Eurydice Fragments Programme

About the Performance

Eurydice Fragments is a contemporary version of the Orphean myth that fuses opera, dance, extended reality, motion capture and interactive technologies. Through an immersive exploration of our digital and carbon existences, the performance dissolves the binaries we are bound to from birth until death, and strums the threads between heaven and hell, male and female, maker and muse, performer and audience.

Synopsis

At the top of show, we are outside the Styx, a cosmic queer-space linked to the affirming social-media platform Underworld. O — a member of the Underworld community, called ‘a Glimmer’ — is trying to convince their partner, Tim, to go in. Tim equivocates. It’s the couple’s first night out since their child, Tiānlóng, was born, and Tim had another plan: to propose marriage. O is taken aback, both by this plan and by Tim’s binary language. The two part ways, O entering the Styx, and Tim going off into the night.

Inside the Styx, we meet a host of other Glimmers, alongside Plusephone, the gender-expansive host, and their counterpart Charon, the ‘ferryman’ who tends the bar. O, who has created a host of Underworld avatars, is baffled by the directive to choose just one. They refuse, forcing both the Underworld and the overworld to entertain more expansive possibilities. As they journey through memory and understanding, with a host of others, they find new language for everything they were, are, and will be.

Athena’s Library: Resources

As part of this project, we have curated a list of Trans and LGBTQIA+ resources for those seeking more information or support. You can also try out a prototype of what it would look like on the UNDERWORLD app.

Meet the Team and Cast

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.

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Roark has been a resident artist at the Banff Centre, the Atlantic Center for the Arts, Sound Symposium, Avaloch Farm, the Erasmus Foundation, and the American Conservatory at Fontainebleau, where he was co-recipient of the Tournon Branley Prize for collaborative work in architecture and music. He has studied at the Konservatorium Winterthur in Switzerland, and he holds degrees from Oberlin College and Conservatory and the University of British Columbia, where he received his Doctor of Musical Arts. Roark has served as President of Vancouver Pro Musica and Associate Artistic Director of Redshift Music in Vancouver, BC, where he also taught theory and composition from 2015-2019 at the Vancouver Academy of Music. He is currently Co-Artistic Director of Arkora Music and makes his home in Toronto, ON.

Luke Hathaway is a trans and queer poet/librettist/performer. He has collaborated with composers Colin Labadie, Benton Roark, Zachary Wadsworth, and James Rolfe, as well as with DaPoPo Theatre (Halifax), re:naissance opera (Vancouver), THIRTYMINUTES (London and Vancouver), Arkora (Toronto), and Vocalypse (Halifax) to bring his mythopoeic word-worlds to the screen and/or the stage. With Daniel Cabena he is a founding member of ANIMA, a metamorphosing ensemble that creates and commissions new works inspired by early-music sources. Luke’s fourth book of poems, The Affirmations, was released by Biblioasis in 2022, and recognized in The Times, London, as a best book of the year. Luke teaches English and Creative Writing at Saint Mary’s University in Kjipuktuk/Halifax.

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: www.teiyakasahara.com and www.projecttdoc.com.

Brian Topp is Vancouver, BC based composer, XR artist, and interactive audio designer. He is also the co-founder of Chroma Mixed Media, a digital arts collective that focuses on collaborative interactive works that span many artistic disciplines.

Born in Hong Kong, Stephanie Wong (she/her) is a multidisciplinary artist living on the ancestral and unceded lands of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm, Skwxwú7mesh, and Səl̓ílwətaʔ peoples. As a graduate of Studio 58, and the Associate Artistic Director of re:Naissance Opera, her current practice includes directing, collaborative creation, dramaturgy, design, and performance. In a recent career pivot, she has transferred her multidisciplinary performing arts skills to the digital landscape, infusing ‘theatre magic’ into various technological mediums. She has built sets for stop motion films, devised interactive digital performances, brought life to video game characters, and dramaturged operatic stories for new virtual reality (VR) experiences. She has performed across Canada and the US, and her first short film, bàba (written, directed, and designed by Wong) has travelled internationally through various film festivals. By honoring the intersections of her professional and personal experience, her art amplifies stories of culture, connection, and coexistence.

