[opera captions] by Jay Afrisando
directed by Sequoia Hauck 

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.

NAUTILUS MUSIC THEATER:
Northern Warehouse,
308 E Prince St #190, St Paul, MN 55101

Friday, January 23, 7pm
Saturday, January 24, 7pm
Sunday, January 25, 5pm *Audio Described by Connie Fullmer
Monday, January 26, 7pm *Industry night

*Every performance is ASL Interpreted 

TICKETS:
On sale, Monday, December 19
All tickets Pay As Able $0-$35

RUNTIME:
Approximately 70 minutes with no intermission

  • Jay Afrisando- creator and composer

    Sequoia Hauck - stage director

    Kelly M Turpin- executive producer

    Ches Cipriano- stage manager

    Riley Graygrove- accessibility coordinator 

    Lela Olson- captioner

    Dante Lawrence- lighting designer

  • Cindi Martin- narrator

    Rodolfo Nieto- narrator

    Jared Mikach- music director and pianist 

    Sage Opeña- saxophone

    Rebecca Merblum - cello 

    Maria Dively- ASL interpreter

    Bee Valentino- ASL interpreter

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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

  • Kara is a singing actress based in the Twin Cities and she is thrilled to be returning for her second Divas & Drag! No stranger to AOT, Kara debuted the titular role in their unique and moving production of Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia. Most recently, she spent the 2024-25 season as a Resident Artist with Minnesota Opera and will be featured in their upcoming productions of Così fan tutte, the world premiere of My Name is Florence, and a rare presentation of Puccini’s Edgar. Other career highlights include apprenticeships with Merola Opera, Santa Fe Opera and Sarasota Opera; mainstage credits with Pacific Opera Project and Fargo-Moorhead Opera; and recognition from the Schubert Club, Opera Tampa, and Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competitions. Offstage, Kara enjoys cooking, crafting, and hiking with her partner and dogs.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Riley (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!

  • Corissa (she/her) is thrilled to be part of AOT’s fabulously fierce Divas & Drag! She first performed with AOT in their inaugural production of The Consul and was excited to return this past spring to sing the roles of Yasha and Sadie in The Cradle Will Rock. Corissa was most recently seen singing Sister Dolcina in Out of the Box Opera’s immersive Suor Angelica and performing Ayo in Minnesota Opera’s reboot of the baby opera NOOMA. Among her favorite roles are Mimì in La Bohème at Theater Latté Da and Chue Moua in Minnesota Opera’s 50th world premiere, The Song Poet. Corissa has also enjoyed merging classical and contemporary music with Mixed Precipitation’s Pick Up Truck Opera, singing Pamina in volume 1, The Magic Flute, and Juliet in volume 2, Romeo & Juliet. Currently, she is performing the role of Marguerite in Faust PUTO volume 3. 

    When Corissa isn’t trying to keep up with her two young sons, she likes running, baking, jigsaw and crossword puzzles, traveling, boba, and jamming out on the melodica.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Isa Condo-Olvera (she/her/ella) is excited to join Divas & Drag for the first time! She made her debut with AOT in The Cradle Will Rock and returned this spring as the Sorceress in Dido & Aeneas with Opera Underground. Born in Costa Rica to an Ecuadorian dad and Mexican mom, Isa has always been captivated by music, storytelling, and the power of words. She moved to Minneapolis to train at the UMN Guthrie BFA Actor Training Program and has since performed as an actor and singer across the Twin Cities and beyond. Some of her recent credits include Passion (Theater Latté Da), Voces Latinas (Teatro del Pueblo / Park Square Theatre), Cinderella (Theater Latté Da) and Laughs in Spanish (Milwaukee Chamber Theatre). When she’s not onstage, Isa is happiest spending time with her loved ones, nerding out about dialects, reading a good book, and enjoying yummy food. Website: isacondoolvera.com

  • Sage.on.Sax 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.

  • Del The Funky Homosexual is known for his smooth moves and undeniable energy.

    Always dressed to kill, this lover boy has a passion for demonstrating just how captivating Draglesque can be.

    Del got his start with his beloved Dykes Do Drag in Minneapolis and earned his stripes as a member of Sweetpea’s Vigilantease Collective. He is currently a proud member of one of the longest running Drag King troupes in the U.S. - Dragged Out.

    Del is thrilled about bringing The LIFT, a new multidisciplinary, all BIPOC show to Minneapolis with his partner Borinqueña Bonita!

    Get ready to experience the funkiest homo in town, it’s Del The Funky Homosexual!

  • 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

  • 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.

  • 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


  • 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 kitschy, campy queen is here to share the great news of fat liberation, disability advocacy, and implement the queer agenda. This subversive babe puts the CULT in pop culture as they’re devoted to il-LUMA-nating minds about thinking differently about the consumption of art and fat bodies. They’re the February AND Ultimate Reveal 2023 winner of Nudie Nubies and has been making waves on Midwest stages. Luma produced the number one most reviewed show in the 2023 Minnesota Fringe Festival, that was featured in BroadwayWorld.com, sold out her first show at Bryant Lake Bowl Theater in April 2024 called Luma Notti’s 27 Club, has hosted events such as The DisabiliTease Festival, Fat Cat Cabaret, curated the halftime show at the 2024 MPLS Queer Mud Wrestling, opened for John Waters in Queenie’s Haus of CuriosiTease, and was a performer at the Texas Burlesque Festival. They’re here to enlighten your mind and lighten your wallet, it’s LUMA NOTTI.

  • The sweet treat from down the street, it’s DeCrème! Hey there girls, gays and they’s! A little background on me, I’ve been doing drag for a little over 3 and a half years. I’m currently residing in Minneapolis, MN but I’m originally from El Dorado, AR. I have all the best qualities of a southern belle, Kindness, Love, Patience. I’m the ripe age of 28, and a Scorpio. Fun fact About me I placed 1st alternate for All American Goddess at Large 2024 and then 2nd alternate for All American Goddess at Large 2025, which is a national pageant. Sweet, Sassy, and southern, Expect to be turned on and turned out! She loves a good laugh, and her heart will truly fill the crowd.

Advisory Council:

Cindi Martin

Cookie Brand

Daymond Sands

Maria Dively

Meryl K. Evans

THANK YOU, SPONSORS!

This activity is 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.