Review: Peter Grimes

Peter Grimes
Sydney Opera House
Until 30 October
Tickets $68-256
Bookings (02) 9250 7777
Critic’s Rating 8/10

As published in the Sun Herald


There’s nothing quite like a lynch mob to get the dramatic pulses racing. As with football, viewers like siding with the under-dog, hoping that the mob gets punished for succumbing to group mentality.

Peter Grimes is a reclusive subsistence fisherman living in an isolated sea port on the English coastline. Different from the rest the community, in a Boo Radley type of way, he is viewed with suspicion when his young apprentice is found dead after a fishing expedition.

Writing at the height of World War II, the composer Benjamin Britten and his partner, Peter Pears, returned to England from the US with the idea to turn an 1810 poem by George Crabbe into opera.

With librettist Montagu Slater, Britten creates a world much like John Steinbeck’s Of Mice And Men where Grimes is objectified and beaten down like Lennie Small by a ruthless community.

Director Neil Armfield, along with designers Ralph Myers, Tess Schofield and Damien Cooper, has set the action in a community hall that can quickly turn from a warm hub of social interaction to a place more daunting and cold.

A coronial inquest clears Grimes of the incident but the community is distrustful and gossip escalates when he is given another apprentice. His love-interest, Ellen Orford, is one of his only friends but she succumbs to communal gossip.

Britten’s Peter Grimes is a haunting modernist composition that won’t be everyone’s cup of tea and Armfield honours the score’s meditative qualities with simple stagecraft and a lighting design that evokes the horizontal shadows of an Alfred Hitchcock film.

More often than not it is just the solitary figure of George Crabbe (played by Peter Carroll), the original author of the poem, who strolls through the hall in between scenes and moves chairs, creating a theatre within a theatre.

Stuart Skelton is born to play the role of Grimes, his tenor voice opening with such beauty and clarity in the opening scene, only to descend into the more chaotic expressionism as the mob chases him from his hut. Susan Gritton, as the simple Ellen Orford is beautiful and Peter Coleman-Wright, as Grimes’s only other friend, Captain Balstrode is grittily perfect.

Peter Grimes is a harsh world that came out of the destruction of a war that tore the world apart. Its programming post-September 11 is inspired and shows that the mob mentality is as prolific as ever.

ArtStart (kind of) Gets the Nod‏

As published today in Crikey.


Arts Minister Peter Garrett has finally delivered on his promise to give ArtStart, infamously described by Peter Costello in the lead up to the last election as ‘welfare’ for artists, the green light.

At the time of its proposal in 2007 the Member for Higgins tore into the Member for Kingsford-Smith saying:

The member for Kingsford-Smith said that I would never have thought of something like this. Well, blow me down! I never have thought of something like this: that somebody on welfare needs more time to produce art! What are the responsibilities of someone who is on welfare? Do they have to turn up at the office at 8am and take them away from their easel?

First proposed as a way to develop a "Social Security and the Arts" policy that bridged current Australia Council for the Arts, Centrelink and the Australian Tax Office rules, it aimed to determine “the most equitable way to treat earnings and royalty payments for artists currently receiving welfare.”

Sensibly, Garrett has removed the words "Centrelink" and "Australian Tax Office" from the funding measure and it has now re-emerged as a grant which will be administered by the Australia Council.

It’s a major commitment in this year’s Budget with the Rudd Labor Government to spend $9.6 million over four years which will provide two hundred $10,000 grants to "individual graduate artists to enable them to create a major work or event to build their portfolio and increase their self‑sufficiency".

Aimed at visual artists, musicians, designers and performing arts practitioners, it will provide a much needed leg up particularly for those in capital cities who face rapidly rising rental costs and little support from state based arts bodies -- particularly NSW.

However, the real coup for Garrett is how he has managed to maintain all funding for the arts portfolio, even after the massive injections his predecessor George Brandis delivered under the Coalition government. It was a tall order in the face of a downturn in the economy and in fact, the Arts Minister has even delivered a little bit more.

The Indigenous Arts is another big winner in the Budget. A recommendation of last year’s Senate enquiry into Indigenous Arts and part of the "Closing the Gap" initiative will see an additional $10 million provided over four years to “increase the support for art centre operations, ensuring appropriate staffing, training and salaries for art centre employees, and addressing poor recruitment and retention rates in remote areas”.

