UNLV’s nationally award-winning opera program presents its fall chamber opera production, featuring two one-act works: Jackie at Vassar and Cinderemma and the Green Sneaker. Performances take place Nov. 12 and 13, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. in the Dr. Arturo Rando-Grillot Recital Hall on the UNLV campus.
Tickets are available here. Admission is free for all Nevada students with a valid student ID.
With music by Allen Shearer and a libretto by Claudia Stevens, Jackie at Vassar follows future first lady Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy during her sophomore year at Vassar College.
Nina Mutalifu and Valeria Dapena Torres alternate in the role of Jackie, with Carey/Cory Goetz and Isabel Zepeda portraying her friends Edna and Selwa. Shara Alexander and Patricia Rose alternate as dorm monitor Mrs. O’Shea, while Zachary Brown and Michael Leal portray Jackie’s imaginary suitors.
Borui Pan and Ronan Woodruff share the role of Carl, the custodian. Dr. Kimberly Gratland James portrays Jackie’s mother, Janet, and Isaac Herrera plays her father, Jack Bouvier.
Offering a contemporary, environmentally conscious take on the classic Cinderella story, Cinderemma and the Green Sneaker incorporates musical excerpts from Gioachino Rossini’s La Cenerentola and Cinderella-inspired operas by Jules Massenet and Pauline Viardot.
The all-student production team collaborated with UNLV Campus Sustainability Coordinator Tara Pike to incorporate environmentally responsible practices into the production’s design.
Shania Carden and Kelsey Lee alternate as Emma (Emerald) Sage, an aspiring environmental studies major at Vassar College. Mia Lapingcao serves as both narrator and Emma’s fairy godmother, Hunter Rose, while Carey/Cory Goetz portrays Emma’s stepmother, Madame Greige.
Breanna Alexander, Nathalie Elizondo Garcia, Oksana Trygubenko and Kayla Winslow portray Emma’s stepsisters, Regina and Heather. Isaac Herrera plays solar power CEO Mr. Green, while Ranon Pador and Avery Smith alternate as his son, Basil (Baz).
Both productions are conducted by UNLV’s new opera music director and coach, Maestro Dennis Doubin.
Vassar alumna Linda Lister directs Jackie at Vassar, while graduate students Valeria Dapena Torres and Kayla Winslow direct Cinderemma and the Green Sneaker, with graduate student Ranon Pador serving as assistant director.
Spencer Baker serves as collaborative pianist for both productions.
About the UNLV College of Fine Arts
The College of Fine Arts educates, empowers, and engages creative people to become visionary change-makers in the arts through acts of imagination. At UNLV we believe the arts are an essential good for society. We make education relevant and accessible through our programs and outreach. We create new knowledge in the arts. We celebrate independent thought and the power of bringing people together to foster creativity.
