Dido & Belinda offers a new perspective on Purcell’s beloved opera, Dido and Aeneas. With the addition of narration from the point of view of Dido’s closest confidante, Belinda, this staged production will emphasize many of the themes already found in the original libretto: the shame surrounding feminine sexuality, the blindness of male privilege, and the societal pressure to conform to gender roles. By casting singers of diverse genders in the leading roles, against expectations of standard gendered casting, Dido & Belinda will challenge audiences to rethink the relationships between bodies and genders which are so often taken for granted.
OperaQ is a Toronto-based independent opera company dedicated to amplifying queer and trans voices to offer new perspectives on traditional narratives. Although the opera industry involves countless queer artists, opportunities for authentic and complex expressions of queerness are few and far between. OperaQ’s mission is to create a space in which queer and trans artists can tell their stories on their own terms, an opportunity which is largely missing from the operatic canon.