Other highlights include $8 million over four years to the Books Alive program and $5 million for NIDA, the Australian Ballet School and Australian Youth Orchestra to get out to regional and out metropolitan areas to teach young kids.

Screen Australia, the newly formed national peak body which merged the Australian Film Commission, Film Finance Corporation and Film Australia into one, continues with funding maintained. It’s just a shame that the new organisation hasn’t done terribly much in the last twelve months (although they have got a nice new logo). Hopefully an additional $750,000 in this year’s budget to help administer the new 40 per cent producer off-set rebate will get them going a bit.

Garrett has also tried to address the lack of touring arts programmes to regional areas with a number of grants to get art exhibitions touring. But Regional Australia’s continuing request left over from last year for $24 million in touring funding is still left out.

There is also no sign that the Rudd Labor Government plans to re-install any aspect of Alexander Downer’s policy of using the arts as a means of second-tier diplomacy. The removal of the previous Downer’s On the World Stage program has been a blow to many of our top arts organisations -- most particularly in their attempts to engage with Asia.

But in a time of recession the arts should be happy with the renewed commitment of the Federal Government and their new Arts Minister. Now they just have to find a way to stop corporate sponsors from leaving the fold.

Review: Jerry Springer: The Opera

Jerry Springer: The Opera
Sydney Opera House
Until 26 April
Tickets $98-$128
Bookings (02) 9250 7777
Critic’s Rating 7/10


Don’t go singing any of the songs after you come out of Jerry Springer: The Opera because you’ll not only turn heads but you might attract some unwanted attention.

An opera based on a television talk show that documents the bizarre, lewd and explicit confessions of the US’s trashiest individuals is always going to generate a lot of publicity.

Add into the mix pre-op transsexuals, a man who likes wearing nappies and a black Jesus who is a "little bit gay" and you have a show which will get a lot of humourless Fred Nile frowns.

Tagged as sacrilegious and outrageous from some more serious and conservative elements of society, this British opera by Stewart Lee and Richard Thomas attracted public outcries and protests when it was first produced by the National Theatre in London.

It’s been a lot less controversial in Australia and as soon as the lights went down in the Opera House the audience was in raptures, raising their arms and punching the air with the chorus ‘Jer-ry, Jer-ry, Jer-ry!’.

A host of trashbags is then wheeled out to tell their secrets to Springer (David Wenham). There’s Dwight (Warren Fisher) with the love of his life. But then there’s her best friend, with whom he’s sleeping. Oh – he’s also sleeping with a pre-op transsexual.

Then there’s the nappy wearing, dummy sucking Montel (Lawrence Clayton), who wants his "partner of two years" to start treating him like a baby.

On either side of the action is a whooping chorus being hyped up by a warm-up guy and Steve the security guy (Marcus Graham) is standing ready to separate any hair-pulling or "bitch-slaps".

The delivery of the confessions and the "talk to the hand" catchcries in the operatic style of Bellini or Rossini make Jerry Springer: The Opera such a bizarre cultural experience.

When members of the Ku Klux Klan appear in a brilliant tap-dancing musical number at the end of the first half, the show goes from the absurd to the surreal and Montel grabs a gun and shoots Jerry by accident. The talkshow then descends into Hell and Jerry is forced to host an episode between the Devil, God, Jesus of Nazareth and Adam and Eve.

The least-interesting character throughout is Jerry Springer, who is portrayed only adequately by Wenham. It’s the Devil (David Bedella) and pole dancing aspirant Shawntel (Alison Jiear) who are the show-stoppers.

But the shock of the swearing and the adult themes have faded with time. There are plenty of hilarious moments but it’s a formulaic production directed off a spreadsheet, exposing its short shelf life. Even after just six years filling packed houses around the world, Jerry Springer: The Opera needs to pull a bigger bitch-slap.

Opera Australia does its bit for the SMH arts pages

As first published in Crikey.

If you think the Brits' inferiority complex in sport was bad, you should see what’s going on in the world of opera. The Brits are quite displeased with the way that a certain antipodean singer is treating one of their own.

"There is more drama off-stage than on at Opera Australia as a serious rift is developing between the company's star singer and its British musical director," Roger Maynard wrote in the UK’s Independent.

At the centre of the affair is a letter from mezzo-soprano Fiona Janes which has been circulated to media outlets in Australia and the UK. First picked up by the Sydney Morning Herald, it alleges that the company is descending into "an abyss of mediocrity".

