{{short description|Former New York City opera company and venue}} {{more citations needed|date=April 2026}} '''Dicapo Opera Theatre''' was an opera company and venue in Manhattan, New York City. It was co-founded in 1981 by general director Michael Capasso and artistic director Diane Martindale. It closed in 2013.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.asianage.com/ideas/reviving-city-opera-nod-past-860|access-date=April 24, 2026|title=Reviving City Opera with a nod to past|date=January 22, 2016|work=The Asian Age}}</ref>
== Programming and premieres == Dicapo Opera Theatre's presentations ranged from traditional repertoire to rarely performed operas, special opera-dance presentations, family events, and at least one contemporary work each season. Its premieres included the world premiere of Francesco Cilluffo's ''Il caso Mortara'', the American premiere of Donizetti's ''Il campanello'' ''(The Night Bell)'' and the New York premieres of Oscar Straus's {{ill|The Merry Nibelungs|de|Die lustigen Nibelungen|italic=yes}}, Richard Wargo's ''A Chekhov Trilogy'', Robert Ward's ''Claudia Legare'', and Tobias Picker's ''Thérèse Raquin'', as well as the New York premiere of Lehár's ''The Merry Widow'' with a contemporary libretto by Wendy Wasserstein.
== Puccini at Dicapo == Since its founding, Dicapo had been particularly dedicated to the music of Giacomo Puccini. It gave the first performances anywhere of all three versions of Puccini's ''Madama Butterfly'' (Milan, Brescia, and Paris) successively in one weekend. With choreography by Dicapo's director of dance, Nilas Martins, Dicapo was the first to present music and dance presentations of Puccini's ''Le Villi'' and the ''Messa'', and has also presented settings of a number of Puccini songs and incidental music to dance. By the end of 2008, the 150th anniversary of the composer's birth, Dicapo Opera Theatre had presented all of his major works, from ''Le Villi'', the composer's first opera, and orchestral works through his final opera, ''Turandot''.
== The theater == Located on the lower level of St. Jean Baptiste Church at 184 East 76th Street in Manhattan, Dicapo Opera Theatre was completely remodelled in 1995 and was a fully equipped, 204-seat air-conditioned facility with orchestra pit, spacious lobby areas, offices and rehearsal spaces.
==References== <references />
==Further reading== * {{cite book|url=https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/NYCO_Renaissance_final_s3-1.pdf|access-date=April 24, 2026|title=NYCO Renaissance|chapter=Appendix D: The Dicapo Theater|page=59}}
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Category:Defunct New York City opera companies Category:Musical groups established in 1981 Category:1981 establishments in New York City