Brand New Opera Adaptation

Opera Australia fantastically brings together the operatic tradition with the storytelling of Aboriginal culture with The Drovers Wife. Directed and co-written by acclaimed actor, writer and director Leah Purcell, this new production takes her celebrated, multi-award winning 2016 play of the same name into the operatic realm, with a score by George Palmer evoking the harsh beauty of the High Country. Rising star Nina Korbe plays the title role, alongside Marcus Corowa as Yadaka and Nick Smith as Danny.

What Is The Story

Deep in the Snowy Mountains, a pregnant Molly Johnson’s sheep-droving husband is away with his herd, leaving her alone to fend for her children and herself against brutal elements, dangerous wildlife and dangerous people. When she comes across Yadaka, an Aboriginal man on the run from colonial forces, their shared history of systemic hardship and survival forces them to confront the violent realities of the frontier.