The Queen In Me
Wednesday
Sep 24, 2025
7:30pm
Venue McPherson Playhouse
Cost Tickets Start at $35.00
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“Kasahara delivers legit, top-tier singing of the best moments from Turandot, Rigoletto, Manon Lescaut, Macbeth and more.”
— Jenna Simeonov, The Globe and Mail Sep 25, 2023
Presented by Pacific Opera Victoria’s Luminary Series
In association with Theatre Gargantua, Amplified Opera, and Nightwood Theatre
International soprano Teiya Kasahara 笠原貞野 (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.
Teiya Kasahara 笠原貞野. . . . . . . . . . Creator-Performer
David Eliakis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pianist
Andrea Donaldson & Aria Umezawa . . . . . Co-Directors
Troy Taylor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Stage Manager
Joanna Yu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Set & Costume Designer
André du Toit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lighting Designer
Laura Warren . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Projection Designer
Laird MacDonald . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Technical Director
In association with Theatre Gargantua, Canadian Opera Company, Amplified Opera, Nightwood Theatre, and Intrepid Theatre.
After a sold-out world premiere with the Canadian Opera Company, The Queen In Me comes to Victoria for one unforgettable evening as part of Pacific Opera Victoria’s Luminary Series.
Created and performed by interdisciplinary artist Teiya Kasahara 笠原貞野 (they/he) with pianist David Eliakis (he/him), The Queen In Me is a bold, genre-defying work that blends comedy, drama, and opera into an electrifying theatrical experience.
Through the lens of The Magic Flute’s iconic Queen of the Night, Kasahara explores the many ways race, gender, and sexuality are policed in the opera industry. This personal and provocative journey reclaims space for women, trans, and non-binary voices too often excluded from the stage, daring to imagine a more inclusive and equitable future for the art form.
Audiences will hear a dazzling range of dramatic arias from some of opera’s most beloved works — including Puccini’s La Bohème, Madama Butterfly, Turandot, and Manon Lescaut; Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor; Verdi’s Macbeth and Rigoletto; Richard Strauss’ Salome; and Mozart’s The Magic Flute. Each aria is transformed, reframed, and reimagined through Kasahara’s unique vision, creating a rich tapestry of music and storytelling that is both deeply personal and universally resonant.
Both laugh-out-loud funny and profoundly moving, The Queen In Me invites audiences to see opera — and the possibilities for its future — in a whole new light. Whether you’re a lifelong opera fan or entirely new to the art form, this is a performance that will stay with you long after the final note.
See all eventsThis performance includes strobe-like lighting effects.
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