Discovery Channel, Freeform, TNT, and more.

Ancheta cut her teeth playing keyboards with such acts as Khari McLelland, Kimmortal, iskwē, Buckman Coe, Ashleigh Ball, Dutch Robinson, Francis Arevalo, Jill Barber, Tonye, Marlie Collins, Alex Flock, Missy D, and on recordings with the production duo Cookie Cartel.

Mary has a passion for storytelling and the human condition. She enjoys collaborating with other artists and her aim is to help tell more diverse stories through her music.

Anju Singh is a composer, musician, sound artist, video and media artist whose practice is an exploration of texture through the use of extended or experimental techniques, use of electronics, experimenting with musical and non-musical materials, and electronic processing. One of the core processes in her practice is to use methods of deconstruction and reanimation to repurpose and contextualize materials in new compositional environments.

Anju’s work has been presented across Canada, in Europe, Brazil, Mexico, and the United States at festivals, galleries, and events in a variety of spaces including Fylkingen in Stockholm, Sweden; Send + Receive Festival in Winnipeg; Vancouver Jazz Festival, Polygon Gallery; and most recently in Copenhagen, Denmark. Anju will be presenting her work in Japan as part of a tour in April 2024.

Known for their signature subversive gusto only complemented with a down-to-earth, human vulnerability, Kimmortal (they/them) flows between singing and rapping over pop-layered hip hop beats bending musical genres and exploring sounds and lyrical intricacies. Kimmortal second album “X marks the Swirl” (2019) was nominated for a Polaris and their 3rd album “Shoebox” (2023) expresses the journey from healing intergenerational trauma to celebrating the 2SLGBTQ+ community and their inner child. Their notable sync highlights include their single “This Dyke” appearing on “The L Word: Generation Q” and “Animal Pride”. This past year Kim’s original music for “Sort Of” (out now on HBO, CBC) won Best Original song for Canadian Screen Awards and their music video “Blue and Orange” received Best Music Video at Disorient Asian American film festival.

Kimmortal’s newest release will be their EP “SUNNIEST OF DAYS” dropping June 11 featuring artists Shad K, Super Duty Tough Work, and Nimkish with music produced with their bandmates. This release will be followed by a North American Tour this summer.

Heralded as “an artist with extraordinary things to say” (The Globe and Mail) Nikkei Canadian settler Teiya Kasahara 笠原貞野 (they/he) has been singing for nearly 20 years both traditional and contemporary operatic roles including the Queen of the Night Die Zauberflöte and Cio-Cio San Madama Butterfly, among others. Their critically acclaimed operatic-play The Queen In Me recently had a sold-out run at the National Arts Centre, and will come to the west coast in 2025. In their practice Teiya explores the intersections of identity through new creation and reimagining the operatic canon through their works Butterfly Project, Little Mis(s)gender, Dichterliebe: Whose Love? with their collaborator, David Eliakis, and Confluence as curator with musica intima in 2025. In addition to interdisciplinary music/theatre creation and curation, they’re also a consultant voice teacher. Follow his latest endeavor, Project T, exploring voice and transition in real time which launched at the ChamberQUEER Festival in New York: http://www.teiyakasahara.com and http://www.projecttdoc.com.

Scott is so very grateful to join this wondrous cast, band & crew full of beautiful, soulful, creative talent. Much love to my family, friends, community & daughter D. “Where you go, I go…”

African-American bass-baritone Brandon Thornhill is a well-rounded and diverse musician, performer and professional voice actor. He performed the roles of the Sergeant in Il Barbiere di Siviglia and Flora’s servant in La Traviata with Vancouver Opera. He has also performed principal roles in Burnaby Lyric Opera’s productions of La Bohème and Il Barbiere di Siviglia. He performed the role of Coalhouse Walker Jr. in Fighting Chance Production’s concert production of the musical Ragtime. Brandon co-created/produced Ebony Roots with Sound The Alarm Music Theatre which is a project that celebrates black musicians and the history of African American/Canadian music. Brandon has voiced ads for MLB, the Toronto Raptors, Google and DoorDash among others. He received his Master’s degree in opera at the University of British Columbia and his Bachelor’s degree in music at the University of North Florida. In addition to his voice over work, Brandon performs at retirement residences across the Lower Mainland.

Armed with a powerful voice and soulful based sound, some of her major artist influences include Christina Aguilera, Michael Jackson, Jennifer Lopez & Joss Stone. She released her first pop-based single “Don’t” in late 2021 and had also released a follow up R&B single, “Move With Me” in January 2022 followed by a remix.

With so much love and support from her family and friends, she released an EP centered on Love Languages “With You”, “Physical Touch” and “Tell Me”.

Her more recent work includes “Somethin’ Better” (2023) and “I Know Who I Am” (2024). Up next, Anushka is set to release her latest single “Runnin’ The Race” on September 5th.

