Event
Speechless : Perth Festival 2019
- Date: Tuesday, 26 February 2019 to Sunday, 3 March 2019, 8pm daily
- Venue: Sunset Heritage Precinct — 80 Birdwood Parade, Dalkeith, WA
- Series: This event is part of the Perth Festival 2019 series
- Tickets: Adult $49 | Concession $46 | Full Time Student $25 (plus booking fees) — Tickets can be purchased online or by phone on (08) 6488 5555
Event Details
Imagine a world where you have no voice. That is the world for many in contemporary Australia who are silenced legally, politically or culturally.
Speechless – a powerful new opera by award-winning composer Cat Hope – is a personal response to the 2014 Human Rights Commission report ‘The Forgotten Children: National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention’. Through a vocal language beyond words, Speechless is a channel for Hope to come to terms with the terrible things she sees perpetrated in her name by those in positions of power.
Speechless features one of Australia’s finest interpreters of contemporary vocal repertoire Judith Dodsworth, lead singer of the Australian heavy metal powerhouse High Tension, Karina Utomo, one of Australia’s most distinctive voices in Iranian-born Tara Tiba, West Australian experimental vocalist Sage Pbbbt and award-winning visual artist and post-punk drummer Tina Havelock Stevens with a combined community choir of 30 voices, the Australian Bass Orchestra and Decibel new music ensemble.
While following the structure of conventional opera, Speechless’ unique score is derived from drawings and graphics extracted from the Report and performed using networked iPads. This World Premiere season is designed specifically for the new Sunset Heritage Arts Precinct.
Leave what you know about opera at the door and immerse yourself in a compelling, courageous and visceral sonic world.
PRODUCTION
Produced by Tura New Music
Composer and Director Cat Hope
Producer Annalisa Oxenburgh (for Tura New Music)
Musical Director Aaron Wyatt
Sound Designer Guy Smith
Lighting Designer Matt Adey
Assistant Director Rakini Devi
Costume Designer Alex McQuire
Stage Manager Susan Fenty Studham
Assistant Stage Manager Laura Boynes
Choir Convenor Luke Donohoe
A Perth Festival Co-Commission
Produced by Tura New Music
Further information for this event is available online at the event's website or by phone on (08) 9228 3711
Featured Australian Works
Speechless : for four vocal soloists, Choir and Bass Orchestra (2019) by Cat Hope — World premiere — performed by Caitlin Cassidy, Sage Pbbbt, Karina Utomo, Judith Dodsworth, Australian Bass Orchestra and Decibel New Music |
Featured artists
- Performer Decibel New Music
- Performer Australian Bass Orchestra
- Performer Judith Dodsworth
- Performer Karina Utomo
- Performer Sage Pbbbt
- Performer Caitlin Cassidy
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