The Queen in Me

“Opera is more interesting than objectification, and Teiya Kasahara is one of a kind.” – Jenna Simeonov, The Globe and Mail

Teiya Kasahara, a biracial, non-binary artist, takes inspiration from their career as a professional opera singer alongside their lived experiences as a queer, feminist, person of colour to re-imagine the Queen of the Night, one of opera’s most infamous “fallen women,” and place in the centre of a metaphor for silenced and discarded women everywhere. 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 stakes a stand against her expected traditional female narrative and tells her story in her own words for the first time – at a cost.

Teiya’s work combines original text and classical opera into one very theatrical event.

Teiya began developing The Queen in Me as a member of the Buddies in Bad Times Young Creators Unit, and is continuing this work with director and dramaturge Andrea Donaldson. An excerpt was presented as part of the SummerWorks Open Studios 2018 and the ROM’s Friday Night Live: Vox event. The Queen in Me was also pitched at the PuSh Festival’s Industry Series in Vancouver, January 2019.

2020 News

Currently Teiya Kasahara along with 10 companies and their unique projects, are going to Rotterdam Netherlands to pitch The Queen In Me. Operadagen Rotterdam is an international opera festival with contemporary, innovative, and ground breaking productions created by young and established makers from all over the world. Teiya will be attending from May 23 – 28th. Stay tuned for more details!

2019 News

Amplified Opera, co-founded by theatre creator Teiya Kasahara and stage director Aria Umezawa, launched their three-night concert series entitled AMPLIFY! October 10-12 2019 at The Ernest Balmer Studio. AMPLIFY! featured The Queen In Me performed by Teiya Kasahara, accompanied by Trevor Chartrand and directed by Andrea Donaldson.

Check out some reviews HERE and HERE

Photos from AMPLIFY! concert series: