Cincinnati Opera has launched Underscore, a new three-event series designed to offer accessible, unconventional arts experiences tied to the company’s 2026 Summer Festival. Running March through May 2026, the series presents original theatrical and interactive programming at off-site Cincinnati-area venues. Individual tickets are priced at $25, or $60 for a three-event package.

The series opened March 3 with The Importance of Being Oscar, an original one-act play set during Oscar Wilde’s 1882 American tour stop in Cincinnati. Performed in the Wilks Studio at Cincinnati Music Hall, 1241 Elm Street, the production featured Douglas Fries as Wilde and Chris Logan Carter as an interviewer from the Cincinnati Gazette. The event offered historical context for the summer’s production of Richard Strauss’s Salome, which is based on Wilde’s 1891 play. The second event, Carmen’s Revenge—An Operatic Murder Mystery, takes place April 21 at 7 p.m. at Second Sight Spirits in Ludlow, Kentucky. The interactive production follows Bizet’s Carmen beyond the opera’s ending through live singing and audience participation.

The series concludes May 7 with The Afrofuturist Salon, beginning at 6:30 p.m. at Artsville, 5021 Whetsel Ave. in Cincinnati. The event celebrates the world premiere of Lalovavi, Cincinnati Opera’s new Afrofuturist opera commissioned as part of its Black Opera Project, and includes a conversation with librettist Tifara Brown followed by a DJ set with spoken word performance. Cincinnati Opera’s 2026 Summer Festival runs June 18 through August 2 at Springer Auditorium in Cincinnati Music Hall. Tickets and information are available at cincinnatiopera.org or by calling 513-241-2742.

Source: Cincinnati Opera