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A wedding delayed, a count betrayed
Presented in iconic Winnipeg gay bar Club 200 and starring Heather Molloy as Figaro, this ground-breaking production puts a new spin on Mozart's beloved opera. Powdered wigs not included.
Figaro and Susanna are in love and plan to be married, but their wedding is repeatedly delayed by their employer, the Count. Infatuated with Susanna, the Count is determined to raise as many impediments to the union as he can while continuing to make unwanted advances towards her. Luckily, Figaro and Susanna come up with a clever plan to humiliate their boss and force him to allow their marriage to take place.
August 23, 25, & 27, 2022
Club 200 (190 Garry St, Winnipeg, MB R3C 1G6)
August 23 & 25 begin at 7:30 and August 27 begins at 2:30 (time change). The production is approximately 110 minutes long including one 15-minute intermission and two short breaks. Doors open at least an hour before the show. Arrive early and get some food and a drink!
Early bird tickets (until August 8)
$25 / General
$20 / Senior, Student, Arts Worker
Tickets (after August 8)
$30 / General
$22 / Senior, Student, Arts Worker
You must be at least 18 to attend.
Marriage of Figaro is sung in English with English dialogue.
Food and drink are available for purchase before, after, and during all breaks. Please support your local businesses.
Creative Team
Adam Da Ros, Director
Adam Da Ros is a Canadian stage and music director from Dawson Creek, B.C. active in opera and musical theatre. Following residencies at Vancouver Opera and Minnesota Opera, where he assisted on mainstage productions and directed young artist programming and outreach activities, he spent two years as adjunct instructor and director of Opera Theatre at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Adam holds a Master of Music degree in Opera from the University of British Columbia, and has worked across the continent at opera training programs as an administrator, director, and musician.
Adam is thrilled to be returning to MUO after directing original adaptations of Idomeneo in 2017 and Dido|Aeneas in 2019. Recent directing credits include Le nozze di Figaro and Mark Adamo's Little Women for UWM Opera Theatre, Il barbiere di Siviglia and Madama Butterfly for Burnaby Lyric Opera, and Un ballo in maschera and Terrence McNally's Master Class with Opera Mariposa.
The 2021/22 season saw Adam assist on Rigoletto at The Florentine Opera and Moravec & Campbell's The Shining at Opera Colorado. Prior to returning to Canada, he spent two months at Colorado's historic Central City Opera, assisting on Ken Cazan's production of The Light in the Piazza as part of their 90th anniversary season. In the fall, Adam looks forward to traveling to Washington, DC to assist director Brenna Corner on Washington National Opera's production of Verdi's Il trovatore.
Diane Speirs, Conductor
Diane Speirs has had a diverse career as a singer, conductor, and teacher. She has sung a number of opera and musical theatre roles and has performed regularly as a member of the Vancouver Opera Chorus. She sang several roles in Pauline, the new opera by Tobin Stokes and Margaret Atwood on the life of Pauline Johnson which premiered at Vancouver City Opera. Recent conducting has included productions of Urinetown (Studio 58), Candide, The Old Maid and the Thief, HMS Pinafore (Dragon Diva Operatic Theatre), The Boys from Syracuse and Oh Boy! (Applause! Musicals). Ms. Speirs is currently on faculty at Studio 58, Langara College’s professional theatre program and runs a thriving online voice studio. She holds a Bachelor of Education degree from University of Regina and a Master of Music in vocal performance from University of Toronto. She now lives in Kelowna with her partner Lorraine, their daughter, and an ever growing assortment of animals
Ridge Romanishen, Stage Manager
Ridge is a recent graduate from the University of Winnipeg’s Theatre and Film Department with Honors in Stage Management. Ridge loves to be involved in all forms of performing arts and is thrilled to add Opera to his repertoire. Over the pandemic he has been lucky to Stage Manage: Shakespeare’s Will (SIR), TRIGGER WARNING: Cassandra(Sick + Twisted Theatre), In Time (TPM/End of the West Collective) and Dance Spectrum (RWB School). He also Apprentice Stage Managed on Calpurnia (RMTC). Some of Ridge’s other Stage Management credits include Growing Op and It’s Fine, We’re Working on It (Winnipeg Fringe), A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Arcadia (University of Winnipeg and he has worked as Apprentice Stage Manager on Kiss of the Spider Woman (Dry Cold Productions), The Golem’s Might Swing and Narrow Bridge (Winnipeg Jewish Theatre). Thanks so much to everyone at Manitoba Underground Opera for this amazing opportunity!
