October 26, 2024

a look back on

The 5th Annual Zombie Opera

outer space

Year Five

6:30pm to 8:00pm in Hamilton Park, Jersey City, New Jersey
Directed by Catriona Rubenis-Stevens, Art Direction by Katy Gardiner

October 26th, 2024

Poster for "Zombie Opera from Outer Space," featuring UFOs, a distressed woman, zombie hands, and event details for October 26th at Hamilton Park.

Our Biggest and Best Show Yet!

The 2024 Program

ACT 1

  1. Ride of the Valkyries (all six opera singers and THE ZOMBIE CHORUS)

  2. Queen of the Night- Die Zauberflöte (Yohji Cantar Daquio, Soprano)

  3. Song of the Viking Guest - Sadko - Rimsky-Korsakov (Kofi Hayford, Bass)

  4. Dich teure Halle- Die Walküre (Molly Dunn, Soprano)

  5. Rigoletto Quartet- Rigoletto (Yohji Cantar Daquio, Rachelle Pike, Jeremy Brauner, Kofi Hayford)

  6. Largo al factotum- Il barbiere di Siviglia (Matthew Ciuffitelli, Baritone)

  7. Vesti a giubba- Pagliacci (Jeremy Brauner, Tenor)

  8. Habanera- Bizet  (Rachelle Pike & THE ZOMBIE CHORUS)

  9. Papageno/Papagena Duet (Yohji Cantar Daquio, Soprano & Matthew Ciuffitelli, Baritone)

ACT 2

  1. O Soave Fanciulla- La boheme (Molly Dunn, Soprano & Jeremy Brauner, Tenor)

  2. Vision fugitive- Hérodiade (Matthew Ciuffitelli, Baritone)

  3. Vissi d’arte- Tosca (Rachelle Pike, Mezzo)

  4. Mentre gonfiarsi l’anima - Attila - (Kofi Hayford, Bass)

  5. Diva Dance- 5th Element (Yohji Cantar Daquio, Soprano)

  6. In questa reggia - Turandot (Molly Dunn, Soprano & Jeremy Brauner, Tenor)

  7. Nessun Dorma-Turandot (Jeremy Brauner, Tenor & THE ZOMBIE CHORUS)

  8. an original aria by Giselle Bellas

  9. O Fortuna, Carmina Burana (all opera singers and THE ZOMBIE CHORUS)

Molly Dunn, Soprano

Yohji Cantar Daquio, Soprano

Rachelle Pike, Mezzo

Jeremy Brauner, Tenor

Matthew Ciuffitelli, Baritone

Kofi Hayford, Bass

Our 2024 Singers

Hosted By

Giselle Bellas

Music by

Terpsikord Orchestra
Conductor: Logan Souther

Chorus

North River Sings

dancers

Next Step Broadway

the zombie opera presents

It Came From Space!

A crew of space explorers crashes on a mysterious planet which brings them back to life!
What terrifying things will happen next?

Our Doomed Crew

  • Kofi Hayford

    Kofi Hayford

    The Captain

  • Yohji

    Yohji Cantor Daquio

    The First Mate, an android

  • A performer in theatrical makeup and costume acts dramatically on stage with a key in his head, over a backdrop featuring a large moon with silhouettes.

    Matthew Ciuffitelli

    The Mechanic

  • A performer dressed in a futuristic space costume with a shiny cape and goggles stands on stage against a sci-fi backdrop featuring geometric patterns and a large crack design. Bright lighting highlights the theatrical scene.

    Rachelle Pike

    The Pilot

  • Person in sci-fi costume with face paint and prop weapon, shouting.

    Jeremy Brauner

    The Gunner

  • Person in colorful costume on stage with sci-fi backdrop

    Molly Dunn

    The Cook

  • Performer in a red costume with antenna headband and feathered cape, set against a red backdrop on stage.

    Giselle Bellas

    The Host, a lost alien

A look back at the 2024 Zombie Opera.

The Set

Year Five of the Zombie Opera was our biggest show yet, in part thanks to our newest team lead, Art Director Katy Gardiner, who designed and created our set, costumes, props and photo booth.

Outdoor stage with alien-themed decorations, featuring a UFO backdrop and antennas worn by attendees.

