The Queen In Me

Event Description

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.