Life in the internet age is already lonely, and it’s only in the faceless online environment that marginalized voices find a real home. That’s the basic premise behind LOL — Laughing Out Lonely, a solo opera work that takes the stage at Tapestry Opera’s Nancy & Ed Jackman Performance Centre on January 16 and 17.
The work comes to Toronto via Denmark, composed by Matilde Böcher, with sound production by Asger Kudahls, and starring countertenor Morten Grove Frandsens.
The one person opera is produced by Danish company OPE-N, known for their innovative works, and premiered in 2023. The production toured Denmark to soldout houses, and Morten Grove Frandsen was nominated for a Reumert Award in 2024 for his solo performance.
About LOL: Laughing Out Loud Lonely
The lyrics for LOL were created in English, drawn from social media posts by young people, and includes a range of outsider personalities like the girl with The Fucking Ugly Face, a self-harmer who cuts herself, and The Lamb, a boy who fantasizes about being slaughtered.
The work plumbs the dark regions the internet, giving voice to the misogynists, racists, self harming people, and others who’ve found a kind of community online. The audience becomes part of the setting in this groundbreaking opera.
It’s the first international production to be presented at the Nancy & Ed Jackman Performance Centre.
Cast & Creators
Composer Matilde Böcher
Böcher graduated from Rytmisk Musikkonservatorium in Copenhagen with a degree in composition, and from Kunsthögskolan in Malmö – Lund Universitet with another degree in fine arts. From her own bio:
“I am a composer and conceptual artist, working with music in connection with installation, performance and video. At the center of my compositions is the voice and melody.
“My works have a socially critical and existential focus, which I insist on illuminating in detail with openness, sensitivity and vulnerability.”
She has created music for performance, opera, theatre, video, and installations, and several of her works have been nominated and awarded prizes, including LOL – Laughing Out Lonely (2023), Messiah (2019), and Overload (2025). Matilde has been awarded a significant working grant from the Danish Arts Foundation to continue her work.
Sound Designer Asger Kudahl
Danish sound designer and composer Asger Kudahl graduated from the Danish Academy of Performing Arts. His specialty tends to be in creating sound for projects that include interactive theatre, internet radio, and art films, with a focus on the performing arts. He’s responsible for the sound design in more than 40 productions that include Finished with Eddy (Betty Nansen), Martyrmuseum (Black/White), A Story of Blindness (Århus Theatre), Museum for the Future (Black/White) and The Wall (Betty Nansen). LOL is his first opera.
A former external lecturer/consultant at the institutioin, Asger took up the position of head of education for sound design at the Danish Academy of Performing Arts in August 2025. He is also part of the artist collective TOETT.
Countertenor Morten Grove Frandsen
Morten Grove Frandsen is a prominent counterntenor in Denmark, and made his made his debut at Aarhus Summer Opera three years before graduating from the Royal Opera Academy in Copenhagen. He was awarded the Copenhagen Opera Festival’s Talent Prize in 2015, and in 2016, the year of his graduation, he received both the Critic’s Circle Award and the Reumert Talent Award.
Morten has worked with Trondheim Opera, Scottish Opera, The Funen Opera, Klang Festival, Riga Baroque Festival and the République and Black/White Theatres in Copenhagen. He is a regular guest at the Royal Danish Opera. There, he has performed in Thomas Adès’s The Exterminating Angel, Hans Abrahamsen’s The Snow Queen (world premiere), David Bruce’s Nothing, Mozart’s Mitridate, Louise Alenius’s Manualen (World premiere) and John Frandsen’s The Martyrdom (world premiere).
He has appeared in 18 world premiere productions, including Louise Alenius’s immersive opera Silent Zone for Copenhagen Opera Festival (2017), and Fundal’s Incognito Royal for the Danish National Opera (2021).
LOL: Laughing Out Lonely
LOL: Laughing Out Lonely makes its Canadian premiere January 16 and 17, 2026 at the Nancy & Ed Jackman Performance Centre.
Find tickets and show details [HERE]. https://tapestryopera.com/performances/laughing-out-lonely/
Are you looking to promote an event? Have a news tip? Need to know the best events happening this weekend? Send us a note.
#LUDWIGVAN
Get the daily arts news straight to your inbox.
Sign up for the Ludwig Van Toronto e-Blast! — local classical music and opera news straight to your inbox HERE.
- PREVIEW | Tapestry Opera Presents LOL: Laughing Out Loud Lonely January 16 & 17 - December 17, 2025
- SCRUTINY | Wing Chun Dance Drama Offers A Window Into Chinese Cultural Heritage That Combines Production And Dance Excellence - December 17, 2025
- PREVIEW | Singing Through The Darkness Celebrates Jewish Voices Who Persisted Despite Oppression - December 16, 2025
