Our Mission
At Good Mess Opera Theatre we believe that opera can be a powerful force for empathy and positive change. We create and curate theatrical experiences that reflect the diversity that we see in our communities, and provide a platform wherein artists are empowered to explore and develop their artistic voices.
Who we are
Sawyer Craig
Artistic Director
Equally comfortable on the stage and at the director’s table, Sawyer has been praised as a “standout” performer (Edmonton Journal), “particularly radiant in coloratura passages” (Opera Canada), and “a massive nerd” (her younger sister Eden). As Artistic Director of Good Mess Opera Theatre, Sawyer is committed to telling compelling stories in unique, vibrant, and inclusive ways.
Sawyer did her undergraduate studies at UBC in Opera Performance. The years she spent in Vancouver taught her a love of stagecraft, a deep appreciation for iced coffee, and introduced her to longtime friend and fellow Good Mess co-founder Gwen. She followed this with a Masters degree in Voice Performance at the University of Manitoba. Under the tutelage of Monica Huisman, she developed a wide repertoire of art song and a fascination with the medium of the recital. She also developed a bit of a regional accent, most audible when she says the word “sorry” (as a Canadian, this of course is something she says with almost inexplicable frequency; she is working on this). Sawyer also holds an Artist Diploma in Stage Direction from McGill University, where she was the first student to direct a mainstage opera (Les mamelles de Tirésias, 2022).
Artistic highlights include portraying Adina in l’elisir d’amore with Highlands Opera Studio, performing Szymanowski’s Songs of a Fairytale Princess with the U of M Symphony Orchestra (as a winner of the Concerto Competition), and spending the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons as the Yulanda M. Faris Resident Director with Vancouver Opera.
When she is not making loud noises with her face, Sawyer enjoys running (no really, it’s fun!), board games of all kinds, and engaging in light witchcraft with the help of her two cats (familiars), Noodle and Stevie Nicks.
Gwendolyn Yearwood
Executive Director
Gwendolyn Yearwood is a soprano, vocal instructor, producer, ukulele player, piano teacher, jingle writer, food snob, and occasionally a tenor when the stars align. She received a Bachelor of Music from UBC in 2015 and a Master of Music from UBC in 2017. After finishing her studies she moved to Toronto in pursuit of a career as an opera singer/barista. During her time in Toronto she realized that the rent was too damn high and she swapped the Toronto grind for the Rocky Mountains in 2020, returning to her hometown of Calgary Alberta where she currently resides.
Gwendolyn has been hailed as “a force to be reckoned with” by the Summerland Review and also by her Mother and her husband Chris who are both admittedly afraid of her. She has had the opportunity to perform all over Canada, Europe and Asia, thrilling audiences with performances such as Mimi in Puccini’s La Boheme (Against the Grain Theatre), Magda in Gian Carlo Menotti’s The Consul (UBC Opera), Rosalinde in Johann Strauss’ Die Fledermaus (Okanagan Symphony Orchestra), and The Countess of Dunmow in Lennox Berkeley’s A Dinner Engagement (Opera by Request) just to name a few. Gwendolyn is an alumnus of the Association for Opera in Canada’s RBC Artist Fellowship (2021-22) and has had the honour of being nominated as a Woman of Impact in Opera by the AOC (2022).
When she’s not performing, teaching, or being the executive director of GMOT, Gwendolyn can be found sleeping, snacking, drinking wine, or sometimes pretending to help her partner make dinner though all she’s really doing is chopping the occasional vegetable until she is kicked out of the kitchen. Even though she never makes dinner, she always does the dishes… or at least she offers.
Spencer Kryzanowski
Music Director
Spencer Kryzanowski is a conductor, repetiteur, and vocal coach working in both opera and musical theatre. He keeps busy by instructing musical theatre superstars and opera divas of the future through his work as a vocal coach and repetiteur in the opera division at the University of Toronto and music director at Bravo Academy and Yellow Door Theatre Projects in Niagara on the Lake. In 2024 Spencer moved into a lovely, but compact two bedroom apartment in downtown Toronto with his partner Jack and their cat Charlotte. At the same time Spencer discovered his rich, deep, luxurious, and velvety baritone voice. Between practicing Die Walkure and La Rondine and singing all the parts in their respective ranges in the comfort of his adorable abode, the noise complaints are piling up. Maybe these noise complaints are also due to Spencer's unwavering love and thorough commitment to the musical stylings of Cupcakke, Beyoncé, Robyn, Sufjan Stevens, and American metalcore band Everytime I Die. Who knows.
Spencer's recent conducting and music direction credits include Gilbert and Sullivan's Trial By Jury (Pop Goes the Opera), Alan Menken's Newsies (Bravo Academy), Cendrillion (University of Toronto), Puccini's Il tabarro (Pop Goes the Opera), and Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel - *Hank and Gremlin (Good Mess Opera Company). Spencer's répétiteur credits include Guerrero's El huésped del sevillano with Toronto Operetta Theatre, Nino Rota's Il cappello di paglia di Firenze, and a comedic triple-bill of Hindemith's Hin und zurück, Offenbach's Monsieur Choufleuri, and Douglas Moore's Gallantry. Other credits include Humperdink's Hänsel und Gretel with Berlin Opera Academy; Copland's The Tender Land; Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia; Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi; and Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin. Spencer had the pleasure of workshopping Melancholia, an opera based on the Lars von Trier film, by Mikael Karlsson and Royce Vavrek in 2023 for the Royal Swedish Opera. Additionally, Spencer assisted as a répétiteur and vocal coach in a workshop of Indians on Vacation by Ian Cusson and Royce Vavrek in 2024 as part of a collaboration with Against the Grain Theatre and Edmonton Opera.