San Cha’s “Inebria Me” Is The Queer Opera Telenovela We Need In Our Lives

For Seattle area theater goers in search of “something different”, On The Boards is usually at the top of their list for that kind of theatrical experience. And, their fall opening show is one LGBTQ+ theater geeks will definitely want to check out…it’s a piece by LA based musician and performance artist SAN CHA called INEBRIA ME and it’s described as an “experimental opera (that) queers cisgender and heteronormative tropes of telenovela and celebrates the liberating power of ascendant relationships.” It includes a score that combines ranchera, cumbia, punk, classical and electric music genres.

They had me at “opera meets telenovela”!

Though, to be honest, many operas seem a lot like telenovelas…

It’s only here for a weekend, September 11th through 13th. Get tickets at https://ontheboards.org/events/25-26/san-cha

More you should know:

An experimental, genre-bending opera of queer liberation, melodrama, and divine transformation.

Inebria Me adapts visionary Los Angeles-based composer, musician, and performance artist San Cha’s 2019 album, La Luz de la Esperanza, into an experimental opera that queers and dispels the cisgender and heteronormative archetypes that dominated the telenovelas of San Cha’s youth. The opera introduces Dolores, a beauty of humble means who, after marrying wealthy Salvador, finds herself caught in a web of jealousy and abuse. During a particularly dark moment, Esperanza, a genderless being of light and empowerment, visits Dolores, giving her strength to escape Salvador’s control and realize her true value.

Inebria Me’s captivating story and libretto are driven by San Cha’s personal and artistic influences: rural Mexican immigrant family life, Catholic church choir, Bay Area drag performance, and cross-border experiences. With a live sound score fusing ranchera, cumbia, mariachi, punk, classical, and electro, integrated with innovative lighting, scenic, video, and visual design, Inebria Me celebrates the liberating power of ascendant relationships.

With Inebria Me, San Cha adeptly merges the structural framework of opera with the emotive essence of melodramatic telenovelas, honoring and subverting both at once, and asserting queer Black and Brown presence and perspectives on an opera stage. Embracing the tropes of internal dialogue and flashback sequences common in the telenovela genre, San Cha constructs a narrative arc that defies linear conventions, offering a nuanced exploration of tragedy and love.

A central facet of the work lies in its representation of gender binaries through the art of drag, to challenge societal norms with a deliberate exaggeration of gender roles. The cast, musicians, and creative team reflect the diverse spectrum of queerness and cultural identity intrinsic to the piece.

September 11-13, 2025

Thursday, September 11 | 8pm – * Covid Safe(r) Seating available

Friday, September 12 | 8pm

Saturday, September 13 | 8pm