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    • FAQ – For Users
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    Canadian Opera Resource
    Canadian Opera Resource
    COR
    Operas
    Rocking Horse Winner
    Content warning: illness, death

    Rocking Horse Winner primarily explores the relationship between Paul, a young adult, and his emotionally distant mother, Ava.

    Paul is driven to bridge the relationship with his mother, but Ava s...
    Composer: Gareth Williams
    Librettist: Anna Chatterton

    Rocking Horse Winner
    TAP:EX Forbidden
    Content warning: sexual violence, incarceration, religious abuse, homophobia, conversion therapy

    Through several vignettes, Forbidden examines the idea of rules and taboos. Do they protect people, or do they control them? Are they of any value, or do they simply exploit the powerless?

    A young girl, punished with repetition of religious tex...
    Composer: Afarin Mansouri
    Librettist: Donna-Michelle St. Bernard

    TAP:EX Forbidden
    One Lump or Two?
    Content warning: mention of murder, violence, poison

    Four Victorian women sit down for a most unusual tea time. The women have two things in common: their dislike of the other women and of their husbands. Each woman refuses to drink tea for one reason or another while brainstorming ideas such as poison, prison, bee-stings or drowning. But who...
    Composer: Glenn James
    Librettist: Sandy Pool

    What is She?
    Content warning: misgendering, intersex discrimination

    A meditation on the discrimination intersex athletes face from their peers. A woman wins a gold medal, but her struggles to get there mean nothing to the organization and the other athletes. She’s disqualified and shamed.
    Composer: John Harris
    Librettist: Anna Chatterton

    What is She?
    What is She?
    In This World, George is Heartbroken
    Content warning: verbal abuse

    George and Martha have three very different versions of a difficult conversation over breakfast. The first two represent what happens in George’s mind when his wife insults him over breakfast. One is violent and reactionary, with George screaming and verbally abusing Martha. The other is more considered, as Georg...
    Composer: Lembit Beecher
    Librettist: Hannah Moscovitch

    In This World, George is Heartbroken
    The Overcoat: A Musical Tailoring
    Content warning: mental illness, alcohol use, incarceration due to mental illness

    Is it the clothes that make a man, or is it something other than?

    Based on the satirical Nikolai Gogol story of the same name, The Overcoat centres on Akakiy Akakiyevich, a diligent man no one likes, who works the numbers best he can. But he can barely pay th...
    Composer: James Rolfe
    Librettist: Morris Panych

    The Overcoat: A Musical Tailoring
    Lisa
    Content warning: death, murder, mention of child sexual abuse

    Lisa is a twelve-year-old student at an all-girls school, where she is best friends with Annie and Caroline. Together they form a group called the Teacher's Angels, made up of girls who score perfect on their tests.

    When Lisa scores a nine out of ten on a math test, she is kicke...
    Composer: Omar Daniel
    Librettist: Alex Poch-Goldin

    Lisa
    Lisa
    The Cellar Door
    Content warning: child sexual abuse, incest, death, murder

    Judith and Daniel, long estranged siblings, are brought together by the passing of their father. Time has passed, but it seems like Judith hasn't changed at all. Daniel kills his sister when she wants to resume their childhood sexual relationship.
    Composer: Melissa Hui
    Librettist: Jovanni Sy

    The Cellar Door
    The Cellar Door
    The Enslavement and Liberation of Oksana G.
    Content warning: captivity, sex trafficking, sex work, sexual violence, violence, death

    The Enslavement and Liberation of Oksana G. is a fictional dramatic opera built on extensive factual research. Set in Ukraine in 1997, it is the story of Oksana, a young woman lured into the world of sex trafficking by a Russian recruiter, Konstantin, who ...
    Composer: Aaron Gervais
    Librettist: Colleen Murphy

    The Enslavement and Liberation of Oksana G.
    COR
    Excerpts
    Rocking Horse Winner – Scene 7: Ava and Paul at the piano

    Paul asks his mother why she always sings sad songs and if she knows anything happier. Ava rebukes him. She expresses profound regret for the stupidity and vanity of her youth. The world only smiles for the young, she says. Paul hopes she’ll smile for her birthday tomorrow, but she does not. At her birthday party, Oscar gives her the winnings...