The hand-painted Zombie Opera: Outer Space Flying Saucer measured 9 feet by 20 feet and was designed as four plywood panels plus door, which were transported separately and assembled and mounted on the gazebo of Hamilton Park, Jersey City, NJ.

(Or more technically, mounted onto trusses which were ratcheted to the gazebo, to ensure the historic heart of Hamilton Park wasn’t damaged or altered. Installation and breakdown of the set was led by Katy and executed by a team of seven volunteers.)

The set also featured a number of “mountains”, also made of plywood and hand-painted by Katy. The canvas backdrop was painted by artist and Zombie Opera team member Alexandra Gongolski.

All six singers plus our host wore fully custom costumes and props designed around their characters. All singers also had a few “zombie” props, meant to look like damage taken from the ship crash.

The Costumes

Group of people in colorful, theatrical costumes and makeup posing on stage

Our 2024 Cast (from left to right): Giselle, Jeremy, Rachelle, Kofi, Matthew, Yohji and Molly.

  • For Kofi, our Captain : a military-inspired uniform, complete with a silly amount of medals

  • For Yohji, our First Mate, an android : a silver corset with light-up bustle and a large antenna

  • For Matthew, our Mechanic : painted overalls and a belt full of tools (minus the two that killed him)

  • For Rachelle, our Pilot : the practical clothes of a fighter, except for a light-up cape

  • For Jeremy, our Gunner : a jumpsuit, a jetpack, and lots of guns (of course)

  • For Molly, our Cook : dressed like a woman who never leaves the ship, complete with light-up bubble skirt and silver apron

  • For Giselle, our Host : a boudoir-style outfit in the colors of a poisonous flower

The photo booth

Colorful UFO-themed photo booth setup with alien spacecraft illustration and beams
A person dressed in a silver outfit standing in a UFO-themed cutout display with green beams simulating a tractor beam. Another person in a black and white striped costume poses next to them. The backdrop features a stylized UFO and colorful scenes.

The 2024 Photo Booth on October 26th at the Zombie Opera and on October 31st, for Halloween trick-or-treaters.
Photos by Katy Gardiner.

One flying saucer may have crashed into the gazebo but another was flying around that night, beaming up the crowd.

Our Zombie Opera Photo Booth is out of this world! Step into the frame and look like you’re being beamed up by a flying saucer. The setup and UFO were designed and painted by Art Director Katy Gardiner, with team member Lexi Eve painting the canvas backdrop.

Our Photo Booth came out for two nights in 2024. First, for the Zombie Opera. Then again for Halloween, when co-creator Catriona and Katy held the first Zombie Opera Trick-or-Treatathon, giving away thousands of pieces of candy to trick-or-treaters on Jersey Ave.

Performer in a metallic costume on stage with a sci-fi backdrop.
Person in costume with elf-like ears holding a futuristic weapon outdoors at night.
A person in a theatrical costume on stage, depicting a futuristic or sci-fi setting with a decorated backdrop. The performer is wearing white clothing, a shimmering cape, and has purple hair with goggles. The background includes a stylized broken wal
A performer dressed as a Frankenstein-like character with a key in his head, wearing a brown apron with a stitched heart, raises his arms dramatically on stage with a large purple backdrop.
Two actors in theatrical costumes with dramatic expressions, one wearing metallic attire and the other with facial paint, performing on stage in a dark setting.
Person in futuristic costume with metallic body paint and purple wig, performing on stage with a dramatic expression, against a colorful background.
Group of people in orange costumes with green antennae and oversized glasses, performing on stage at night.
A person in makeup with bruises, wearing a dark jacket, conducts an outdoor music ensemble in a park, with musicians and an audience in the background. Evening setting with trees and soft lighting.
People in alien-themed costumes with green face paint, goggles, and antennae.
Band performing on stage in space-themed costumes with a sci-fi backdrop.
People in costumes performing on stage with microphones and a screen displaying the event.
Outdoor orchestral performance at night with musicians playing various instruments, a group of people in colorful costumes on stage in the background, and a large screen displaying an image to the left.
The image depicts a performance with people wearing colorful costumes and headgear, some resembling alien or sci-fi characters. The group is on a stage, possibly singing or participating in a theatrical production, under vibrant purple lighting.
Group of performers in blue and silver costumes on stage at night.