[opera captions]
We tend to live within the narrative of sound; this is a production that explores how sound is felt - with captions as our guide.
[opera captions] is a music-theater-film-translation-poetry performance that reimagines what captions as an “actor” can do beyond functioning as a communication conveyor and sound interpreter in audiovisual media while interacting with and personified by both Deaf and hearing-abled humans.
[opera captions] first premiered in NYC in 2023. AOT’s production of [opera captions] is a newly produced iteration of the original premiere and has been guided by an Advisory Council which includes both Deaf and hearing-abled theater artists.
CAST & CREW
PERFORMERS
Cindi Martin
narrator
Rodolfo Nieto
narrator
Jared Mikach
pianist
Sage Opeña
saxophone
Rebecca Merblum
cello
Maria Dively
ASL interpreter
Bee Valentino
ASL interpreter
PRODUCTION TEAM
Jay Afrisando
creator and composer
Ches Cipriano
stage manager
Riley Graygrove
accessibility coordinator
Lela Olson
captioner
Dante Lawrence
lighting designer
ADVISORY COUNCIL
Cindi Martin
Cookie Brand
Daymond Sands
Maria Dively
Meryl K. Evans
DIRECTORS
Sequoia Hauck
stage director
Kelly M Turpin
executive producer
Jared Mikach
music director
PERFORMERS
Cindi Martin (she/her/ikwe) is an Anishinaabe Deaf woman from the Red Lake Nation, raised in South Minneapolis. She made her debut as a narrator at the Opera. As a Deaf cultural consultant, she has contributed to a diverse range of projects, including stage productions such as the Guthrie Theater’s “For the People” and documentaries like “They Didn’t Deserve to Die.” In May, she acted in “Niizh” with the Mni Giizhik Theatre. Additionally, she serves as the CEO of the Indigenous Interpreter Organization (IIO), where her contributions continue to bridge cultural gaps and enhance accessibility for Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals.
Rodolfo Nieto is a singer, actor, and songwriter based in Minneapolis. His work ranges from musical theater and opera to concerts of Latin American music. A frequent presence on Twin Cities theater stages, he has performed with Theater Latté Da, History Theatre, Mixed Precipitation, Mixed Blood Theatre, Minnesota Opera, Artistry, and others. He is also a frequent singer with Border CrosSing, a St. Paul based choral organization, for their live performances, recording projects, and educational outreach. As a songwriter, Rodolfo has written art songs and arias - many of which reflect his Hispanic heritage - as well as a short recipe-based operita and the The Minnesota Beer Song, which can be viewed on his YouTube channel @rodolfonieto8604. Learn more at www.rodolfo-nieto.com
Sage Opeña is a multi-instrumental performer and vocalist who frequently appears with local groups like Ice Climber, Los Malos Pasos, Crush Scene, the Old Smugglers and many more around the Twin Cities. Sage’s childhood was split between the Minnesota Twin Cities of Minneapolis/St. Paul and the Pennsylvania Stepbrother Cities of Philadelphia/Pittsburgh.
He actively “sunlights” as a biomedical researcher while moonlighting in a variety of stages and venues. Sage has been an avid appreciator of closed captions and subtitling in nearly all the media he consumes because auditory processing can be a bit overwhelming. He is excited to see you connect with [Opera Captions], and he hopes you find it as entertaining as it is accessible.
Rebecca Merblum is an artist wearing the hats of performer, colleague, educator, collaborator, mentor, and mother. Her work centers around the practice of proximity as a means of forging connection, healing fractures, and holding multiple truths. She sees her main task is that of a listener - giving sound to that which lives within. Rebecca’s Target Center Residency at the Weisman Museum- Cello Conversations ‘What Do You Hear’ served as a thread for these consistent curiosities around the practice of listening as it relates to proximity and advocacy. This ethos was reflected in Rebecca’s work with MacPhail’s Global Music Initiative, and currently lives with her Co Director position of the Kenya International Chamber Music Festival, collaborative efforts with artists of all disciplines, and as a guest with the St Paul Chamber Orchestra. Rebecca was recognized for the breadth of her work with a 2022-2023 McKnight Fellowship Grant.
Jared Mikach is a Mexican-American collaborative pianist and educator in the Twin Cities. He earned a B.A. in Music from St. Olaf College, and a Master’s Degree in Collaborative Piano and Coaching at the University of Minnesota. Jared's experience spans various opera and musical theater productions where he has worked as a pianist, assistant music director, and repetiteur. Beyond performance, he is actively engaged as an educator: he served as the music department pianist at North High School, is a Youth Program Music Director for MN Opera, and a core faculty member for the Ordway’s GreenRoom fellowship. As a freelance pianist, Jared has collaborated with organizations including BorderCrosSing, Heritage Choir, Minnesota Philharmonic Orchestra, Schubert Club, Source Song Festival, OOPS MN, Mississippi Valley Orchestra, Skylark Opera Theatre, AOT, and Journey North Opera Company. Jared strives to bring a holistic approach to every facet of his art making, creating spaces that foster sustainability in the arts.
Maria Camacho-Dively (Performance Interpreter, she/ella/they) is a trilingual interpreter from Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico, who believes the magic of theater should be for everyone. A graduate of North Central University and an NIC-certified interpreter since 2011, Maria brings energy, artistry, and connection to every performance, helping stories resonate with both Deaf and hearing audiences.
Outside of interpreting, Maria delights in humming her favorite musical tunes and engaging in lively discussions with friends about their latest theater adventures. She loves attending performances and immersing herself in the vibrant local art scene while also embracing her Puerto Rican heritage through continuous learning and exploration. These varied passions inspire her creativity, both on and off the stage.