“A dance artist, creator, and producer, I have danced with Ballet BC for 14 years and subsequently have been a guest artist and Artist in Residence. Now independent, I hold the position of Artist in Residence at Vancouver’s Chutzpah! Festival and am a Creative Hub member at Presentation House Theatre. My creations have been supported by Dance Victoria, Ballet BC, Canada Council for the Arts, BC Arts Council, Presentation House Theatre, New Works, Vernon Performing Arts Centre, The Gordon Smith Foundation, Dancing on the Edge, InFrinGing Festival, and Shadbolt Centre. As a freelancer, I am currently dancing with Re:Naissance Opera, zoe | juniper, and Wen Wei Dance.”

Keagan is a Studio 58 Graduate. Living with a love of and passion for lighting. As a Gender-Fluid, Non-Binary, Autistic designer they love working with the masculine, feminine and other aspects of themselves to add to the creative and collaborative process. As a designer they paint the performers and their environments with light, working to build an atmosphere that pulls the audience in. Recent design credits include: Midsummer Night’s Dream (Trinity Western), Kill the Ripper (Geekenders & Affair of Honor), Circus Gala (Circus3), Crisis on Planet Z ( Monster Theatre), Six of One (Studio 58), Neverland Night Circus (Geekenders), Trans Scripts (Zee Zee & Frank Theatre), Alice in Glitterland (Geekenders), Four Play (Studio 58), and Alma (East Van Opera). They love playing with the emotions of lights, and how lighting effects the tone and reality of what is being poured on stage. Playing with the psychology of lighting and colour theory.

Bob is a 3D Artist and Educator who loves to take on interesting and diverse projects whenever he can. He’s worked on children’s books for Disney, Helicopter and Coast Guard training simulators, AAA video games, big budget television shows and films, and more. He is currently an instructor and Program Head at BCIT in the 3D Modeling Art and Animation program and loves that he gets to work with, and be inspired by, the newest batch of 3D artists entering the industry.

Alexa Fraser is a performer, director, designer, producer and facilitator who creates and lives on the unceded and occupied territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations colonially known as “Vancouver, British Columbia”. They are co-founder of theatrecorps, a design based contemporary theatre company with Matthew Winter. Alexa is a self-identified plus sized queer artist and proud performer, producer and historian within “Vancouver’s” burlesque and cabaret scenes. They are a graduate of Simon Fraser School for the Contemporary Arts, holding a BFA in Theatre Performance (2018). They are artistic director and founder of Juicy Gems, an all fat and plus sized cabaret collective, that was recently featured and became an award winning group at Fatlesque Northwest (Seattle, 2024). Recent theatre work includes: Ayibobo III: Little Dollhouse on the Prairie (frank theatre, QAF, Danse-Cité, and the House of Barbara, 2024), Fat Joke (Neworld Theatre, 2024), Tomboy (Chłopczyca) (Anais West, 2024), Divine Figures (Neworld Theatre, 2023), Blood Wedding: A Trans Fantasia (Angelica Schwatz, 2023), sᴜᴘᴇʀ ʜᴇᴀᴠʏ Pop III 𝕯𝖊𝖆𝖙𝖍꧂°¤𖦹,¸.•*☆ (Jarin Schexnider, 2023), Archive (The Darlings, 2023), Gestural Symphony No.1 (theatrecorps, 2022), Are You Watching? (Eve Middleton- Meyer, 2021), New Societies (Summerworks, In The Soil, Kick & Push, rEvolver, SFU SCA 2019-2023), Juicy Gems (2021), Richmond Maritime Festival Featured Storyteller (2020), The Democratic Set (Back to Back Theatre, PuSh Festival 2020), These Violent Delights (Cole Lewis, SummerWorks Festival, 2017). Alexa’s other interests reside in researching and sharing “Vancouver” nightlife and sex work history, collecting vintage cabaret and playboy ephemera as well as walking an adorable himbo pomeranian while watching the sun set on the Salish Sea/Fraser River in their former neighborhood in “Richmond, B.C”. You can check out their technicolour world of wonder at alexanmfraser.com

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.

There are seemingly endless possibilities to self-expression, and Toddy is out there breaking new ground. A Vancouver-based comedian and trained opera singer, Toddy found recognition by winning Season 1 of OutTV’s Call Me Mother, being a vocal soloist in the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in the “Symphony of Terrors!”, and performing at festivals around North America. With a winning combination of drag, standup comedy, opera, classical and popmusic, Toddy (she/they) is redefining the very idea of pop stardom on their debut album ‘Always’.