The letter also makes very serious allegations of ageism and discrimination within the company. For The Independent newspaper, it is all the more tense because of “the fact that there is a Briton at the centre of the row”.

Which, of course, is absolute garbage but this affair does bring into sharp focus the fragile relationship between media outlets and arts organisations.

The far more interesting story is how arts journalists at The Sydney Morning Herald have been put under the magnifying glass in the last few weeks. Ever since Rural Press took over the Fairfax management, there has been an order that they can no longer enjoy the freedom of working from home and that they need to put out more results.

A few noses are out of joint down at the Pyrmont headquarters in Sydney, which makes Opera Australia’s affair all the more tantalising for the arts desk at The Herald.

But arts organisations are generally not very good at dealing with public criticism at the best of times with so much sensitivity around their use of public funds. So as soon as a debate spills onto the pages of a local rag, organisations shrivel up quicker than you can throw a tomato.

As usual, this new affair with Opera Australia is primarily about personalities. It’s similar to recent public rows between disgruntled actor Colin Moody and the Sydney Theatre Company and arguments between Barrie Kosky and pretty much everyone else.

Janes’ letter is just another of these explosions. What’s interesting is that the letter was leaked to the media even after the Opera Australia board agreed to meet with the singer. The company certainly learnt a lot of lessons from the brouhaha that exploded in the media over conductor Simone Young in 2002.

But this debate is getting even more out of hand for the company as director Elke Neidhardt and singer Kirsti Harms get on board with further criticisms published in the Herald today.

Usually arts powerbrokers are unwilling to publicly open up and have a constructive debate about creative decisions, but in this case Opera Australia appears to be on the front foot and opening up communication channels.

They have sent a letter to The Herald which is yet to be published and they are re-starting a consultative committee to discuss future creative plans for the company.

The two positives out of this will of course mean that The Herald gets some more much needed arts content and the company will appear to be transparent in its dealings. As for the Brits and their sensitivities, maybe they should just concentrate on one thing at a time and keep shaming us Australians at the Olympics.

PM calls on best and brightest?

It's all over the front page of The Australian today:

"The Prime Minister announced yesterday that 1000 of the nation's 'best and brightest' would be picked to attend a two-day summit in Canberra to articulate radical solutions to the 10 most pressing problems facing the nation over the next decade."

And to my general shock and amazement The Arts gets a guernsey, coming in at number 8 (just after Indigenous Australia and just before Democracy).

It does have to share a place with film and design, but I suppose that if The Arts are considered more important than democracy we shouldn't complain too much.

To be held in April, the weekend forum will aim to propose long term options for the development of Australia towards 2020. Rudd's press release goes on to explain that "this Steering Committee will select up to 100 participants in each of the Summit areas who will attend in a voluntary capacity. The participants will be drawn from business, academia, community and industrial organisations, the media and include a number of individual eminent Australians."

This is where you, dear reader, come in. The last thing we need is for the usual suspects to be lining up and representing 'the arts'. Can you imagine anything worse than a continuation of the status quo? It's enough to make you shudder.

It's very important that a 'real' cross section of the industry needs to be represented at this event in April, not just the institutionalised individuals at the top of the pecking order. You need your James Strong representatives in their bow-ties and jaguars, but you also need your fringe theatre artists. You need your Cate Blanchetts with their business sponsorship deals but you also need your regional arts organisation and their struggling relationship with state governments.

Unfortunately state premiers will be in attendance, so you can look forward to Premier Iemma of New South Wales having a chat with you about the merits of rugby league over opera. So the two day ideas-fest will spend at least one of the days discussing terms of reference.

Unless of course you convince Premier Iemma not to come, explaining to him that there isn't a sport category up for discussion. In fact, maybe he can just stay in Sydney that weekend and check out the footy. Doesn't the rugby league kick off that weekend?

I think there are a number key areas that must be addressed by the two day forum. The first is, of course, the funding structure of the arts with a greater integration of federal, state and local funding. The situation in New South Wales where funding keeps get cut and cut and cut, will soon enough spread to other states and territories. How can greater integration stop this from happening?

A new and fresh vision for the Australia Council must be discussed. The grant application procedures are at times ridiculous and anti-creative and the whole idea around 'peer review' needs to re-evaluated.

