When Dragons
Come To Play
A family has just moved into a new house. The parents have set up the children’s playroom to give them a safe place to play while the movers bring the rest of the furniture and boxes. The children accidentally cause a magic door to open in the closet, and two young dragons emerge. After some disbelief and confusion, the four young beings become friends and learn about each other’s ways. Toward the end of the opera, the children in the audience are recruited to sing a magic formula that saves the human boy from being trapped in the dragons’ world.
In the original version, the parents have a few lines; their roles are eliminated in the revised version. Also, the soccer kicking episode in the original version is shortened in the revision.
Performance history
Cascadia Chamber Opera
Original version
August 9 & 11, 2024
Charlene Larsen Center, Astoria, Oregon
Anne Ferguson (Olivia)
Emma Jones (Lucas)
Lyayuka Janice Irungu (SheeSHAHzhah)
Clara Eddleman-Hunley (FAHfeenar)
Bernie Robe (Father)
ChrisLynn Taylor (Mother)
Gustavo Castro (Piano)
Directed by Karen Esquivel
Revised version
November 16 & 17, 2024
First Christian Church, Eugene, Oregon
Anne Ferguson (Olivia)
Jayda Maret (Lucas)
Lyayuka Janice Irungu (SheeSHAHzhah)
Clara Eddleman-Hunley (FAHfeenar)
Gustavo Castro (Piano)
Directed by Karen Esquivel