Madame Caeneus’s Canteen James Rolfe
ANIMA & the Open Ears Festival

ANIMA & the Open Ears Festival co-present the world premiere of Mme Caeneus’s Canteen

A transy chamber opera set in the queer world of Mme Caeneus’s, a ‘locker club’ in WWII America, where host/ess Lucy (‘Mme Caeneus’) holds space for transformation in the midst of a polarized world.

Madame Caeneus’s Canteen!

A beggar can become a queen,
a queen become a corporal,
the corporal can trade his stripes
for civvies of a Friday night — …

Two intersecting gender transitions unfold against the backdrop of the sexual, gender, and racial politics of the 1940s U.S. — and beyond that, against the backdrop of the bronze-age transition story which a group of soldiers are acting out in their ‘blueprint special’ drag revue.

A story of queer solidarity, love, and chosen family, this opera resonates in and for our own time.

music by James Rolfe
words by Luke Hathaway with contributions from asitha tennekoon අසිත තෙන්නකෝන්
directed by Henry Oswald Peirson
musical direction by Juliet Palmer
technical direction and lighting design by Jasmine Rajaballey
stage management by Paula Bornacelli
costume design by Rachel Kaufman Behling
artist-care consultant Claire Yurkovich

Featuring:

Martin Gomes (Lucy)
asitha tennekoon අසිත තෙන්නකෝන් (Eugene)
Lesley Emma Bouza (Remi)
Paul Genyk-Berezowsky (Ben)
Ryan McDonald (Pat)
Daniel Cabena (Bird)
and Mme Caeneus’s house band:
Phil Albert (electric bass)
Richard Burrows (percussion)
Juliet Palmer (bandleader/clarinet)
Matti Pulkki (accordion)
Philipp Samutin (violin)

Supported by the Canada Council for the Arts.