Vancouver Cantonese Opera

1) FREE WORKSHOP - CANTONESE OPERA BEHIND THE SCENES. THE WORKSHOP TEACHES THE PARTICIPANTS HISTORY OF CANTONESE OPERA MIMING HAND GESTURES BODY MOVEMENT OF CHINESE OPERA ON STAGE. CHINESE OPERA MAKEUP DEMONSTRATION ON SITE. 2) CANTONESE OPERA SINGING AND PERFORMANCE TECHNIQUE CLASSES IN THE LOWER MAINLAND. 3) OPERA-IN-CARE LIVE PERFORMANCE AT LONG TERM CARE FACILITIES. 4) CANTONESE OPERA EXTRAVAGANZA AT COMMUITY CENTRES. 5) TRADITIONAL CANTONESE OPERA PERFORMANCE AT THEATRE PROVIDING ACCESSIBLE AND AFFORDABLE ENTERTAINMENT. In 2022 Vancouver Cantonese Opera (VCO) premiered its first Cantonese Fusion Opera The Prop Master’s Dream. On November 2 2024 we remounted the production at the Vancouver Playhouse enhanced with an exquisite new lighting design and a reimagined projection design elevating the storytelling and visual impact of the performance. Following the success of this innovative work VCO is now developing a second Fusion Opera titled The Awakening. This new production explores Canadian history during the era of the Chinese Exclusion Act. 2025 has been designated as the year of artistic development for The Awakening which is scheduled to premiere in October 2026. Artistically we are pushing the boundaries of traditional Cantonese opera by incorporating contemporary and experimental approaches to musical composition stagecraft and narrative structure. Through collaborations with artists from diverse disciplines—including Indigenous performers jazz musicians and a rap artist—we are opening new pathways for creative expression and deepening engagement with a broader audience. Our work also seeks to explore the diasporic history of Cantonese opera and its complex relationship with the First Nations peoples on whose unceded Coast Salish territories we live and create. These themes of cultural intersection memory and identity remain central to our artistic vision.