Shannon Hiebert, Répétiteur
Pianist and Vocal Coach Shannon Hiebert studied at the University of Manitoba with Sydney Young McInnis. She went on to pursue advanced studies at the University of Michigan with Martin Katz and at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity with Martin Isepp. Shannon Hiebert has been heard in recitals and broadcasts across North America, Europe, Taiwan and Japan. In addition to her work as a collaborative pianist, Shannon Hiebert has performed with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, Edmonton Opera, Groundswell, Winnipeg Singers, Citadel Theatre, Edmonton Opera and numerous musical theatre productions. Tours with Broadway Across Canada include productions of Mamma Mia, Spamalot, Wicked and Book of Mormon. In 2009, Shannon Hiebert joined the Toronto Company of Jersey Boys. Music Direction credits include Grant MacEwan University’s Theatre Arts productions of Spring Awakening and A Little NIght Music, the Plain Jane Theatre Company’s Sterling Award nominated productions of Fiorello, Little Fish, Mack and Mabel and A New Brain, Opera Nuova's production of Light in the Piazza, Suor Angelica with the Centre of Opera Studies in Italy and the University of Alberta Opera Theatre productions of L'étoile, Die Zauberflöte, L'elisir d'amore, and the Canadian Premiere of The Enchanted Pig.
In 2013 Shannon Hiebert received a Sterling Award nomination for outstanding musical direction. A passionate teacher and coach, Shannon Hiebert has worked as coach/pianist at universities across Canada, Opera NUOVA, Calgary Opera’s Emerging Artist Program and the Centre for Opera Studies in Italy (COSI) and Cantilon Choirs. In2017she received a teaching award for her work at the University of Alberta, Department of Music. After acting as chorus master for Edmonton Opera's 2022 production of La Bohème, Shannon will join Edmonton Opera as chorus master for the 2022/2023 season. Her discography includes "Starry Night" a benefit for Winnipeg Harvest, "Prairie Voices" with the Winnipeg Singers and "Rhymes and Reveries" with Tracy Dahl.
Cast (in alphabetical order)
Kyle Briscoe, Basilio
Kyle Briscoe is a queer interdisciplinary opera artist, administrator, teacher, producer, and recording artist. Kyle’s artistry values creation, arts advocacy, digital content, and leadership through vulnerability, championing self-love and discovery. Kyle recently completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Manitoba studying as a tenor under baritone Mel Braun where he has been praised for his beautiful tone and endearing vulnerability respectively. Born and raised in Winnipeg Manitoba, Kyle is a prairie boy at heart. who is passionate about immersing himself in everything that involves music in Manitoba. He is invested in connecting with members of his community and those abroad to learn from their lived experiences that ultimately inform his artistry. Equally equipped for the office chair, Kyle supports the Association for Opera in Canada’s RBC-LINK young artist fellowship, a program he graduated from as part of the inaugural class, as Alumni Assistant, and has recently accepted the position of Executive Assistant at Manitoba Opera. Kyle has been awarded the Andrew Kuryk Memorial Scholarship for leadership in the University of Manitoba Singers choral ensemble (2020 & 2019), Second Prize in the Zita Bernstein Competition for an outstanding performance of German Lieder (2020), and the University of Manitoba Undergraduate Research Award to pursue research in perceptual studies (2019). You may recognize Kyle from his performances with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra (Solomon), Manitoba Opera, The Little Opera Company, PolyCoro, and Dead of Winter.
Henry Chen, Count
Henry is a lyric baritone who has been part of Vancouver’s flourishing opera scene for over a decade. After completing his studies at the Vancouver Academy of Music under the directions of David Meek, he keeps himself engaged with various productions in opera companies large and small, performing roles major and minor. He’s at his best when singing and acting on stage, performing operas and operettas. He also has an undeniable passion for art song, especially German lieder.
Henry has been seen performing as the title role in operas such as Le Nozze di Figaro, and as the male protagonist Danilo in Die Lustige Witwe. Henry also enjoys workshopping new productions and was part of the cast in Tom Pinkerton: The Ballad of Butterfly’s Son, a musical drama sequel to Madama Butterfly written by Vancouver locals David MacIntyre and Hiro Kanagawa. He also participated in the workshop of Orfeo ed Euridicewith Ne. Sans opera under the directions of Idan Cohen.
