Vancouver,
September 12 & 13
Set & Costume Design by Joanna Yu, Lighting Design by André du Toit, Projection Design by Laura Warren.
Vancouver, September 12 – 13, 2025
Presented by re:Naissance
Dates: September 12 & 13, 2025
Venue: – Fei & Milton Wong Experimental Theatre at SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts , Vancouver
Time: 7:30PM. Doors at 7:00PM. No late entry.
Tickets: Early Bird: $22.50 – $76.50 | Regular $25 – $85
re:Naissance presents The Queen In Me in Vancouver for its final performances —and hometown debut— Sept. 12-13 at SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts!
After selling out its world premiere along with Canadian Opera Company in June 2022, Nightwood Theatre, Amplified Opera and Theatre Gargantua are thrilled to be touring The Queen In Me by interdisciplinary artist Teiya Kasahara 笠原貞野 (they/he), accompanied by pianist David Eliakis (he/him). Combining comedy, drama, and opera, this electrifying show explores the many ways that race, gender, and sexuality are policed in the opera industry. Through the lens of The Magic Flute’s iconic Queen of the Night, the show reclaims space for the multitudes of women, trans, and non-binary individuals excluded from the stage, daring to imagine bold new possibilities for the future of the art form and beyond.
The Queen In Me features a range of dramatic arias from some of the world’s most well-loved operas: Puccini’s La Bohème, Madama Butterfly, Turandot, and Manon Lescaut; Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor; Verdi’s Macbeth and Rigoletto; R. Strauss’ Salome; and Mozart’s The Magic Flute.
The Queen In Me is co-produced by Theatre Gargantua, Amplified Opera, and Nightwood Theatre. The Vancouver Premiere is presented by re:Naissance at the Goldcorp Centre for the Arts.
Creative Team
Creator-Performer: Teiya Kasahara 笠原貞野
Pianist: David Eliakis
Co-Directors: Andrea Donaldson & Aria Umezawa
Set & Costume Designer: Joanna Yu
Lighting Designer: André du Toit
Projection Designer: Laura Warren
Technical Director: Laird Macdonald
Production Manager: Heather Lamb
Set & Costume Design by Joanna Yu, Lighting Design by André du Toit, Projection Design by Laura Warren.
Synopsis
International soprano Teiya Kasahara (they/he) takes inspiration from their career in opera, alongside their lived experience as a queer, biracial, transgender artist, to re-imagine the Queen of the Night, one of opera’s most infamous fallen women.
The curtain rises mid-performance of Mozart’s The Magic Flute, at the beginning of the Queen of the Night’s highly anticipated aria, “Der Hölle Rache”. However, this time, the work comes to a halt as the Queen takes a stand against her expected traditional female narrative and tells her story in her own words for the first time. The Queen in Me boldly challenges the traditional confines of classical opera and gender norms with comedic flair, humanity and a voice that can not be denied.
“Opera is more interesting than objectification, and Teiya Kasahara is one of a kind.” – The Globe and Mail
“…The Queen In Me, a performance piece straddling the line between surreal confessional and stand-up comedy, a brilliant piece of satire for a specialized audience…” – Leslie Barcza of barczablog
“Soprano Teiya Kasahara is a force of nature.” – Toronto Star
The Queen In Me is supported by the TD Ready Commitment, Ontario Arts Council, Toronto Arts Council, McOuat Partnership, Vectorworks, and the Wuchien Michael Than Foundation. Thank you to New Works Development Sponsor, BMO. This presentation is supported by the Province of British Columbia. We gratefully acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.
