Stage Productions

DalOpera offers a rare undergraduate experience in opera education. As a voice student, in each year of your degree you'll participate in a fully staged production with costumes, sets, lighting and with live music. Under the guidance of faculty, you'll work with your fellow students and future contemporaries from the Costume Studies and Stage Design programs for a fully immersive experience.

DalOpera's Cinderella & The Box Office

Nov. 28-30 | 7:30PM 
Dec. 1 | 2:00pm
Sir James Dunn Theatre, Dalhousie Arts Centre 
$20/$15 tickets: dal.ca/artscentre box office fees will apply
Part of the See-More series, sponsored by Canadian Student Living

What happens to Cinderella after midnight? Come find out but first, make a stop at the Box Office! 
From a customer service nightmare at a box office to what happens to Cinderella before and after the stroke of midnight, DalOpera’s 2024 Fall stage production is poised to draw you into these two powerful stories both composed by women. Let the students at DalOpera transport you into these two romantic, clever, comical and magical worlds. The production also utilizes the talents of our costume studies and stage design and technical theatre students in a truly collaborative creation.

Directed by Robyn Cathcart, with music direction by Cindy Townsend, the Fountain School proudly announces our 2024 double-bill Opera production featuring a talented ensemble of voice students.  The Box Office features  Naomi Sney and Karina Matys as the attendant with Emma Thornton-Ockrant and Sophia Maskine as the customer. Cinderella features Karina Matys and Emma Thornton-Ockrant as Cendrillon, Sophia Maskine and Naomi Sney as The Fairy Godmother, Elizabeth Ruxton as Comte Barigoule, Euan Lynch and Ella Howard as Prince Charmant, Raphaelia Bokolas and Katherine Alexander  as Armelinde, Victoria Dubois and Sarah MacInnis as Maguelonne, Corinne James and Jonathon Kean as Baron De Pictordu. When not performing their principle roles, our chorus includes the above as well as Caralina Knights. The production also features Tara Scott as lead performance pianist.

Others on the creative team include Choreographer Véronique MacKenzie, Set Designer Katrin Whitehead, Costume Designer Diego Cavedon Dias and Lighting Designer Bruce MacLennan.

Our students in Dalhousie’s Stage Design and Technical Theatre and Costume Studies programs further support the production, including Assistant Director Liam Oko, Stage Manager Lauren Zemmelink and Assistant Stage Managers Naomi Dansie and Jessie Sanders.

Set in and inspired by the Canadian Opera Company ticket sales box office, Canadian composer Bekah Simms' The Box Office uses musical gestures of chromaticism and tritone leaps to highlight the uneasiness of a conversation between a very tired box office attendant and her insufferable customer. This short but poignant conversation is humorously and cleverly depicted in Canadian Michael Albano’s libretto.

Pauline Viardot’s setting of Cendrillon (Cinderella) is true to the original fairy tale; however Viardot takes a more lighthearted approach to the tale compared to other operatic versions of this enchanting story. Keen ears might hear references to themes used in Rossini’s and Massenet’s versions.

New to the Opera? Check out our pre-opera chats to learn more about the historical context of the opera, the music that makes it unique, and the creators behind each masterpiece.

Hosted by DalVoice student Jordan Gracie, our pre-opera chats are offered before every performance in Room 409 of the Dal Arts Centre, right next to the Sir James Dunn Theatre. Come at 6:45pm for our 7:30pm evening shows, and 1:15pm for the 2:00pm matinee.

This production may include use of theatrical fog and haze, bright lights and loud noises.