As well as being a regular chorister with Vancouver Opera, he was also part of the cast for Vancouver Opera’s revival of Naomi’s Road, a touring opera by Ramona Luengen based on Joy Kogawa’s novel of the same name. The show was toured across BC in schools, concert spaces, and community centres.
His most recent performances saw him in the role of Page in Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors, as well as joining his Vancouver Opera colleagues in Orfeo ed Euridice by Gluck.
Paul Forget, Antonio
Paul Forget is a Winnipeg singer and actor with a long history of performing with community groups, including Winnipeg’s Gilbert and Sullivan Society, Mennonite Festival Chorus, and two previous MUO productions (Idomeneo, Dido|Aeneas). Paul has also played roles in Opera NUOVA productions of Into the Woods, Kiss Me Kate, The Secret Garden, and The Fairy Queen. He is currently finishing a Bachelor of Music at the University of Manitoba, and works as a section lead at St. Andrews River Heights United Church.
Rosemarie van der Hooft, Marcellina
Hailed as a versatile and expressive singer, Canadian mezzo-soprano, Rosemarie van der Hooft has enjoyed an international career performing masterpieces of the baroque alongside new and varied works of contemporary composers. Rosemarie is well known for performances with Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, GroundSwell, Musik Barock, and in collaboration with local artists as a founding member of the Amarillis Ensemble, Professor Bach Project and EMERADO. She regularly premieres the work of established Canadian and international composers, frequently in collaboration with pianist, Laura Loewen. Ms. Van der Hooft has taught at University of Manitoba and Canadian Mennonite University. In 2019, She established Blue Rose Yoga and Voice and currently works as a voice teacher and wellness coach, supporting singers with mindfulness meditation and yoga.
Chelsea Kutyn, Susanna
Despite the turbulent last few years, Canadian soprano Chelsea Kutyn is charging full steam ahead; winning the Rose Bowl, George H. Price Memorial Scholarship, and Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra Community Concert Performance Award from the Winnipeg Music Festival (April 2022). This season, Chelsea also debuts as "Magda" from Menotti's The Consul with Opera NUOVA (July 2022) and as "Susannah" from Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro with Manitoba Underground Opera (Aug 2022).
This fall, Chelsea will complete her Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance with Monica Huisman at the University of Manitoba and audition for Young Artist Programs.
Recent performances include “Poppea” in Monteverdi’s L'incoronazione di Poppea (Desautels Faculty of Music Chamber Opera) and musical theatre scenes in the roles of "Sergeant Sarah" from Guys and Dolls, "Velma Kelly" from Chicago, "Catherine Parr" from Six, and "Beth" from Merrily We Roll Along (Desautels Faculty of Music Theatre Ensemble).
Following the advice of mentor Ben Butterfield who said, “Don’t bore me!” Chelsea plans to use her skills from business (BCom 2016) and performing (BMus 2020, MMus 2022) to explore opportunities in classical music and music theatre.
Heather Molloy, Figaro
Heather Molloy is a Mezzo-Soprano opera performer based in the Vancouver area. She received her Master’s Degree in Opera Performance from the University of British Columbia. A graduate of the Calgary Opera Emerging Artist Program, Heather made her orchestral debut singing with the Regina Symphony Orchestra. She has appeared on operatic stages across Canada, including Pacific Opera in Victoria and City Opera in Vancouver, Heather has been a featured soloist with the Vancouver, Saskatoon, and Calgary Festival symphonies.
She is an advocate for new music and has been involved in debuts of several new Canadian works, including the Vancouver premiere of Bramwell Tovey’s opera, “The Inventor,” the world premieres of “Missing” by Brian Currant and Marie Clement, and “Stickboy” by Shane Koyczan and Neil Wisensel. Shortly before the pandemic she was collaborating on a new project, Jesse – an ASL Opera, which aims to integrate Opera, ASL and Deaf theatre practices.
