A novel built for the stage — sort of
Empire of Wild became a bestseller by refusing to play it safe: sex, booze, magic and politics all collide in its pages. Now the Canadian Opera Company (COC) is betting that same unruliness will translate to the opera stage, commissioning an Indigenous-led creative team to adapt the novel into a brand-new opera set for its world premiere.
Why opera needs a shake-up
Opera has a reputation problem in Canada and beyond — often seen as stuffy, expensive, and out of step with modern audiences. The COC's move to option a contemporary, genre-blending novel like Empire of Wild is a direct swing at that perception. Handing the adaptation to an Indigenous-led team signals an intent to do more than just modernize the art form's aesthetics; it's about who gets to tell the story and how.
What audiences can expect
Details on casting, composer, and premiere dates haven't been fully laid out, but the framing from the COC is clear: this isn't going to be a buttoned-up, traditional staging. Early messaging around the production has floated the idea of language and moments on stage that break from opera's usual decorum — the kind of jolt meant to signal this adaptation isn't sanding down the novel's edges to fit an old mold.
A bigger moment for Indigenous storytelling in the arts
The project fits into a broader push across Canadian arts institutions to centre Indigenous voices not just as subject matter but as creative leadership — writers, directors, and composers shaping how these stories reach the stage. For a company like the COC, built on a centuries-old European art form, that's a notable pivot, and one that could reshape who shows up in the audience.
Drawing new crowds to the opera house
Opera companies across the country have spent years trying to solve the same problem: how to get younger, more diverse audiences through the doors without alienating longtime subscribers. Adapting a buzzy, genre-crossing bestseller — rather than another staging of a 19th-century classic — is one clear strategy. If Empire of Wild succeeds, it could serve as a model for other Canadian opera companies looking to freshen up their programming with contemporary Canadian literature.
What's next
As the world premiere approaches, more details on the production's creative team, score, and staging are expected to roll out. For now, the project stands as one of the more ambitious swings in Canadian opera in recent memory — proof that a story built on magic, politics and messy human appetites might be exactly what the art form needs.
Source: CBC News