One of the other things that could be discussed would be an equivalent of the Australian Major Performing Arts Group (AMPAG). Maybe we could call it the Australian Minor Performing Arts Group (AmPAG), representing artists outside the gates of Troy.

The third area of importance is the state of arts education. This is an area that needs critical attention not only at a school level, but more urgently at a tertiary level. Arts faculties across the country have shrunk and a stream of subjects have disappeared at every institution.

And don't even start me on the National Art School which each year struggles to stay afloat. Just fund the damn thing.

The fourth area of importance is arts reportage. Is the standard offered by our media outlets (I'm looking at you Mr Fairfax and you Ms Rural Press and also you Mr Murdoch) really that good enough and how does it need to be renewed with vigour. And how do we stop the arts section from being just a pit stop for cadet journalists to practice their prose?

The fifth area of importance is greater integration of multicultural arts and collaboration on an international scale. Why is the AsiaLink programme so under utilised for cross-cultural collaboration? What does the Federal Government plan to do about expanding the touring programme for artists and arts organisations? What will be our vision for cultural exports?

There are more and you will be able to make your submissions online, when a website is created for the summit. So don't be silent and don't rely on those that are currently in the ears of government. It does make a difference.


Story UPDATED HERE.

Review: Dead Man Walking

Dead Man Walking by Jake Heggie & Terrence McNally
State Theatre
27 September 2007

This the full text version of the review which appears in The Daily Telegraph.

The lead-up to the premiere of Dead Man Walking has been so long and exhaustive for the musical and opera communities that a lot is riding on the success of this enormous production.

Burgeoning producer Nicole Alexander has been pounding the pavement for so long trying to get this major operatic event off the ground, she has practically become a permanent fixture of the arts pages for the last two years.

Her powers of persuasion have meant that the production has attracted the financial backing of radio presenter Alan Jones, the production support of Andrew McManus, the directorial talents of Nigel Jamison as well as the musical powerhouses Kirsti Harms, Teddy Tahu Rhodes, Anthony Callea and Hayden Tee.

Entering the magnificent State Theatre it becomes obvious that nothing has been spared on this epic and theatrically expansive production. With a striking set (by designer Dan Potra) that reaches out from the stage with two enormous steel structures, the audience is transported to the Angola State Penitentiary in Louisiana. Aside from the fact that a certain actor was loitering with the audience while in costume, it immediately becomes clear that this is unlike any other operatic event you have been to.

Dead Man Walking is based on the auto-biographical novel by Sister Helen Prejean who documents her experience as a spiritual adviser to a death-row inmate convicted of the brutal killing of two teenagers. The book was consequently turned into a haunting film by Tim Robbins and starred Sean Penn and Susan Sarandon.

This operatic version by composer Jake Heggie and librettist Terrence McNally is a fitting accompaniment to a story which avoids making judgements on whether the death penalty is right or wrong, but elegantly shows the events that lead up to the institutional killing of the murderer. Although a bit drawn out in the first act, director Nigel Jamison appropriately fills the dramatic gaps with some excellent video footage by Scott Anderson that capture a Hitchkockian quality to the plot.

With over 120 people in the cast and orchestra, Jamison along with conductor Paul Kildea coordinate a production that employs an appropriate style that matches the stark grey of the prison where much of the opera is set.

Much of the promotion around this production has centred on the photogenic Teddy Tahu Rhodes who plays the convicted Joseph De Rocher. But this production, more than anyone else, belongs to the touching performance of Kirsti Harms who plays the central character of Sister Helen.

Supported by strong principals and a huge chorus, this is an opera that will not necessarily have you singing for days, but it will certainly hover in a corner of your imagination and force you to reflect on what is, at its core, a devastating story.

Get your head around this bit of kulcha!

"A 45 minute performance, featuring over 200 young performers and famous artists representing Australia's contemporary arts industry, culture and heritage will be showcased to Leaders, delegates and officials during APEC Leaders Week," the APEC media release says.

"750 guests, in addition to Leaders from the 21 APEC Member Economies, will gather at Sydney Opera House on Saturday 8 September to view the performance which crosses many genres from Classical Music, Modern Dance, Music Theatre, Ballet and Opera.

"Under the direction of Artistic Director, Stuart Maunder, Executive Producer of Opera Australia, the performance, titled My Island Home will provide a snapshot of modern Australia and feature a show stopping finale of the classic song sung by the well-known recording artist Christine Anu.

