Newswire | Bradyworks announces MARS: Sign of Life

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Montreal, June 9, 2026 – Bradyworks is pleased to announce the premiere of the chamber opera MARS: Signs of Life. Featuring music by composer Tim Brady and a libretto by Alexis Diamond, this new production will bring together soloists Bronwyn Thies-Thompson, Sarah Albu, and Marie-Annick Béliveau on stage. Performances will take place on December 3, 4, and 5, 2026 at the Centaur Theatre.

MARS: Signs of Life is the 3^rd opera in the ambitious tetralogy of chamber operas by composer Tim Brady, entitled “HOPE (and the dark matter of history)”. Following on the success of Backstage at Carnegie Hall (2022) and INFORMATION (2024), MARS continues to explore fundamental issues around human history and civilisation, with a focus on the potential colonisation of Mars and the effects of climate change on society.

The 68-minute opera brings us the story of 3 scientists arriving on Mars in 2040. The work travels through time and bring us forward to 2041 and eventually to 2140. The scientists, identified solely by their function of Astrobiologist, Geologist and Engineer, must meet many challenges, from equipment failure, lack of resources, and the arrival of new colonists from Earth.

The opera is simultaneously monumental and intimate. Large scale high-resolution video images of Mars envelope the stage, creating an immersive visual environment. Conversely, with just 3 singers and 2 musicians (electric guitar and viola) on stage, the singers will have a very direct connection to the public in the 250-seat Centaur Theatre. A solo dancer incarnates the planet Mars itself, and its potential evolution in the face of human colonisation.

The production is funded in part by the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, the Conseil des arts de Montréal, La Fondation de grand Montréal, and with the support of the English Language Arts Network’s Trellis Micro-grant project. The Trellis Micro-grant project, funded by The Department of Canadian Heritage’s Official Languages Support Programs, seeks to highlight English-language Arts and Artists to make them visible to a broader community, and build bridges between Québec’s English-speaking minority and Francophone majority.

MARS : Sign of Life (an opera from another planet)

World premiere on December 3, 4 and 5, 2026 at Centaur Theatre
In English with bilingual surtitles
Music : Tim Brady
Libretto : Alexis Diamond
Production : Bradyworks

Cast

Bronwyn Thies-Thompso, soprano – astrobiologist
Sarah Albu, soprano – geologist
Marie-Annick Béliveau, mezzo-soprano – engineer
Evelynn Yan – dancer
Emmanuel Lacopo – electric guitar
Pemi Paull – alto
Anne-Marie St.-Louis – stage direction
Georges-Étienne D’Entremont – musical direction
Jean-François Robin – video projections
Nalo Soyini Bruce – costumes
Mateo Barerra – lighting designs