Undead Arts Sets Seventh Annual Zombie Opera for Oct. 24

Undead Arts will stage its seventh annual Zombie Opera on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, at Hamilton Park in downtown Jersey City, drawing more than 4,000 people for the fourth year running.

What's actually happening on stage

The concert strings together arias (solo vocal pieces) from five staples of the standard repertoire — Gounod's "Faust," Gounod's "Romeo et Juliette," Bernstein's "Candide," Mozart's "Don Giovanni," and Gershwin's "Porgy and Bess." Mezzo-soprano Melina Jaharis anchors a seven-singer cast that also includes sopranos Heather Bobeck and Molly Dunn, male soprano Joshua Viltrakis, tenor Teddy Balfour Austin, bass Raul Morales Velazco, and baritone Phillip Bullock.

Jazz saxophonist and singer Mae Czuba serves as emcee (the host who links segments on stage) and opens the program. Members of TerpsiKord, a New York City–based orchestra, play under former New Jersey Symphony conductor Tong Chen.

Who else is in the mix

The ensemble extends well past the professional cast. A zombie chorus draws on North River Sing members, Kean University students, and local residents. Rising Voices, a public-school enrichment program that Undead Arts itself launched, returns for its second consecutive year.

Accessibility is built into the production, not bolted on. Inclusive ASL provides American Sign Language interpretation, and the seating area is ADA compliant. Guests who want to sit are asked to bring their own chairs.

The team behind the spectacle

Oscar-nominated filmmaker Catriona Rubenis-Stevens, founder of Half-Light Productions, directs. She shares producing credits with Molly Dunn and Katy Gardiner, who doubles as art director. Laia Cabrera and Isabelle Duverger built the projection art. Yukie Ara and Amalia Romero Stiegwardt designed the makeup. Lauren Ver Hage created the artwork, and Kennedy Event Services is shipping in two 16-foot LED video screens.

How did a zombie opera get here?

The series started in 2020 as a pandemic-era Halloween celebration performed on the stoops of Jersey Avenue — free entertainment for neighbors stuck inside. The 2021 edition pulled more than 2,500 people. Each show since — 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025 — has cleared 4,000 attendees in Hamilton Park. Past themes have run a circus in 2022, an '80s prom in 2023, and outer space in 2024.

What does this change for Jersey City's arts calendar?

It cements Zombie Opera as a recurring fall fixture rather than a pandemic experiment, and it does so on a public-square scale most indie opera outfits can't reach. Undead Arts, founded by Dunn, Rubenis-Stevens, and Gardiner, recently wrapped a sold-out run of "The Magic Flute" with the New Jersey Symphony and toured "Mozart & The Magic Flute" to more than 3,000 students statewide. The Oct. 24 show extends that momentum into a free outdoor format.

Who's paying for it

Sponsors include DeBanked, Corcoran Sawyer Smith, Silverman, Sage Vets, and Cangianos. Community support comes from Ward E Councilman James Solomon, Grace Church Van Vorst, and Next Step Broadway, with additional donors still to be announced. Hamilton Park Neighborhood Association is the official nonprofit venue partner. Undead Arts is partnered with Arts 14C, a creative space founded by Robinson Holloway in the powerarts district. Public funds flow in through the Jersey City Arts and Culture Trust Fund.