"At the conclusion of the cultural performance, a brief "River of Fire" fireworks display will light up Sydney Harbour to mark the conclusion of the APEC Australia 2007 year, at the same time as Leaders and VIPs attend official dinners. "

How bloody awful. If I was a delegate, I'd be avoiding that engagement like the plague and heading up to Surry Hills to get a taste of the local action. Just imagine what Vladimir Putin would be thinking as he listened to Christine Anu pumping out My Island Home. Checkov - eat your heart out!

Not, that I imagine, this is any of Stuart Maunder's fault. He was probably given a brief from the Office of Prime Minister and Cabinet which probably said something along the lines of "we want the kulcha bit to be like the Olympic opening ceremony. We can't give you too much money but singing is good. Dancing is good. Kids are good (especially curly headed ones coming down from the roof). Didgeridoo's are good. But if we see that bloody Peter Garrett in some pyjamas any where near that bloody stage, you'll get it!"

One of the acts that will be presented to the APEC leaders on Saturday will immerse the Concert hall in darkness as "young soloist, Robert Adam, will begin an unaccompanied version of the iconic Australian song, 'You're the Voice'".

Dear god.

Maunder appears to have used his influence to get a bit serious, pulling rank and acquiring the skills of Simon Tedeschi, Bangarra Dance Company, the wonderful Emma Matthews and the Australian Ballet, but it's clear where most of the directive has come from.

In fact, it appears that Putin nor Bush will be anywhere near the kulcha activities. Bush is jetting off home early and Putin might be getting a dose of kulcha in his own special way.

As Crikey reported yesterday, "while many Sydney CBD businesses are crying fowl because of the APEC presence, some of Sydney's brothel barons are cock-a-hoop at the potential for big business during the forum. Brothels located outside of the city's declared and restricted zones, particularly in Surry Hills, have been fielding phone calls from overseas for the past two weeks."

In fact "due to the expected increase in patronage many of Sydney's best ladies will not be availing themselves of the APEC public holiday on Friday as it is a peak earning period."

So for those delegates getting their hands dirty around Surry Hills over the week, there are a plethora of other cultural events in Sydney. I hear the drag shows down the road in Erskineville are excellent. There's a fantastic show only a stones throw away in Redfern which explores the Australian culture of paying bribes to Saddam Hussein and there's another very good show on at the Darlinghurst Theatre that follows the adventures of four marines on assignment to assassinate a Middle Eastern leader known as 'the bearded lady'.

River of Fire indeed.

What?! Another forum...

Yes ladies and gentlemen - when one isn't sure how to do something, having a forum on it seems to be de rigeur in Sydney at the moment.

And I hereby announce another forum - yes another one - but this time with the Shadow Arts Minister, Mr Peter Garrett.

Here is the article I wrote in Arts Hub today:

Shadow Arts Minister Peter Garrett's nationwide artist forums will make their way to Sydney after a successful session in Melbourne last Sunday, where over 200 practitioners and stakeholders gathered.

"There was an excellent turn out of local artists and the discussion was lively and passionate, just as you would expect," said Mr Garrett.

"A number of key points were made by artists and we'll certainly be looking to incorporate that feedback into our policy deliberations over the coming months."

In what has been deemed by many as the first serious engagement by a Federal minister with artists from the ground-level, the forums hope to give artists and arts advocates the opportunity to voice their concerns and hopes for the future of Australia’s cultural life.

The forum in Sydney follows a successful City Talk hosted by Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore that looked at the creative future vision for the city. That event attracted over 1000 people.

Garrett said the forums were an important component of the Australian Labor Party’s programme of connecting with artists and involving practitioners in determining arts policy.

After previous ALP policies, particularly Creative Nation which received criticism from both within and outside the artistic communities, it will be vital that these forums inform the Shadow Arts Minister of the changes required to further advance the artistic industries.

"As the Shadow Arts Minister it's vital to hear what artists working in our community have to say on the issues that affect them," explained Garrett. "'Your Shout' is a chance for those artists to have their opinions heard and considered."


** This forum has been postponed until further notice**

Put some Opa! into Opera

Last week I attended the beautiful launch of the Opera Australia 2008 season. It was a memorable evening for a number of reasons, some of which can't possibly be mentioned here, but there is one disappointment I have with OA...