Based in Vancouver, BC, Alyssa Nicole Samson (she/her) is an accomplished Filipino-Canadian mezzo soprano with a passion for performing Contemporary/New Works. Notably, she is driven by her belief that classical music can make an impact that transcends traditional performance settings. This is evidenced by her breadth of experience leveraging classical music to advocate for marginalized voices, share contemporary stories about pivotal societal issues and build community between musicians and non-musicians alike. Recent 2023/2024 highlights include: Mrs. XE in Du Yun’s Angel’s Bone, Shi Ping in Emily Pan’s Thunderstorm, and Medusa/Melpomene in Roan Shankaruk and Georgia Perdikoulias’ Monster’s Made.

Perri Lo is a pianist and vocal coach, working in opera, chamber music, and dance. Her career has taken her across Canada: serving as pianist in Montreal’s Institut Canadien d’Art Vocal, in Toronto to study Opera Répétiteuring at the University of Toronto Opera(’18), and most recently in Banff as staff pianist and coach at the Banff Arts Centre Opera in the 21st Century Program. Since her role as apprentice coach with the Vancouver Opera’s Young Artist Program (‘18-19), Perri has music directed productions with local west coast companies, including Pacific Opera Victoria, Re:Naissance Opera, and Burnaby Lyric Opera – both in traditional and contemporary repertoire. She continues to explore the growing genre of Contemporary Opera and will be assistant Music Directing in the Canadian Premiere of Royce Vavrek and Du Yun’s Angel’s Bone this Fall in Vancouver. Perri is a company pianist for Ballet BC and Arts Umbrella Dance Company. When she is not performing with singers and instrumentalists, Perri serves as B.C.’s Provincial Coordinator for Opera InReach, an artists’ collective providing accessible opera education and mentorship for youths across Canada.

Jonathan Kim (he/him/his), better known as Jono, is a Korean-Canadian artist born and raised on the unceded traditional Coast-Salish territories, and currently works and lives on Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh territories (Vancouver). Jonathan holds a BFA from SFU’s Production and Design program and is a member of the Associated Designers of Canada and Chimerik 似不像, an interdisciplinary collective.

Alexandra Caprara (she/her) is a queer interdisciplinary artist from Toronto, Ontario whose practice is grounded in performance making and design, with a focus on devised processes, movement, and design lead creation. She has worked internationally as a director, performer, and designer for lighting and video projection, and has presented her work across Canada alongside companies such as WorkMan Arts, Factory Theatre, Theatre Replacement, and GoodWoman Dance. She believes in making and producing work that fosters queer joy. Select credits include direction and creation of “EVREN” (Edinburgh Fringe Festival), devised performance in “A Hunger Artist” (Prague Quadrennial 2023), lighting design for “Song from the Uproar” (City Opera Vancouver), and projection design for “A Silent Howl” (Dancing on the Edge). She currently resides in Vancouver where she recently completed her MFA in interdisciplinary arts at Simon Fraser University.

Nico Dicecco is a video artist, technical director, stage manager, and photographer based in Vancouver, BC on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) and səl̓ílwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. Some favourite past (and some ongoing) projects include Through My Lens (Theatre Replacement), The River (Myriad Dance Projects), Body Parts (Tara Cheyenne Performance), In Camera (Realwheels Theatre), #whatnow (Alley Theatre), Mambo and Other Works (Ballet Kelowna), and Benevolence (Ruby Slippers). Nico holds a PhD in English from Simon Fraser University for his research on adaptation, digital media, and performance.

Anna (she/her) is a stage manager and administrator currently working and living on the unceded territories of the Coast Salish peoples of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm, Skwxwú7mesh, and Səl̓ílwətaɬ Nations. Anna’s recent credits include ‘Lumbar 5, Thoracic 12’ (rEvolver Festival), ‘Sunrise Betties’ (ITSAZOO Productions), ‘The Narrow Bridge’ (Pomerantz Collective), ‘Peace Country’ (RIce&Beans Theatre), Symbiotic, Harvest Moon & Cardinal Point Cabarets (Rumble Theatre), Tremors Festival (Rumble Theatre), ‘Angels Bone’ (Sound The Alarm), Vancouver Fringe and Bard on The Beach. Anna began her career in the UK as an audio technician on the multiple award winning musical ‘TImpson: The Musical!’ (Gigglemug Theatre) at Edinburgh Fringe.

Thank you to our IndieFest 2025 Funders & Sponsors

IndieFest 2025 is supported by the City of Vancouver, Vancouver Civic Theatres, The Downtown Vancouver BIA, DigiBC, the Centre for Digital Media, BC Arts Council, and the Province of British Columbia. We gratefully acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts. We are funded by the Government of Canada – Financé par le Gouvernement du Canada