avaTara

avaTara the opera

avaTara the opera

The drama of human life played out in the microcosm of the cell.

One in three people’s lives are touched by cancer.
From mid 2005 – 2008, 27.9 million people in the world died of the disease.

Confront the horror and the humour in the dark night of your soul.
Extraordinary events unfold in the lives of ordinary people through the catalyst of a cancer diagnosis.

OperaProject’s avaTara tells five true transformative stories. The opera follows their journeys and draws on the bizarre history of cancer medicine. A chamber ensemble, puppetry and digital imagery provide a rich contemporary musical and theatrical landscape.

avaTara deals with the microscopic and the cosmic, the physical and the meta-physical, the concrete and the spiritual. Fantastical forms and disturbing content combine in avaTara to tell an uplifting tale of the human capacity for forgiveness, hope and courage when confronted with mortality.

OperaProject is committed to telling powerful relevant stories in intimate multi-media immersive experiences.

Executive Producer, Composer/Librettist & Performer – Emma O’Brien
Director – Rober Draffin
Producer – Anne Frankenberg
Company Tour Manager – Nic Synot
Videographer – Ivanka Sokil
Designer – Ina Indira Shanahan
Puppeteers – Sarah Kriegler & Jacob Williams
Performers – Merlyn Quaife, Ian Cousin, Olivia O’Brien, Michael Bishop
Stage Manager & Lighting Design – Gwen Holmberg Gilchrist