La Vie Bohème!

• 5:30 PM Arrival: Upon arrival, please make your way to the Memorial Court to check in with Opera Bear and receive your performance voucher.  

• 6:00 PM Dress Rehearsal Begins: Grab a seat in the balcony and enjoy the sights and the best sound in the house! 

• 7:00 PM Intermission: Meet Opera Bear at the Memorial Court check-in spot to be escorted to the artist’s café.  

• 7:05 PM La Vie Bohème Begins: Immerse yourself in a bohemian dream at Café Momus and explore this Parisian artist café firsthand. Check out all the artist booths! 

• 7:45 PM Storytime with Emily Butterfly: Cozy up for a new story time adventure inspired by La Bohème with Edutainer, Emily Butterfly!  

• 8:15 PM Mimi’s Puppet Parlour Workshop: Step into Mimì’s world of delicate artistry and create your very own rod puppet with Emily Butterfly! With fabric and a touch of imagination, craft tiny characters to bring Mimi’s story to life. Decorate and let your hands dance like a true Parisian seamstress. 

• 9 PM Event Ends: Sign up for the Opera Cubs Newsletter and grab a SF Opera Goodie Box on your way home! 

• Rodolfo’s Reveries – Poetry Card Collage Making: Awaken your inner poet at this crafty card collage party! Love letters, poetic phrases and colorful designs are all Rodolfo-approved. Whether you fill in the blanks or let your art do the talking, your masterpiece will be sealed with Parisian Charm. Take home your handmade poetic card plus a mini wax seal to share with a loved one or save as a treasured keepsake! 

• Marcello’s Masterpieces – Painting Station: Grab a paintbrush and let the colors flow as you create your very own mini masterpiece! Marcello is known to paint how he feels, so get ready to unleash your inner artÍste. Draw anything from the Red Sea to a bold abstract, or a swirl of emotions. Your canvas is waiting for your creative touch.  

• Colline’s Cabine – Costume Try-On & Photo Booth: Step into the world of La Bohème with a wardrobe full of Parisian flair! Try on elegant shawls, painter’s berets, vintage hats, and theatrical accessories, then strike a pose in our charming opera photo booth! Who will you become—Mimì, Rodolfo, Marcello, or Musetta? The spotlight is yours! 

• Musetta’s Mirror – Caricature Portraits: Strike a pose and let your fabulous diva self be captured! At Musetta’s Mirror, a skilled caricature artist will transform you into a living work of art – bold, stylish, and full of personality. Walk away with a keepsake as dramatic as Musetta herself! 

• Bohemian Braids – Divalicious Hairdos: What to do with all that tinsel from the act two Christmas scene? Add a little tinsel to your braids for a hairdo sure to make you a star of the café scene! 

• The Enchanted Bubble– Human Snow Globe Experience: Step inside a world of winter magic with Harmony Lyric and become the star of your very own snow globe. Enter our life-sized bubble and capture the moment as swirling suds transform your photo into a dreamy wonderland. It’s picture perfect, no mittens required! 

• Masquerade Magique – Face Painting: Step into the world of Masquerade Magique, where faces become fantastical works of art. Choose from a palette of butterflies, stars and swirls as our artists transform you with the stroke of their paint brush! 

Ms. Emily Butterfly is an interstellar storyteller known for enchanting children with her magical blend of puppetry, storytelling, and song. Over the past two decades, she has delighted preschool and elementary students with her unique shows, which she writes, directs, and performs. Her self-created puppet friends and imaginative tales inspire young audiences, while expressing themes of consent, environmental stewardship, respect for all species, disability awareness, intuitive super powers, and the ability to bloom wishes and dreams into reality. Emily’s voice has reached countless ears through her voiceover work for Free Range Graphics and Cartoon Network, as well as her three-year tenure as producer and host of a beloved children’s radio program. Her passion for education, combined with a degree in early childhood education and psychology, has led her to craft her own brand of “edutainment”—infusing joy and learning into every performance. She has toured extensively, bringing her engaging school assembly programs and classroom workshops to every elementary school in Alameda County. Beyond schools, Emily has created magical, safe spaces for children at major festivals, most notably the Power to the Peaceful festival in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park and the Life Is Living festival in Oakland. In her roles as a performer, teacher, and children’s event producer, Emily is dedicated to fostering creativity, joy, and safe, nurturing environments for children. Her 20-year success performing for children and managing Kid Zones at music festivals is a testament to her ability to enchant and inspire young minds. Now, she is excited to bring her talents to the SF Opera where she will continue to edutain and uplift through her whimsical artistry.