    The Enslavement and Liberation of Oksana G. – Act 3, Scene 4

    Konstantin breaks into Oksana's room and tries to convince her to leave with him. When this fails, he tries to rape her again but she stabs him. He gets the knife and stabs her before he dies. Father Alexander returns and Oksana dies of her wound, dreaming of home.

    Rocking Horse Winner – Scene 9: The Money Gets Spent

    The predictions keep coming true, and the money keeps coming. The money gets spent, and Paul keeps riding. All the while the house is getting filled with finery. But it keeps singing. There must be more, but Paul’s luck falters as his energy wanes.

    Rocking Horse Winner – Scene 11: Paul dies

    The last ride has left Paul gravely ill. Oscar and Bassett tell him they bet it all, and they’re set for life. Paul asks his mother if she’ll finally be happy- finally smile. She does, but as they leave his room to celebrate, Paul hears the house whisper. There must be more. Paul is desperate, and crawls to his rocking horse for more luck, mo...

    Rocking Horse Winner – Scene 5

    Paul is nearly overwhelmed by the noise, but manages. Oscar and Bassett place their bets on Daffodil. Bassett takes the role of a race announcer, and the three watch Paul’s prediction come true. The three sing of how this will change everything.

    The Cellar Door – “Down there I won’t go” (aria)

    Daniel sings of his fear at the prospect of going down into the cellar of his childhood home, after his father has died.

    The Cellar Door – “That’s all you have to say?” (aria)

    Judith sings angrily at her brother when he expresses his desire to leave their childhood home after their father has died.

    The Cellar Door – The Cellar Door

    Back in his childhood home after the death of this father, Daniel kills his sister when she wants to resume their childhood sexual relationship.

    The Overcoat: A Musical Tailoring – Act 1, scene 2

    After rushing to work, Akakiy is bullied by his coworkers. He’s too good at his job, and it’s making the rest of them look bad.

    The Overcoat: A Musical Tailoring – Act 1, scene 6

    Akakiy gets caught in rush hour and arrives late to find the head the department telling a sad story about encountering a homeless vagrant. Annoyed at being interrupted, the head of the department grills Akakiy on his little notebook of numbers. Akakiy explains he was using it to find ways to save money, which gives the head an idea. He’ll cu...

    What is She? – What is She?

    An intersex woman wins a gold medal, but her struggles to get there mean nothing to the organization and the other athletes. She’s disqualified and shamed.

    Rocking Horse Winner – Scene 10: Ava and Paul

    Paul begs his rocking horse for more luck for the Derby. Ava decides Paul’s been too agitated lately, and the distance between them grows wider. Ava leaves his room and bemoans Paul’s lack of understanding. She deserves luxury now and then, and Paul robs her of comfort. As if on cue, she hears Paul noisily riding his rocking horse again. Whil...

    Rocking Horse Winner – Scene 8: Ava’s birthday

    Ava is disappointed in her birthday celebration, and Paul asks her why she isn't happy.

    One Lump or Two? – One Lump or Two?

    Four Victorian women sit down for a most unusual tea time. The women have two things in common: their dislike of the other women and of their husbands. Each woman refuses to drink tea for one reason or another while brainstorming ideas such as poison, prison, bee-stings or drowning. But who are they plotting against– their partners, or each o...

    In This World, George is Heartbroken – In This World, George is Heartbroken

    George and his wife Martha have three very different versions of a difficult conversation over breakfast.

    TAP:EX Forbidden – Act 1, Scene 1: “Understanding”

    The Child is taught a lesson. She attempted to speak her truth, but was met with discipline.

