In the early 1900s, Madame Ethel Linn O'Neil – the great-great-grandmother of Amy Louise O'Neil ('17) -- was the prima donna soprano at the Luzerner Theater, an opera house in Switzerland. Her daughter Clara Linn O'Neil, Amy O'Neil's great-grandmother, soon became an actress in the Golden Age of Hollywood.

Over a century later, O'Neil is following in her ancestors' footsteps as an artist, actress and opera enthusiast — in her own unique way. The Texas native is living up to her bloodline as the digital content marketing manager for The Dallas Opera.

In the last few years, O'Neil has found an audience creating and supervising content, best exemplified in her dress-up opera web series Don't Look Under the Wig, which was recognized by the 2024 Awards for Digital Excellence in Opera.

"The magic ingredient is I'm not shy," O'Neil says. "I can look silly in a bald cap and talk about Wagner for 10 minutes, and it works somehow."

Through humor, vulnerability and a willingness to look a little ridiculous online, O'Neil is helping opera shed its velvet-rope reputation and meet new audiences.

"I was afraid to enter the workforce because I'd be forced to hide my personality," O'Neil says. "But, if somewhere doesn't want me because I'm too much, I'm not meant to be there."

More than a century after her great-great-grandmother took the stage in Switzerland, O'Neil is still performing — just from the phone screens of a new generation. In doing so, she's proving opera's future may be less about who's onstage but more about who feels invited.

New Directions

After leaving her hometown of Highland Village, O'Neil moved to Chicago and built a life as a cosmetologist. Only fulfilling one of her many passions, she realized in a few years' time she wanted to move back to Texas and begin a new career where she explores all her interests.

But while living in Illinois, she still pursued her art. O'Neil joined a clarinet orchestra — an instrument she's been playing since middle school. Today, she plays occasionally as part of her comedy and improv troupe in downtown Dallas.

O'Neil moved back to her home state, knowing UNT would allow her to blossom into her most genuine self. A degree in arts management was yet to be offered, so she made her own and majored in integrative studies focusing on music, business and communications.

Before graduating in 2017, O'Neil finished her last semester at UNT studying abroad in Vienna.

"I took every music and art history class I could swallow up," O'Neil says. "I even took a little UNT Eagle around Europe and took pictures at places like the Leaning Tower of Pisa."

Once finished with her degree, O'Neil began working as a part-time stylist for Sephora while also in a full-time position ticketing for The Dallas Opera. Following the pandemic, TDO was short-staffed, and she saw opportunities to get involved with new projects.

"My edge is I have a keen sense of what works and what will speak to the public," O'Neil says. "People want to be able to see themselves in content."

Quickly becoming social media manager, O'Neil has assumed more responsibilities over the years and took charge on a mission to make opera appear less elitist and exclusive.

"I'm trying to get past the head of the old guards of fine arts and engage with a younger audience," O'Neil says. "Cool, hip, young people belong at the opera."

Feeling Fulfilled

Nearly a decade since graduating from UNT, O'Neil remains in contact with many professors and peers who recently congratulated her recognition and Best Social Media Feed Award by D Magazine for her work with The Dallas Opera.

O'Neil attends almost every rehearsal, staging and reading in order to capture as much as possible. Among the productions, which take place at the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House in the AT&T Performing Arts Center, her favorite has been Elektra by Richard Strauss.

"It was creepy and so metal. We had a 100-piece orchestra I was crying over," O'Neil says. "We're one of few theaters in the world where our proscenium is tall enough to house this show."

Each production is one-of-a-kind with a different cast, set and directors. Last October, they put on Carmen by Georges Bizet with Swiss Grammy-winning opera talent Marina Viotti, who has performed in the same theater O'Neil's great-great-grandmother did over 100 years ago.

"I work in one of the most beautiful theaters in the country," O'Neil says. "My inner child is excited every time I walk backstage. At the end of the day, I'm just a kid who likes to play dress-up."