Breanna “Bee” Valentino is a Nationally Certified freelance interpreter with 15 years of specialized Performing Arts experience. Bee has had the honor of providing access for all major concert stadiums and arenas in Minnesota, as well as over a dozen theaters. She emphatically enjoys interpreting rock, metal and pop music, circus and local arts performance as well as niche events like Opera or immersive sensory experiences. She has provided ASL for over 70 headlining artists, and even more at a local or emergent level. From Fandom conventions to music festivals to live Comics – the chances are large that you will bare witness to Bee’s service in many entertaining environments.
Jay Afrisando is a neurodivergent artist, researcher, and educator with multisensory and antidisciplinary practice. He works on aural diversity, disability, accessibility, and decolonizing the arts, manifested in music-theater, film, installation, game, witty storytelling, and other genre-bending experiences. His works have been presented at various scenes and spaces, including Galerie im Turm (DE), daadgalerie (DE), ARTJOG (ID), Curb Appeal Gallery (US), and HERE Arts Center (US), among others. He has collaborated with artists, curators, and culture bearers, including Dr. Kate Brehme, Saverio Cantoni, Dea Karina, Ariel Orah, Morgan Sully, Simoné Goldschmidt-Lechner, thingNY, Third Coast Percussion, Zeitgeist, Andy Slater, Jamil Haque, and Gelsey Bell, among many. He is an Atelier KITLV-Framer Framed Artist in Residence 2025-26 and a DAAD Artists-in-Berlin Fellow 2024-25, and currently an Assistant Professor of Music at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
Sequoia Hauck is a White Earth Anishinaabe and Hupa two-spirit filmmaker, interdisciplinary artist, and theatre director. A 2023 Jerome Hill Artist Fellow and First Peoples Fund Cultural Capital Fellow, they also co-founded Mni Giizhik Theatre Ensemble, recipient of the 2025 First Peoples Fund Native Performing Arts Grant. Mni Giizhik is dedicated to fostering Native theatre through ethical, collaborative, and relational practices—uplifting cultural specificity and expanding access to Indigenous theatre. Sequoia has collaborated with Aniccha Arts, Art Shanty Projects, Exposed Brick Theatre, Guthrie Theater, The Jungle Theater, Māoriland Film Festival, An Opera Theatre, Pangea World Theater, Patrick's Cabaret, Perseverance Theatre, Poetry and Pie, Rosy Simas Danse, The Southern Theater, and Turtle Theater Collective. They are a member of the inaugural Artist Cohort at The Jungle Theater and currently serve on the Guthrie Theater’s Native Advisory Council. www.sequoiahauck.com
It isn’t every day that newspapers mention arts administrators, but AOT Founder/Producer Kelly M Turpin was praised by the Star Tribune for having “thrown a gauntlet down to those inclined to think opera consists mainly of prima donnas, pretty tunes and preening.”
Kelly’s career in artistic development and administration began as Company Director for Mill City Summer Opera. Since then, she has worked with The Southern Theater, Cantus, GTCYS (Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies), The Jungle Theater, and is currently the Director of Development & Communications at Women’s Advocates on top of her responsibilities at AOT.
Originally planning on a career in opera performance, (Ithaca College BM, Arizona State MM) she quickly tired of the stale and pompous US opera culture and invested in creating a space for greater transparency and honesty in the art form. AOT was founded on this vision of social action and community inspired through opera.
When not dreaming up new artistic ventures in Minneapolis, Kelly enjoys cooking, swimming, running, road trips, and reading all in the company of her cat kids Percy and Motley.
Ches Cipriano (they/them) is a Filipino, Queer, first-generation American based in Minneapolis. They operate as a community cultivator, producer/organizer, radical joy seeker and mixed-media collaborator. Their artistic practice is rooted in puppetry, printmaking, and tickling curiosities. Since 2017, they have shared their work on- and off- stage at venues as small as Adventures in Cardboard MN and as large as the National Puppet Slam and Dragon Con in Atlanta, and with theater and opera companies throughout Minnesota. Though they are often in various tech booths in the Twin Cities, you can also find them as one of the Producers of the Puppet Union’s “OHNO Shows,” and of the Art Shanty Projects. Connect with them on Instagram @chesarthey
Dante Lawrence is a lighting and projection designer from Kansas City and now residing in Minneapolis. He is always thrilled to join AOT in bringing art and education together! When he is not designing for theatre you can find him working in his studio on various other art forms, in drag on stage himself, or at the gym rock climbing.
Riley Graygrove (she/they) is a Queer, Disabled performing artist-advocate and drama therapist in addition to her accessibility work around the Twin Cities. A graduate of Ball State University and Kansas State University, Riley incorporates compassion, enthusiasm, playfulness, and honesty into her work both on and off stage. When they aren’t working as an accessibility consultant, they can be found working at the Interact Center for the Visual and Performing Arts in Saint Paul as the Performing Arts Program Manager. She can frequently be found on stage as well, as a founding member of MNProv Live! and a performer for various theaters throughout the cities. They want to thank Kelly and Sequoia for this amazing opportunity and their husband, Paul, for being her biggest supporter. The future is accessible!
Lela M. Olson is an educator, artist, and advocate who loves contributing to the Twin Cities’ vibrant arts scene. She has a passion for acting and has appeared on local stages with The Phipps, Zephyr Theatre, Century Playhouse, and Lyric Arts, among others. Lela has supported youth development through the arts in previous roles as a school principal, Managing Director of Blue Water Theatre Company in Wayzata, and as a Minnesota Boychoir board member. As a current Teacher for the Deaf/Hard of Hearing, Lela is excited to be part of a production that highlights a vital accessibility tool and appreciates how the production has evolved through collaboration with the Deaf community.
This activity was made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council and Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
