Opera is traditionally thought of as a formal affair but, more and more, audiences are discovering its casual side.

Take Toronto company Opera 5. Formed in 2012 by Opera McGill grads Aria Umezawa and Rachel Krehm, the company recently produced a riotous version of waltz king Johann Strauss’s Die Fledermaus. The production balanced fresh elements with more formal operatic elements; Strauss’s beloved waltzes from the 1874 work were intact but featured alongside burlesque performers, a dance party and a humorous tribute to Steamwhistle Brewery, which provided the evening’s refreshments.

What makes Opera 5 special? Here are five things to know.

1. They incorporate different art forms into their shows

Opera 5’s past productions have incorporated elements from the worlds of photography, dance, cabaret and pop culture. For instance, an April concert, Opera at Warp Speed, blended traditional music from the likes of Wagner and Bizet with concepts from Star Trek, Star Wars and other sci-fi properties. “It’s one of the things we take real pride in,” says Krehm, Opera 5’s general director. “We had a show in fall 2013 that was a kind of hip-hop opera. The chorus was zombies for the whole show: hip hop opera zombies!”

2. They respect the score

“We have an 11-piece band with strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion,” Krehm said of the musical accompaniment for Fledermaus. “It’s not a wholly compromised orchestral sound; you get the full music experience.” “They’re timeless melodies,” added Jessica Derventzis, who worked as co-director on Fledermaus and is Opera 5’s production manager. “Strauss wrote tunes you’ve been hearing your whole life. There’s a nostalgic element.”

3. The people behind the scenes are the people onstage

Besides being the company’s general director Krehm is also a performer, appearing as frustrated wife Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus. “I think in order to have any sort of a career these days you really do need to be able to put on many different hats,” she explains. “What I’ve learned in terms of my administrative side is that (particular) hat has helped me in preparing for performances and the skills I have from onstage helps with the administrative side. I really enjoy doing both, and I don’t see having to pick one or the other moving forward.”

4. They want opera to be timely as well as entertaining

Among the many future projects on the company’s roster are two feminist operas, set to debut in 2017. One, says Krehm, is “not all that new but is written by a woman,” while the other will be a new work with a feminist theme. “I think that one of the barriers these days to getting new audiences is perhaps opera feeling a bit out of date,” Krehm says, “so bringing in a theme that might resonate more to a younger generation is a way really to get people into the opera-going spirit. All the great operas can be timeless, but it’s easier for an audience that knows the work to see that than someone who’s never been before.”

5. They are changing the definition of opera (but keeping traditional fans)

The big parties, the saucy drag queens, the scantily clad burlesque performers are “changing the conception of what opera (is) and the preconceptions of opera, from gowns and tuxes in stuffy box seats to a more fun, grounded level,” says Derventzis. “My 85-year-old grandmother loves Strauss and she’s totally into seeing opera done in a new way,” she adds. “There’s an older generation of operagoers who are into seeing timeless works done in new ways, ways that are still true to the original essence of the piece.”