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Dion: A Rock Opera

English

Synopsis

A fully sung-through rock opera reimagining of Euripides' tragedy The Bacchae. The story follows Dion (a non-binary demi-god and the protagonist), who returns to the city-state of Thebes to punish their mother's family for denying their divine origin. The conservative ruler Pentheus is enraged to find his citizens abandoning the city to follow Dion, engaging in wine-fueled ecstasy and debauchery. Pentheus is eventually seduced into cross-dressing and spying on the cult, only to be dismembered by his own mother, Agave, in a Bacchic frenzy. The opera uses its ancient framework to explore modern themes of political polarization and gender identity

Composer

Ted Dykstra

Lyricist / Librettist / Playwright

Steven Mayoff

Year of composition/publication / premiere

2020/2023

Genre

Other:

LGBTQAI+ category

Trans

Level of centrality

Main character

Characters

Dion

Voice type

Pronouns

they/them

Publisher / Rights holder

Where to buy / access the work

The work is a stage production, not a commercially available recording.

Performance rights

For performance rights, please contact the composer and/or publisher to ensure legal compliance.