Cincinnati Opera has announced “Underscore,” a new event series running March through May 2026 that explores opera through theatrical, social, and cultural lenses inspired by the company’s 2026 Summer Festival repertoire.

“Underscore” opens with “The Importance of Being Oscar,” an original one-act play by Evans Mirageas and Audrey Chait that examines Oscar Wilde’s first visit to Cincinnati in 1882, prior to the writing of “Salome,” later adapted by Richard Strauss. The work dramatizes an interview between Wilde and journalist Samuel Flickinger and features Douglas Fries as Wilde and Chris Logan Carter as the Interviewer, with soprano Heidi Middendorf, tenor Jack Keller, and pianist Matthew Umphreys.

Performance Date: March 3, 2026

The series continues with “Carmen’s Revenge—An Operatic Murder Mystery,” an interactive event inspired by Bizet’s “Carmen.” Set after the conclusion of the opera, the experience invites audiences to engage with characters, clues, and live performances of excerpts from the score while unraveling a fictional mystery.

Performance Date: April 21, 2026

Underscore concludes with “The Afrofuturist Salon,” a salon-style gathering inspired by Lalovavi, Cincinnati Opera’s new Afrofuturist opera. The evening features conversation and performance centered on Afrofuturism, identity, and self-expression, with participation from librettist Tifara Brown, wig designer Tiara Jones, and University of Cincinnati Africana Studies professor Cassandra Jones, followed by a DJ set with spoken word elements.

Performance Date: May 7, 2026