    TAP:EX Forbidden – Act 1, Scene 2: “With His Eyes (Male Gaze)”

    An interrogator turns his lurid eyes on an imprisoned female activist. Purposefully misunderstanding her movements as seduction, he convinces himself of something horrid.

    TAP:EX Forbidden – Act 1, Scene 3: “Come In”

    Lucifer taunts the Child in a cell. She doesn't understand what she's done wrong.

    TAP:EX Forbidden – Act 1, Scene 8: “Eat Anything”

    The Child is allowed out of her cage, with a warning she can have anyting she wants except for one thing. She asks what it might be, and in a Kafka-esque reply they say, “you know.”

    TAP:EX Forbidden – Act 2, Scene 1: “After Intermission”

    The Child is led back to the book cage, and performers take their places.

    TAP:EX Forbidden – Act 2, Scene 3: “In the Maze of Prison”

    The Child questions Lucifer’s role as tempter, while he tempts with growing intensity. He chastises the Child for bowing to authority. She erupts in anger, pushing the books aside and leaving the cage.

    TAP:EX Forbidden – Act 2, Scene 4: “Dubai know how to Party”

    A distraught woman is trying to report her sexual assault to a policeman. She admits she’s had some alcohol. Instead of pursuing justice, the policeman arrests her for illegal possession of alcohol. The Child witnesses all of it.

    TAP:EX Forbidden – Act 2, Scene 6: “With His Serenity (Falun Dufa)”

    A watcher looks over a group of faithful. His irritation turns to hatred as he accuses them of subversion. He claims to have proof hidden in some papers, but the Child has destroyed them. The Child proclaims “I know what to do,” and the tension between authority and people escalates. The Child begins taking pages and notes from all the surrou...

    Rocking Horse Winner – Scene 6: Paul tells Oscar about the House (duet)

    Paul tells Oscar he hopes the winnings will stop the house from singing. Paul hears “her” sing of how there’s never enough, how there must be more. He makes Oscar promise not to tell his mother about where the money comes from; it might ruin the luck. Oscar tells him to never stop riding.

    Lisa – Scene 3

    Mr. Herwin tells Lisa he knows she killed her friends with poisoned lemonade. Lisa tells him she has told people he is a pedophile.

    The Enslavement and Liberation of Oksana G. – Act 1, Scene 2

    In a forest in Romania, Oksana discovers she has been tricked and is now in danger. Konstantin and his partners rape Oksana & Natalyia.

    The Enslavement and Liberation of Oksana G. – Act 1, Scene 3

    Sofiya goes to Asa to have her cards read for news of Oksana. The police will not treat Oksana's disappearance as crime, as she went with the men willingly. The cards say Oksana has been robbed of her soul.

    The Enslavement and Liberation of Oksana G. – Act 1, Scene 4

    In Greece at a bar, three women are held captive: Konstantin sends Lyubia with a businessman, Natalyia with the Immigration officer who cuts her, and Oksana is bought by Konstantin at auction. Konstantin then offers to the crowd a gang rape just as the police arrive to raid the bar. Instead, he escapes with Oksana and Natalyia.

    The Enslavement and Liberation of Oksana G. – Act 1, Scene 6

    On the Albanian coast the women captives wait for the boat to Italy. Oksana is still defiant, trying to figure out an escape for herself and others. The boat and Konstantin arrive, and Oksana fails to convince him to free her and Natalyia.

    The Enslavement and Liberation of Oksana G. – Act 2, Scene 4

    Dima has found Oksana at the refuge, and shows Konstantin a photograph of her as proof.

    The Enslavement and Liberation of Oksana G. – Act 2, Scene 6

    Refugees are trying on clothes, when Dima and Konstantin enter looking for Oksana. Konstantin offers Father Alexander money for Oksana and Clara calls the police; Konstantin and Dima leave before the police arrive.

    COR

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