Bryce Hallett expressed disappointment that there isn't a new Australian opera premiering next year... well I'm disappointed that there isn't a new Balkan opera premiering! (and I am probably the only one... but that could change!)

I just came across an article in the International Herald Tribune (that stable of a newspaper for ex-pats lying on tropical island beaches) which has a huge profile on a new Paris Opera production of Kusturica's Time of the Gypsies!

Why oh why isn't someone doing that here!!!???

Nicole Alexander - where are you? You may well be putting on Dead Man Walking - but what about some Gypsy-Punk Opera?! Now that'll get an audience out of their chairs. Just imagine Teddy Tahu Rhodes blinging it up for a bit of Gyprock Opera action!

For those of you who don't know who Emir Kusturica (Емир Кустурица) is you deserve to be hung, drawn and quartered. The man is a genius and directed the film's Black Cat White Cat, Underground, Arizona Dream, Life is a Miracle.

"The opera is going to be how Monty Python could have imagined opera," Kusturica, 52, told IHT during rehearsals. "Sometimes it is a parody of opera, sometimes it is a self-parody."

IHT also states that opera music is no stranger to Kusturica. "For the past 20 years, between making movies, Kusturica has played guitar in a punk and techno rock group called The No Smoking Orchestra. For this occasion, the 10-man band shares the pit of the Bastille Opera with The Garbage Serbian Philharmonia which, despite its bizarre name, uses classical music instruments."

Now surely there is no more evidence needed to bring this opera to the shores of Australia! The No Smoking Orchestra is surely reason alone! Not to mention The Garbage Serbian Philharmonia!

I can see it now... whisk those violins and violas out of the hands of the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra - and whack - here's an accordian and a broken piano! Have a crack at that! Marvellous.

You read it here first!

OA gets an A+

The performing arts in this country is a fickle beast. It was only this week that the Sydney Theatre Company recorded one of their biggest deficits of $347, 784 . Yesterday, however, Australia's largest performing arts company Opera Australia, posted a $1.6 million surplus for the 2006 calendar year.

The executive members of the company were obviously delighted with the outcome, overseeing an increase in box office takings of nearly 5% to $34.4 million. Combined with the additional revenue from an extra $1.5 million in state and federal funding as well as money drawn from the interest earned on the companies endowment fund, it has given Opera Australia a firm footing to invest even further in its aspirations as Australia's largest opera company.

Chairman Gordon Fell said, "this is a significant milestone for a major arts company such as Opera Australia and I am delighted that the Company is in an unambiguously strong position as we turn our focus to the years ahead."

Opera Australia have clearly benefited from the Federal Governments strong support of arts institutions and their direct response to the Orchestra Review chaired by James Strong, a major arts lobbyist within the community.

Opera Australia is a vast organisation that oversees opera presentation throughout a majority of states and territories inclusive of regional tours. The surplus this year means that the company can look forward to expanding its influence not only nationally but internationally as well.

The company will dedicate over $1 million in the development of new Australian works to be showcased in its main stage seasons. There are also hopes within the company that invitations from an abundance of renowned international venues can be answered when the Sydney Opera House starts its major renovations, expected to be in 2010.

What is most amazing is that in 2004, Opera Australian was predicting a loss in 2006 of nearly $2million. The arts is a fickle beast indeed.


Image: allposters.com

Nicole Alexander: recalibrating Australian opera

As published in ArtsHub Australia.


Most things you read about Nicole Alexander are centred on how young she is. It's almost an obsession for writers. However, it's not really Alexander's youth that stands out but rather the passion and confidence she has for her work along with the belief she has for her productions that is most impressive.

It is so acute that it rubs off on you. If she decided not to pursue her career as a producer she could certainly make a big living as a motivational speaker standing in front of a hundred thousand people getting them all to rise to their feet.

Right now, however, she is motivated to get the Australian public to rise to their feet in the name of opera. Viewed by many as an antiquated art form, Alexander is determined to make it not only accessible to audiences, but also accessible to the young talent emerging from the recital halls of the Conservatorium of Music.

"I am critical of the fact that it's very hard for a younger performer to break into the industry even if they are as good as the older performers," she says. "I am trying not only to provide opportunities but also attract the attention of a wider audience from the established opera audiences.

"I really believe in developing younger performers and I don't think there is nearly enough opportunities for up and coming artists and that's been my whole thing. We have one national opera company and they are a great company, but there really isn't anyone in Sydney giving the opportunity. We have the most incredible talent here. It's quite disturbing."

