Immerse yourself in dynamic storytelling
Hundreds experienced Austin’s annual micro-opera showcase – one of the most anticipated and award-winning classical events in the region!
And only in the “Live Music Capital of the World,” Austin, Texas.
A one-of-a-kind theatrical escape. A perfect lil’ summer adventure.
Three micro-operas in a single 70-minute program at the 8th Fresh Squeezed Ounce of Opera [FSOO].
Who is FSOO for? EVERYONE.
All at East Austin’s hub for immersive, inventive stuff, dadaLab. Our 2026 dates were July 17, 18 (ASL-interpreted), 19 (m), 21, 23, 24, + 25 (m). Evening shows were at 7:30, matinees (m) at 2:30. Doors + complimentary bar opened 30 minutes before, general admission seating. Only 85 seats per show! $25 got you in.
Click here to view the FSOO 2026 Digital Program
Stage Director & Producer: Julie Fiore
Music Director & Pianist: Joseph Choi
Technical + Lighting Director: Matt Smith
Assistant Director: Carol Brown
Stage Manager: Monica Kurtz
Having Guests for Dinner
Music by Nicholas Bentz. Libretto by Robert Ellsworth Feng.
Laura – Annisha Mackenzie
Marcus – Brian Minnick
Christoph – Stephen Maus
When Marcus and Laura attend a “dinner for three” hosted by the refined but eccentric Christoph Aberfeld, things take a turn for the macabre. Between courses and questionable puns, the two become increasingly suspicious of their host. Will the two catch Christoph red-handed, or will they meat their demise? The steaks have never been higher…
Mud Girl
Music by Omar Najmi. Libretto by Christine Evans.
River – Andréa Ochoa
Maude – Hillary Schranze
Poly I – Avery LaRue
Poly II – Anneliese Sandoval
A catastrophic flood has reshaped the world. MAUDE, a scientist, fled the city’s toxic remnants over a decade ago, painfully relinquishing her work and her connection to the networks that power it. She rescued RIVER, a young child, clinging to a shopping basket hurtling down the river. But now that RIVER’S reaching adolescence, she needs companions, a bigger world, and her independence. Can MAUDE keep her safe from a world she sees as brimming with human threats, pathogens, and dangerously mutating AI?
Commissioned through the American Opera Initiative at Washington National Opera
Forever
Music by Elizabeth Gartman. Libretto by Melisa Tien.
The Wrapper – Paige Patrick
The Wristband – Lucas Hickman
The Tardigrade – Liz Cass
Eons after humans have gone extinct, a strange, chemically supercharged world remains. Perhaps all a survivor can do is try and navigate their surroundings, one toxic blast at a time. As the environmental legacy of the human species gets heftier, allow a pair of musically inclined polyfluoroalkyl substances and a hardy microorganism to paint a picture of a possible future Earth. Forever is a tragicomic opera about figuring out one’s place on a changing planet.
Commissioned through the American Opera Initiative at Washington National Opera
Sponsored by Live Oak Brewing
Hey, curious arts lover! Overall, what should you expect at a FSOO?
A super low-lift evening (or afternoon)! Our annual showcase is a great escape, regardless of your previous experiences with opera. Three brand new, dynamic works sung in ~20 minutes each, in English, performed by local pros in an intimate, immersive, air-conditioned, welcoming, and unexpected space. General admission seating means you choose your own adventure. And a complimentary bar with beer from Live Oak Brewing (as well as wine, sparkling water, and still water) rounds out your experience.
For our 2026 showcase, One Ounce Opera reviewed over 100 works submitted from all over the world to line up an engaging program of three (3) new micro-operas that will transport you with the sonic tellings of connective, transformative, oh-so-human stories.
Short stories that are soooooo now. Dynamic. With characters that feel familiar, yet…not. Laughs, goosebumps, thrills, and chills. You get it all in one 70-minute program!
Recommended for ages 12 and up, due to brief moments of spicy language and adult situations.
FSOO is presented at dadaLab (2008 Alexander Ave, 78722).
This project is supported in part by an Elevate Grant of Austin Arts, Culture, Music and Entertainment.