Sara Vickruck (They/Them) is an award winning queer, multi-disciplinary performer, educator, host, musician, song writer, sound designer, and creator currently living on the unceded territories of the Halkomelem speaking peoples. Sara has been working professionally as a performer both on screen, and on stage for over 15 years. They are a Jessie Richardson and an Equity and Stage West Emerging Artist award winner. Their recent performance credits include ChildIsh (Pacific theatre), Romeo and Juliet (Bard on the Beach), Peace Country (rice and beans theatre) and Talking Sex on Sunday’s (Firehall Arts Centre). Sara is grateful to everyone who values live performance, and thankful to be part of this inspired show.

Asitha Tennekoon, tenor. Praised by The Globe and Mail for ‘…his silky, emotional presence on stage – both vocally and dramatically…’ Sri Lankan tenor Asitha Tennekoon has established himself as one of Canada’s most versatile singing artists. He is sought after for performances spanning from Baroque to new, and experimental music.Debuts in 2022 for Asitha include Ferrando in Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte with Edmonton Opera, and First Priest in Canadian Opera Company’s Die Zauberflöte.A Dora Award-Winning performer, Asitha’s career highlights also include leading roles with Opéra de Montréal, Vancouver Opera, Soundstreams Canada, Tapestry Opera, Against the Grain Theatre, Opera on the Avalon, and Opera Lafayette (USA).This season, Asitha sings Remendado in Pacific Opera Victoria’s Carmen and debuts as Flute in Vancouver Opera’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

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.

Well-versed in a variety of musical styles, Jen Lewin is a Vancouver-based keyboard player and singer who began her professional career in 2001. A thoughtful, intuitive musician, Jen’s superpower lies in her ability to connect with the folks onstage and off, bringing a sense of camaraderie, playfulness, and joy to every performance no matter the genre or venue. Besides her solo/duo/trio work as a frontperson, you may have heard Jen playing keyboards with the fabulous Nearly Neil and the Solitary Band or with her 8-piece all-star passion project Deep Cutzzz, among others.

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.

Alex Chen is a collaborative pianist, baritone, and vocal coach whose curiosity brings fresh perspectives on a diverse body of musical works.Alex performs regularly in the Victoria music community, exploring genres such as art song, opera, and choral music. Moreover, as a faculty member at the Victoria Conservatory of Music he supports a wide variety of students and young professional singers from the piano. He is dedicated to education and engagement, striving to create lasting impressions with his performances & foster a desire to learn more with his innovative artistic projects.Recent professional highlights include performing in solo voice & chorus capacities with Pacific Opera Victoria in their Civic Engagement Program & mainstage productions, respectively; producing a visual album of Debussy’s Ariettes oubliées as part of the Gay4Nature Art Song Collective; and creating the Citizen Soundscape – a crowdsourced, immersive sound installation – for BC Culture Days & Swan Lake Nature House.

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.

Noah is dedicated to creating profound experiences, working on interdisciplinary projects, and applying new technologies in creative ways. Notable projects include developing software to measure cognitive decline, currently being used by astronauts on the International Space Station and working on real-time motion capture using the Unreal Game Engine for Renaissance Opera live theater performances. He is currently pursuing his PhD in Transformative Experience Design in VR at SFU and is the Technical Lead at Sawmill Studios Inc. He has a deep passion for showcasing profound experiences and can be found showing these experiences at local festivals. He has a Bachelor and Master’s in Computer Science from the University of Minnesota Duluth. During this time, he also worked in the inter­dis­ci­pli­nary MMAD Lab as a motion cap­ture tech­ni­cian and research assis­tant where he worked with biomechanics, engineers, dancers, artists, and mathematicians.

Maria Zarrillo is a queer, non-binary, Vancouver-based Arts Manager with a background in producing, stage management, mentorship, advocacy, and research. They have worked with a variety of companies and communities in these capacities both locally and nationally. In addition to their freelance career, Maria was the Managing Producer at the frank theatre and is currently the Interim Managing Director with Rumble. Maria is a graduate of Studio 58’s production program, the University of Winnipeg with a major in Theatre & Film and a minor in Human Rights, and they are wrapping up a Master of Arts in Justice Studies at Royal Roads University.

