WHAT IS OPERA?

MUSIC | DRAMA | ACTION

Any work where the music acts as the catalyst for the drama and action of a story. With this definition, we go to unexpected realms!

WHAT WE DO

CONFRONT | EXAMINE | QUESTION | MODEL

Confront the status quo through cutting-edge works of opera theater

Examine antiquated and stereotypical traditions of the art form of opera

Question perspective through culturally focused and contemporary stories

Model creative authenticity

WHY WE DO IT

INNOVATION | RELEVANCE | EVOLUTION | COMMUNITY

Innovation

New and original artistic expressions within the opera genre, pushing the boundaries of traditional opera to explore unconventional themes, styles, and techniques.

Relevance

Contemporary issues and themes to ensure that opera remains a relevant and resonant art form, attracting new audiences and engaging with current cultural conversations.

Evolution

Foster experimentation and the emergence of fresh creative voices, and breathe new life into the genre.

Social Commentary

A platform for social and political commentary, raising awareness of pressing issues, and fostering critical discourse through the mediums of music and theater.

Engagement

Attract diverse audiences, broadening the reach of this art form.

DIVERSITY | EQUITY | INCLUSION | ACCESSIBILITY

Guerrilla Opera is a BIPOC and women-led ensemble, deeply committed to the values of collaboration, authenticity, and narratives that resonate with the diverse voices of contemporary society.

Being “punk” includes:

• Challenging the status quo,

• Questioning “authority” (the “systems”), and

• Advocating for individual rights and equality.

This spirit is the energy from which Guerilla Opera was founded - to uplift the voice of the unheard through rebellious works of opera theater.

Since 2018, we have collaborated on educational programs and increased accessibility for audiences who are blind and visually impaired with partners at the National Braille Press and the Perkin Braille and Talking Book Library.

In our current production-in-development (2023), “Ululations and Gurgles of the Invisible”, we collaborate with the Urban Jazz Dance Compan, a company whose work is rooted in multiple intersections of social justice.

The artists we engage, performing artists, teaching artists, designers, production technicians, composers, and librettists, reflect over 70% women, BIPOC, and LGBTQIA+ individuals.

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Although Guerilla Opera is a nomadic troupe, we would like to acknowledge that the land we have performed on in and around Boston for many years, is the original homelands of the Mashpee Wampanoag, Aquinnah Wampanoag, Nipmuc, Pawtucket, and Massachusett tribal nations.

We acknowledge the truth of violence to these Peoples perpetrated in the name of this country. We acknowledge the truth of the enslavement of African people and the violence perpetrated to them in the name of this country. We acknowledge that the history of the space we occupy has meant different things to different people. By acknowledging the land and all that it holds, we will care more deeply about the places we occupy and the people who are our neighbors.