Anna theodosakis
Stage director and choreographer Anna Theodosakis is a rising figure on the operatic scene, with critically acclaimed productions featuring “crisp and dynamic treatment” [Opera Ramblings] and “clean and uncluttered direction” [Opera Canada]. Anna’s 24/25 season includes Don Giovanni at Calgary Opera, Così fan tutte at the University of Toronto, La bohème at Manitoba Opera, and returning to Opera Theatre of Saint Louis as Resident Assistant Director. Anna was selected as the 2024 Merola Opera Stage Director where she directed the Grand Finale and The Song as Drama Finale, co-directed the Schwabacher Scenes Concert, and assisted on Don Giovanni.
Since 2017, Anna has appeared as a frequent collaborator with the Canadian Opera Company, earning a nomination for the Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding Direction for her work as revival director on The Magic Flute (2022). Other credits include COC’s Opera for Young Audiences (WOW Factor: A Cinderella Story), as well as their Ensemble Studio’s performance of La bohème and 2018 Mainstage Showcase of Dido and Aeneas. A COC Ensemble Studio faculty member and dramatic coach, she has staged several RBA Concert Series performances, including the premiere of Ana Sokolović’s dawn always begins in the bones, a co-production between the Canadian Art Song Project and the 21C Festival.
Anna has directed across Canada at the Saskatoon Opera (Carmen), Brott Opera (Don Giovanni, Così fan tutte, La traviata), The Banff Centre (A Room with a View), Toronto Summer Music Festival (Rape of Lucretia), Parks Canada (The Bells of Baddeck), Musique 3 Femmes (Love Songs), Manitoba Underground Opera (Die Zauberflöte), Muskoka Opera Festival (La bohème, Eugene Onegin), Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra (Haus Musik), and MYOpera (Rape of Lucretia, L’italiana in Algeri). She has served as a revival director and choreographer for Edmonton Opera (Carmen) and associate director with Against the Grain Theatre (Bluebeard's Castle). She has also assisted on productions with The Banff Centre (Rape of Lucretia), Tapestry Opera (Briefs - Winter Shorts), and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (Mozart’s Requiem).
Theodosakis has also flexed her choreography skills on repertoire ranging from Mozart, to operetta, to musical theatre. Choreography credits include Massenet's Cendrillon, Gershwin's Of Thee I Sing, Gilbert & Sullivan’s H.M.S. Pinafore, Offenbach's Orphée aux enfers, Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, and Weill’s Street Scene. Anna has frequently combined these skill sets, jointly choreographing and directing many of the above credits.
Passionate about working with emerging artists, Anna teaches acting and dance for the University of Toronto's Opera Division. She served as a sessional lecturer in Theatre Techniques and Staging & Directing for the University of British Columbia. She has also been an invited guest stage director and lecturer of acting, movement, and digital techniques with McGill University (The Limit of the Sun, Il guidizione di Pigmalione), the University of Toronto (The Medium, Così fan tutte), the University of British Columbia (Così fan tutte), the Glenn Gould School (Flight, Hin und Zurück/Les larmes du couteau), Dalhousie University (Die Fledermaus), Wilfrid Laurier University (Les contes d’Hoffmann, The Tender Land), the University of Ottawa (Love Songs, Die schöne Müllerin, Orpheus Pastiche), the University of Manitoba (dawn always begins in the bones), and the University of Lethbridge.
Anna holds a Bachelor of Music and Master of Music in Opera Performance from the University of British Columbia, as well as an Artistic Diploma in Operatic Stage Performance from the University of Toronto. During her tenure at U of T, Anna was the first student in the program’s history to direct a main stage opera production.
September 2024
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““Stage Director Anna Theodosakis deserves much credit for the success of this production, especially her ability to match the simplicity and earthiness of Copland’s score. Her direction was clean and uncluttered and she allowed her artists’ facial and body language to convey much of the drama. Her realization of the drama addressed the conflicting emotions of its characters—love, longing, fear and ultimately, great personal strength.”
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