MEDIA RELEASE
10 DAYS IN A MADHOUSE REIMAGINES JOURNALIST NELLIE BLY’S DARING EXPOSÉ FOR THE OPERA STAGE
Tapestry Opera, Luminato Festival, the Canadian Opera Company, and TO Live team up to present a uniquely powerful new opera from Hannah Moscovitch and Rene Orth
Toronto – When trailblazing journalist Nellie Bly suspected patient abuse at the Women’s Lunatic Asylum on Blackwell’s Island in 1887, New York City, she bravely chose a dangerous path to discovering the truth: feigning mental illness herself in order to be admitted and investigate first-hand. What Bly uncovered was a shocking world designed to break the human spirit—and where women’s grief, poverty, and trauma were labelled as insanity. 10 Days in a Madhouse is a bold contemporary opera from innovative American composer Rene Orth and acclaimed Canadian playwright Hannah Moscovitch that will make its Canadian premiere in four performances at the Bluma Appel Theatre on June 16, 18, 20, and 21, 2026, produced by Tapestry Opera and co-presented by Luminato Festival, as part of Luminato’s 20th anniversary festival next June, and the Canadian Opera Company, in association with TO Live.
Based on Bly’s groundbreaking exposé, and originally commissioned by Tapestry Opera and Philadelphia Opera, this gripping psychological work exposes the stigmatization that shaped women’s mental health and the systems that sought to contain them. In 2024, the Music Critics Association of North America awarded it Best New Opera, with The New York Times raving: “Opera needs works like 10 Days, which treats the medium with affection and respect while also chafing at its tropes throughout history. The Wall Street Journal further praised Orth and Moscovitch’s “[trenchant work to] explore how female insanity has been used both as an operatic trope and as a way to label and control non-compliant women.”
“10 Days is a thrilling contemporary opera, and a powerful story about the trailblazing investigative journalist, Nellie Bly, brought to life by the uniquely talented duo of Hannah Moscovitch and Rene Orth,” says Tapestry Opera’s Artistic Director, Michael Mori. “We are proud to have commissioned this work and even prouder to collaborate with the Canadian Opera Company and Luminato Festival together for its Canadian premiere. ”
“Luminato Festival is proud to support the Canadian premiere of this visionary new opera that champions twentieth-century whistleblower Nellie Bly,” says Olivia Ansell, Artistic Director, Luminato Festival. “This type of important collaborative partnership between Tapestry Opera, Luminato Festival, Canadian Opera Company, and TO Live champions the work of Canadian creators and artists to festival audiences on the world stage.”
COC General Director David Ferguson further adds, “Nellie Bly’s fearless commitment to truth resonates as powerfully today as it did in her time, and there is truly no better art form than opera for conveying the magnitude of her remarkable courage. In partnering with Tapestry Opera, Luminato Festival, and TO Live, the Canadian Opera Company is proud to champion bold, contemporary creators, supporting work that reminds us all of the extraordinary impact a single voice can have.”
Featured cast and creative
(L-R: soprano Mireille Asselin, mezzo-soprano Taylor-Alexis DuPont, soprano Lauren Pearl, and baritone Jorell Williams)
Award-winning theatre director Joanna Settle leads the production team; Settle previously collaborated with Moscovitch on the powerful 2018 opera Sky on Swings at Opera Philadelphia, which earned widespread acclaim for its moving portrayal of the emotional wreckage of living with Alzheimer’s. Sets from American designer Andrew Lieberman transform the stage into a dark labyrinth—part asylum, part mindscape—pulling audiences deep into Nellie’s world. Canadian conductor and the Canadian Opera Company’s Price Family Chorus Master Sandra Horst leads musical direction of the opera’s dynamic score that blends electronic and acoustic elements to create a sense of tension that mirrors the drama on stage.
Canadian soprano Mireille Asselin stars as Nellie. Deemed “a treasure” by the Toronto Star, Asselin brings her “power [and] dramatic chops” to the role of Nellie, navigating the violence of indifference and its swift corrosion of one’s grasp on reality. American mezzo-soprano Taylor-Alexis DuPont brings her “beautifully rich and spirited voice” (Washington Post) to the role of Lizzie, whom Nellie befriends on the inside, while American baritone Jorell Williams, with his “stunning vocals” (Seattle Times) performs as the asylum’s malevolent Dr. Josiah Blackwell. Canadian soprano Lauren Pearl completes the cast, reprising her role from the world premiere as Nurse/Matron, effectively “physically embod[ying] the institution’s sadism” (The Wall Street Journal).
