Young Montreal theatre company dishes up indie opera with a twist

Of all the genres in the performing arts, opera may be the least accessible at leastin part because of its associationwith upper-class culture and its predilection for pomp.

Even the most enthusiasticopera lovers might admit the form has a reputation for being somewhatstuffy.

Lindsay Connolly, a mezzo-soprano who recently graduated with a master's in opera and voice from McGill University,understands all that. Whenever she takes her brothers to the opera, she'sprepared for a little pushback.

"What do I wear? How do I act? When do I clap? It can be super intimidating," she told CBC Montreal's Daybreak.

Connolly is theco-artistic director of 23 Degree Theatre, a recently launched company that aims to challengethe way people think about opera, presenting them with something entirely different from the norm.

Her company islabelled"indie opera" because it provides a modern-day twist on the classic productions of Carmen or Madame Butterfly that one might see staged bythe Opra de Montral.

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Questioning expectations

Tickets are now on sale for their second show, Expectations, a series of one-actoperas whose stated goal isto "help you question your expectations ... what you think is right (theatrically, morally, socially)."

One of those pieces, Yellow Wallpaper,is based on a story about a youngwoman who isbeing gaslit by her husband, and her descent into psychosis.

Another,Pursuit,isthe story of a coffee shopbarista and her relationship with one of her customers.

Needless to say, these aren'ttypical operaticsettings.

"We want to communicate stories that aren't told in traditional opera," Connollysaid.

Diverse composers

The company's mission isn't just to makeopera accessible to newaudiences, it's also to diversifywhat's on stage.

"The traditional opera canon is a lot of white male composers, and they're amazing. The works are fantastic," saidConnolly.

"Our goal is to majorly expand the repertoire."

This means afocus on composersof colour and women whose voices aren't well-represented by mainstream companies.

23 Degree Theatre held its inaugural show atSottorenea, an intimate space in the basement of Sala Rossa on St-Laurent Boulevard.

Their second show includesfive pieces and runs forjust over an hour.

Connolly says that the small concert venue isan additional twist on the grand halls where opera is usually performed.

"What we're hoping to do through it is challenge ouraudience's perspective," she said.

Expectationsruns May 19, 20 and 22 atSottorenea.General admission tickets are $25.