Matthew Pauls, Bartolo
Canadian baritone Matthew Pauls has been praised for his on-stage poise and magnificent singing (Opera Canada). Matthew's stage credits include Figaro in Le Nozze di Figaro, Masetto in Don Giovanni, Benoit in La Bohème, Marullo in Rigoletto, the Speaker and 2nd Armoured Man in Die Zauberflöte, Father Christmas in Merry Christmas Stephen Leacock, Dr. Falke in Die Fledermaus, Don Pedro in Béatrice et Bénédict, Don Inigo Gomez in L’Heure Espagnole, the Mysterious Man in Sondheim's Into the Woods, and Frank Maurant in Street Scene. On the concert stage, Matthew has performed numerous works such as Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Verdi’s Requiem, Handel’s Alexander’s Feast and Messiah, Haydn’s Creation, Mozart’s Requiem and Vesperae solennes de confessore, Fauré’s Requiem, Ramirez’s Misa Criolla, Grieg’s Four Psalms, J. S. Bach’s cantatas Wachet! betet! betet! wachet! (BWV 70), Gott der Herr ist Sonn und Schild (BWV 79), Ein' feste Burg ist unser Gott (BWV 80), Gottes Zeit is die allerbeste Zeit (BWV 106), and Vaughan Williams’ Dona Nobis Pacem and Five Mystical Songs.
Matthew has been delighted to perform as a featured soloist with ensembles such as the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra, Windsor Symphony Orchestra, Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional del Paraguay, Canadian Chamber Choir, Pro Coro Canada, Winnipeg Singers, Guelph Chamber Choir, Windsor Classic Chorale, and the Windsor Symphony Chorus.
An assistant professor of music at Canadian Mennonite University, Matthew teaches voice, aural skills, vocal pedagogy, and is the director of the CMU Men’s Chorus. He completed his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Vocal Performance through the University of Western Ontario where the focus of his doctoral research was Argentine art song.
Karen Santos, Countess
Karen Santos is a versatile soprano and visual artist known for her rich tone and passion for the arts. Born and raised in Mexico City, Karen has been living in Canada for several years. Karen’s most recent performance included the one-act, one-woman opera ‘At the Statue of Venus’ by Jake Heggie. In this production, Karen worked under renowned director Rob Herriot, with music direction by acclaimed soprano Monica Huisman, and piano by Megan Dufrat. For this opera, Karen also created all of the set’s art pieces, using her visual arts’ degree to set the stage of an art gallery.
Karen made her Carnegie Hall debut in July of 2017 with the Manhattan Opera Studio, studying with Saffron Chung, Roger Malouf, and Lewis Ehlers of Lombardo Associates. She also performed in the Festival de Ópera en Oaxaca in her native country, singing Micaëla in Bizet’s Carmen, under the mentorship of the celebrated Mexican mezzo-soprano, Grace Echauri. She recently completed her Masters of Music at the Desautels Faculty of Music at the University of Manitoba, studying with Monica Huisman, Tracy Dahl, and Laura Loewen. In addition to this, Karen has studied under the distinguished tutelage of David L. Jones and esteemed soprano, Robyn Driedger-Klassen.
Karen’s recent performances have included such leading roles as Rose (At the Statue of Venus), Isabelle/Madeline (The Face on the Barroom Floor) with the Little Opera Company, Belinda/Anna (Dido & Aeneas) with Manitoba Underground Opera, Rodrigo (Handel’s Rodrigo) & Angela (Angela and her Sisters) with the University of Manitoba Opera Theatre, Papagena (Die Zauberflöte) and Lady Anna (Patience) with Opera NUOVA, Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro) with the Manhattan Opera Studio, and Micaëla (Carmen) with Festival de Ópera en Oaxaca.
As mentioned, Karen is also an accomplished visual artist, having received a Fine Arts Degree from UBC in Visual Arts, and completed her Opera Performance degree at the Vancouver Academy of Music.
Hailey Witt, Cherubino
Described by her mentors as a “convincing and vibrant” performer, Hailey Witt leaves audiences “astounded in every way by her ability as an actress and singer.” This “magical, magical young woman” is a powerful mezzo-soprano from the prairies of Manitoba and an artistic force to be reckoned with.
After attaining her Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance from Brandon University, Witt competed in the Federation of Canadian Music Festival’s National Music Festival (2019) as Manitoba’s representing vocalist.
Hailey has performed with Manitoba Underground Opera for the past few seasons, in Mozart!s Idomeneo and Don Giovanni, and Purcell!s Dido and Aeneas. She played Pitti-Sing in Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Mikado (2020) and the wicked aunt, La Zia Principessa, in Puccini’s Suor Angelica (2021) at Western University. In addition to these roles, Witt performed Schumann’s Frauen-Liebe und Leben as part of her graduating Masters recital, for which she received ‘distinction.’