Through striking visuals and haunting music, 10 Days in a Madhouse reimagines a true story of courage and confrontation. It asks what it means to be believed — and what happens when speaking truth sounds like madness.
10 Days in a Madhouse will be presented in English with English SURTITLES™.
For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit www.tolive.com.
Watch the trailer now!
Ticketing information
Regular priced tickets for 10 Days in a Madhouse range from $69-$119 and are available online at www.tolive.com, by phone at 416-366-7723 and 1-800-708-6754, and in person at the Meridian Hall Box Office (1 Front Street East) and the Meridian Arts Centre Box Office (5040 Yonge Street), Monday to Friday, 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
TO Live Box Office phone and email support operates from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m., Monday to Friday. Online sales operate 24 hours a day.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
10 Days in a Madhouse is a Tapestry Opera production co-presented with Luminato Festival and the Canadian Opera Company, in association with TO Live.
Generously supported by the Province of Ontario, the City of Toronto, the Government of Canada, the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, and the Toronto Arts Council.
ABOUT TAPESTRY OPERA
Tapestry Opera is an award-winning Toronto-based company dedicated to creating, developing, and performing original Canadian opera, led by General Director Michael Hidetoshi Mori and Executive Director Jaime Martino. Tapestry is passionate about uniquely Canadian stories, told in innovative settings, unforgettably interpreted by world-class artists. Tapestry supports emerging artists, develops new audiences and brings Canadian opera to the world stage. Tapestry’s new theatre and facility, the Nancy & Ed Jackman Performance Centre on Yonge St. opened in 2025 with the mission of supporting Canadian artists. Founded in 1979, Tapestry is the voice of original contemporary Canadian opera and is the largest commissioner and producer of Canadian operas. For more information, visit tapestryopera.com.
ABOUT LUMINATO FESTIVAL
Luminato Festival transforms the people, places, and possibilities of Toronto with extraordinary art experiences. Every June we present bold, playful, and of the moment art for all to enjoy. In 2026, Luminato celebrates its 20th anniversary edition. Distinctly Toronto, proudly Canadian and totally Global, we welcome the world to explore our streets, stages and stories. Encounter our city like never before. For more information, visit luminatofestival.com.
ABOUT THE CANADIAN OPERA COMPANY
Based in Toronto, the Canadian Opera Company is the largest producer of opera in Canada and one of the largest in North America. General Director David C. Ferguson joined the company in 2024, forming a leadership team alongside Music Director Johannes Debus. The COC enjoys a loyal audience, including a dedicated base of subscribers, and has an international reputation for artistic excellence and creative innovation. Its diverse repertoire includes new commissions and productions, local and international collaborations with leading opera companies and festivals, and attracts the world’s foremost Canadian and international artists. The company is an incubator for the future of the art form, nurturing Canada’s new wave of opera performers and creators with customized training and support. The COC’s purpose-built opera house, the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, is hailed internationally as one of the finest in the world. For more information, visit coc.ca.
ABOUT TO LIVE
TO Live is one of Canada’s largest multi-arts organizations, operating three iconic venues: Meridian Hall, St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, and Meridian Arts Centre. In addition, TO Live presents a full range of performing arts, theatrical, and concert events at these venues in both downtown and uptown Toronto. With these two hubs of creativity and content creation, TO Live has a unique place and perspective to activate creative spaces by inspiring local and international artists, connecting audiences, stimulating new ideas, and elevating artistic potential, becoming a catalyst for creative expression that is reflective of Toronto’s diversity. In 2025, TO Live proudly celebrates the 65th anniversary of Meridian Hall, a landmark in Toronto’s cultural life, and in 2026 we will mark 10 years as an organization—a decade of building a better city through the arts.
For more information on Tapestry Opera and interview inquiries, please contact:
Clay Jones, Manager, Communications & Marketing, Tapestry Opera, email: cjones@tapestyopera.com
Photo credits from top to bottom: 10 Days in a Madhouse creative featuring soprano Mireille Asselin (photography by: Dahlia Katz); Feature cast of 10 Days in a Madhouse: soprano Mireille Asselin, mezzo-soprano Taylor-Alexis DuPont, soprano Lauren Pearl, and baritone Jorell Williams (all photos submitted by artist).
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Box Office Hours: 12 pm – 5 pm Monday to Friday.
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