Portland Opera To Go To Present Rossini's CINDERELLA This Fall

Portland Opera to Go (POGO) will return this fall with a brand-new production of Rossini's fairytale charmer, Cinderella. This lively staging tells the story of Angelina (Cinderella) who longs for friendship and love and finds it in the most unexpected of places—a prince who is disguised as a servant. Her bumbling stepfather and her two self-centered stepsisters create havoc along the way, but love rules triumphant in this tale of kindness, friendship, and compassion. This production is ideal for elementary school students, with modular scenery and age-appropriate staging. In addition to the performance, Portland Opera offers an arts-integrated curriculum and classroom visits.   

Cinderella will tour schools and community centers throughout the state and region, followed by two public performances at the Hampton Opera Center on December 9th and 10th at 1:00 PM. Tickets will go on sale August 29th. 

The company of Cinderella includes stage director Melory Mirashrafi, the artistic and producing associate at Artists Repertory Theatre. The cast will feature Sarah Curtis as Angelina/Cinderella, Alianis Paola as Tisbe, Maddy Ross as Clorinda, Justin Daley as Don Magnifico, Matteo Adams as Prince Ramiro, Yunus Akbas as Dandini, and Eddie Tavalin as Alidoro. Alaina de Bellevue is the collaborative pianist and Hannah Kelly is the tour manager. Megan Wilkerson designs the sets, and DeMara Cabrera designs the costumes.  

“I'm thrilled that this whimsical, newly-imagined adaptation of Cinderella will be reaching so many young people in our area, shares Melory Mirashafi. “Thanks to an incredible team, we have crafted a gorgeous world of intricate tableaus and rich, bright colors that celebrate Rossini's lush music. How wonderful that Portland Opera is meeting this critical moment in our culture by curating fun, updated, diversely crafted live theatre for future generations.” 

For over two decades, Portland Opera to Go (or POGO) has shared inclusive arts experiences with students, educators and community members around the region. In a typical year, POGO company members travel over 5,000 miles, to connect with approximately 13,000 K-12 students. Performances happen in school gyms, libraries, cafeterias, classrooms, and community centers—all with full costumes and portable scenery. Integrated in-class workshops and teacher's guides, highlighting curricular connections aligned to state curriculum standards, are available each year. This tour will follow a similar format, launching with this world premiere performance at Portland Opera's Hampton Opera Center. 

To date, Portland Opera to Go has shared opera with more than 285,000 student and community audience members living in Oregon, southwest and eastern Washington, northern California, western Idaho, and northern Nevada; with a focus on schools with barriers to accessing the arts. School performances are being booked now for the fall semester. Educators interested may contact Alexis Hamilton at ahamilton@portlandopera.org.  

Tickets will be available starting on August 29. Tickets will be sold as Pay what you Wish, with a minimum price of $5.00 and a suggested price of $35.00, and may be purchased at the link below or via phone.   

Cinderella will be sung in English. The running time will be 50 minutes, with no intermission.  

The performances at the Hampton Opera Center will include an audio description of the visual and physical events on stage for patrons who are blind or have low vision, and ASL interpretation for patrons who are deaf or hard of hearing. 

For more information, and to purchase tickets, visit the link below or call Patron Services at 503-241-1802. For more information, patrons may also contact the Opera Concierge at concierge@portlandopera.org, Monday through Friday from 10AM–5PM. 

Learn more about how to support the Portland Opera to Go program here.  

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