Stage Door News
Stage Door News
On the heels of the sold-out run of Bandits in the Valley, a light hearted romp about the clash of classes in 19th century Toronto, Tapestry Opera announces its 38th season of original works that continue to break the rules. Tapestry brings operas to the Toronto stage that examine social custom, power and politics, and the trappings of prestige.
Tapestry’s 2017/18 Season will re-introduce Tapestry Briefs to new and returning audiences after a three-year hiatus. From November 30th to December 3rd, Winter Shorts offers bite-sized operas in many flavours and showcases notable works from Tapestry’s Composer-Librettist Laboratory (LIBLAB), a program that brings creators together to create the next great masterwork. Composers include Afarin Mansouri, Iman Habibi, Kit Soden and Norbert Palej in tandem with librettists Bobby Theodore, Marcia Johnson, Phoebe Tsang and Jessica Murphy-Moo. Winter Shorts will be staged at the Dancemakers Studio in the Distillery District.
Another exciting production that breaks all the rules is Tapestry’s Tap:Ex Forbidden, a work that brings together Persian classical music, hip-hop and contemporary opera, radically expanding the boundaries of the form. Created by composer Afarin Mansouri and librettist/rapper Donna-Michelle St. Bernard, Forbidden explores the dark issues of repression countered with humorous and witty commentary on human nature’s temptations to explore the forbidden, playing at the Ernest Balmer Studio.
“Through music that strikes to the heart, biting satire and transcendent imagination, the season explores appearance and substance; the danger and lure of ‘the forbidden’; and bold experiments into heightened physicality, Persian classical music and hip-hop,” says Michael Mori, Artistic Director of Tapestry Opera. “This new energy that artists are bringing to opera in Toronto is inspiring a trailblazing evolution for the genre that reflects the incredible vitality and diversity of this city. This is a season of truly Canadian opera!”
Highlighting the season is Tapestry’s world premiere co-production of The Overcoat: A Musical Tailoring, with partners Canadian Stage and Vancouver Opera. In a historic first, The Overcoat will premiere in both Toronto (Bluma Appel Theatre) and Vancouver (Vancouver Playhouse) in the same season -- the first Canadian world premiere opera to do so! Running March 30 to April 14, iconic writer and stage director Morris Panych has re-envisioned Gogol’s timeless short story in partnership with veteran Canadian composer James Rolfe, creating an opera spectacle with an overwhelming immediacy and physicality.
Tapestry brings its 2017-18 season to a close with Songbook VIII, a concert celebrating beautiful, absurd, and tragic Canadian works from Tapestry’s 38 years of production history performed by Canada’s hottest emerging artists.
Season subscriptions are now available and can be purchased online at tapestryopera.com.
ABOUT TAPESTRY OPERA:
Tapestry Opera is a Toronto-based company that creates and produces opera from the heart of here and now. For 38 years, the company has presented award-winning works by preeminent artists, brought to life by some of the most talented and versatile performers of the contemporary stage. As Canada’s leader in opera development, Tapestry Opera is committed to cultivating new creators and performers to serve the evolution of the art form and build a lasting Canadian repertoire.
2017-10-03
Toronto: Tapestry Opera's 38th season breaks all the rules