Her newest venture is the opera Dead Man Walking, a multi-million dollar production that she has been trying to get off the ground for almost two years. Originally a book written by Sister Helen Prejean and then made famous by the 1995 film starring Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn, the opera is the debut of American composer Jake Heggie.

The pride with which she talks about this production shows that this is something very close to her heart, not only for its subject matter, but also its creative possibility. "I watched the film and then I read the book and when I heard that there was an opera I went and got archival copies of the DVD from the Adelaide and overseas productions. I just fell in love with the music. It's very romantic. It may be a modern opera but its not a-tonal, it's lyrical, it's got heart.

"The movie is one thing but to heighten the drama of it through music is just another thing. Dead Man Walking is a great conglomeration of different genres. There's pop, there's rock, there's opera, there's negro spiritual.

Putting this production together has been one of the hardest tests that Alexander has been through. "There were people when I started campaigning for this that said 'you will never get this up'. Two years ago we had a sponsorship launch and I said I am not going to stop till I succeed in this. I went and got a tattoo of Dead Man Walking on my hip and I said I am not going to stop till I get this up. It's about the piece, it's a work that's really important."

Talk about dogged determination. At first, the conservatorium trained singing graduate attempted to raise the funds to tour an American production to Australian capitals. She aggressively fundraised for a number of years till she exhausted the local philanthropy market. When that reached a dead-end, she changed tact. The result is an all-Australian cast in an all-new Australian production that hopes to tour overseas.

"When I couldn’t raise the funds," Alexander explains, "I went back to the drawing board. If we put together a brand new Australian production there must be an Australian producer out there that would get behind it. But I thought, cost-wise, it would be more effective to bring in a production but it's not the case at all.

"So I took this to Andrew McManus who I had done some work with in the past and he was very interested in taking this on. For rock-n-roll producers their philosophy is that you don’t have to treat classical music the way you are 'meant to'. You must think outside the square. Just because Opera Australia will produce events a certain way - we don't have to".

This attitude is central to what sets Alexander apart from the opera establishment. It is a risk-taking conviction to produce work that not only incorporates the talent of new and emerging artists but to also bring together the skills of people who wouldn't normally be involved in an opera production.

Nigel Jamieson, whose latest success was Honour Bound, a physical theatre show that explored David Hicks' five-year incarceration in Guantanamo Bay is the director. New Zealand opera pin-up Teddy Tahu Rhodes who adorns the hero-image of the marketing collateral takes the lead role of Joseph de Rocher. Hayden Tee, a familiar face on the Sydney cabaret circuit also makes an appearance, as well as Australian Idol celebrity Anthony Callea. Put radio personality Alan Jones into the mix as the para-legal character and the show is a marketing managers dream.

Alexander talks of Jones with a great deal of affection. "Alan has been a fantastic patron who has helped raise money for our trust over the last couple of years. He has been an amazing supporter of the project from day one and he feels so strongly against the death penalty the he wanted to be involved to make people aware of this".

It's clear that Alexander wants to open up her preferred art form to a wider and more appreciative audience, particularly when it comes to serious social issues. "We need to continue to develop our audiences for the future otherwise we aren't going to have an industry. We also need to be putting on works that open up discussions about things that we are facing as a society. Capital punishment is relevant to what's happening in Australia right now. The Bali nine, the hanging of Van Nguyen. We're having to deal with this issue at the moment even though we don't impose the death penalty. It's something that we have to face. We should discuss it."

Her point of difference is also ensuring that the seasoned professionals are teamed up with the young talent of the country whom Alexander is totally dedicated to. "Not only do we have the cream of the cream in terms of the best performers in the country, we also have a cast of 15 children between the ages of 7 and 10. We have a very talented 16 year old who played Escamillo in my production of Carmen as well as a mix of older and younger singers straight of the conservatorium."

Alexander has found a rare niche in the performing arts. With that space now filled by her ambition and drive, the only thing left is to continue ensuring the longevity of her love of opera and to keep audiences coming back. And no one will be able to tell her otherwise.

"There are so many people that are put down in industry and give up. But it's so important to not to listen and to just keep going. Particularly in opera, otherwise it just won't evolve."


Images: Top - Nicole Alexander, Bottom - Teddy Tahu Rhodes