Comic opera with Aussie twist fills void

ORPHEUS in the Underworld has been given an Aussie makeover sure to delight Toowoomba audiences when it hits the stage next year.

Toowoomba Emerging Artists Performance Project’s producers Elaine Coates and Shantelle Shore said the comic opera, which was originally written in French, was a juxtaposition of Earth and the gods and goddesses of ancient Greece.

The performances of the opera were given the go-ahead after the group received a grant from the Regional Arts Development Fund.

“But we’ve been given permission to actually change it slightly so we can give it an Australian feel,” Mrs Coates said.

“So things like the corn fields of Thebes become cane fields and the Mount Olympus scene, where the gods and goddesses live, becomes the iconic Australian bush, along with iconic Australian characters and birds and so on as the gods and goddesses.

“Hades becomes a rather nightclub-ish atmosphere with a lot of

Performances will be held on February 14 and 15, 2015. To buy tickets visit www.empiretheatre.com.au.

Applications for auditions close on Monday, October 13.

Auditions for the remaining principal roles and chorus will be held on Sunday, October 19.

Audition requirements can be found at www.teapp.org movement and dance and enjoyment. That’s where the can-can comes in. The can-can was actually written as a part of this opera.”

Mrs Coates said the project began because opera hadn’t been produced in the city since the studio at the University of Southern Queensland closed down.

“There’s been a real void and there are a lot of opera singers here in the making, and even actually working, who have come from Toowoomba,” she said.

“We need to keep those people here, or at least give them a chance to perform in front of their home audience.”