ANGEL’S BONE

Overview

From some of Canada’s most innovative music and opera organizations comes the Toronto premiere of the Pulitzer-prize winning opera, Angel’s Bone by Du Yun and Royce Vavrek. 
The contemporary opera and its celebrated Canadian production, first seen in Vancouver, uses a creative lens and collaborative tool to generate conversation and awareness around human trafficking of youth, happening in our Canadian communities. Using multimedia design elements and a unique community engagement approach that has brought together social workers, survivors, lawyers, human rights activists and opera artists, this is a once-in-a-lifetime cross-cultural event, coming to the Harbourfront Centre Theatre, March 22, 23, and 24. 

For further detailed information on the opera and this production, please visit https://www.angelsbone.ca/toronto-2024

Please Note:  
This show is not for all audiences, and in particular, children, as it depicts difficult realities within the crime of human trafficking.  There are scenes of suggested sexuality and violence.  

Producing Partners
Loose Tea Music Theatre (Toronto), Array Music (Toronto), Sound the Alarm: Music/Theatre (Vancouver), Turning Point Ensemble (Vancouver)

Reviews from this productions 2022 Vancouver Canadian Premiere:

“Angels Bone: Disturbing the Comfortable.” Schmopera

“…inspires social education and emotional awareness through bold and creatively charged storytelling.” Schmopera 

“(Alexander Dobson) was more villainous than most fictional villains we can imagine. Dobson was vocally intense and powerful, and used his strong physical and vocal presence to further subdue the Angels.” Schmopera 

“Asitha Tennekoon as Boy Angel brought a tour-de-force performance, with an incredibly difficult score, plucking stratospheric high notes out of thin air and imparting the desperate rage of his captivity. He was absolutely spectacular and incredibly emotionally compelling throughout.”  Schmopera 

“Tennekoon navigated the vocal gymnastics of his role with seeming ease, convincingly modeling a trajectory of trauma responses typical of male trafficking victims with compelling displays of responsibility, fear, rage, and despair.”  Vancouver Arts Review 

“Alyssa Samson’s powerful voicing of Mrs. X.E.’s character did well to reveal the psychological trajectory of greed overcoming compassion.”

“…(the co-producing companies) have a reputation for taking risks and bringing modern, relevant productions to Vancouver and across the country, and they certainly succeeded with Angel’s Bone.” Vancouver Arts Review 

“… using nuanced, inclusive storytelling as a creative lens to generate conversation, empathy, and visibility around human trafficking in Canada.” Vancouver Arts Review 

“The music score, set design, costumes, lighting and dialogues are intentionally crafted to evoke a transformative understanding of the exploitative nature and ubiquity of this billion dollar industry. Every element of the production explores how human emotions are taken for granted, commodified and invisibilized in the current capitalist, hetero-patriachal society. Vancouver Arts Review