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.

Jack is a Vancouver based technical director, projection designer and technologist. His work integrates physical elements into digital spaces through the use of cameras, digital props, and image filtering. He is excited by the merging of different mediums to create an immersive experience. Jack’s past credits include The Flying Dutchman (Vancouver Opera), An Undeveloped Sound (Electric Company Theatre), Szepty/Whispers (Rumble Theatre), Romeo and Juliet (Vancouver Symphony Orchestra), Dance Craft (Joe Ink), and Ghost Forest (Simon Fraser University)

Will Howie is a music producer, sound engineer, and an innovator in 3D audio research and music recording techniques. His professional experience covers myriad genres, from chamber music all the way to indie punk rock, working with a range of artists including the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, James Ehnes, Steven Page, Toshiyuki Honda, Tafelmusik, Angela Hewitt, Chucho Valdés, Measha Brueggergosman, Angélique Kidjo, Tanya Tagaq, and Jane Coop. Will holds a PhD in Sound Recording from McGill University, and was a postdoctoral research fellow at Tokyo University of the Arts. He currently teaches courses in music technology at the University of British Columbia.

Neelesh Nair is a technical artist and director specializing in motion capture. He has worked at the cutting edge of several industries including video games, VFX, virtual production, VR, AR, live XR productions, and medical technology. Using technoligies like Unreal Engine, projection mapping, LED volumes and motion capture he crafts virtual worlds and immersive experiences. He is always striving to push the boundaries of digital and live production.

Faranak Ghorbani is a registered clinical counsellor and art therapist currently working in Vancouver. She is a trauma-informed and highly compassionate individual with over ten years of combined education and experience in the helping field, with a bachelor’s in Psychology and Master’s in Counselling Psychology and Art Therapy. Using both talk therapy and art therapy, she is currently providing individual and group therapy to diverse clients (adults, children & youth) who are dealing with trauma, life transitions, systematic oppressions, physical & mental disability, anxiety, grief and more. Additionally, Faranak has been facilitating monthly strength-based community art therapy workshops for individuals, and families in the community to foster a sense of belonging between individuals in diverse communities.

Production Team

Project Team
Artistic Director: Debi Wong
Composer: Benton Roark, Brian Topp
Writer: Luke Hathaway, Teiya Kasahara 笠原 貞野, Debi Wong
Director: Debi Wong
Dramaturg: Debi Wong, Stephanie Wong
Director of Virtual Productions: Neelesh Nair
Mocap Consultant: Alexis Fletcher
Choreographer: Alexis Fletcher

Design Team
Lead Designer: Stephanie Wong
Lighting Designer: Keagan Elrick
Sound Designer: Brian Topp
3D Artists: Bob Kreut
Costume Designer: Alexa Fraser
Projection Designer: Neelesh Nair

Performers
O: Teiya Kasahara 笠原 貞野
Hope: Brandon Thornhill
Plusephone: Toddy (Emily Bilton)
Charon: Leo D.E. Johnson
Chorus: Sara Vickruck, Asitha Tennekoon, Alyssa Samson
Co-Music Director & Keyboardist: Jen Lewin, Perri Lo, Alex Chen
Beatboxer: Scribbly Doodle

Production and Technical
Technical Director – Production Manager: Nico Dicceco
Technical Director – Virtual Production: Neel Nair
Mocap Technician: Noah Miller
Audio Engineer: Brian Topp
Developer (Game Engines): Bob Kreut
Stage Manager: Maria Zarillo
Assistant Stage Manager: Anna Brew
Mixing / Mastering: Jack Chipman, Will Howie
Assistant Producer: Alex Chen
Lead Producer: Debi Wong

Special Thank Yous

Special thanks to Omari Newton for contributions to the libretto. Bard on the Beach, Dice (costume assistant), Curalux Compression Garments, Local Pervert designs, Model Express, and Studio F/X

Funders and Partners

This project is created in partnership with Arkora Music.
Supported by the National Creation Fund,
Supported by Arkora, the City of Vancouver, and Creatives BC.
We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.
Supported by the Province of British Columbia through the BC Arts Council.
Thank you to DigiBC and the Centre of Digital Media for their support.