Premiering at Sydney Fringe 2022, as part of the inaugural LIMITLESS – a micro-festival that celebrates Deaf and Disabled artists, Thomas Pasatieri’s Before Breakfast will be presented at 107 Projects this September.
Based on the Eugene O’Neill play, the one act opera Before Breakfast puts a marriage under a magnifying glass, revealing a domestic landscape littered with dashed dreams, hardship and unfulfilled aspirations.
It’s early morning in 1947 Australia. Sunshine streams through the window and birds are singing. But Charlotte is on the war path. Her head hurts, the bread is stale. Why can’t Alfred find a job? A delicate waltz tinkles around the corners of the room, disturbing the ghosts of memory.
Remember when she danced for 500 hours? When a poet thought her beautiful? Little does Charlotte know that this morning’s coffee will be served with a side of devastation. And it all happens, before breakfast…
Set against the backdrop of the gruelling dance marathons of the 1920s and 30s, Charlotte’s emotional struggle resonates in a post lockdown world.
Originally composed for Beverly Sills, Before Breakfast combines a haunting, intimate score by Thomas Pasatieri (American Beauty) with a powerfully emotional libretto adapted from the Eugene O’Neill play by Frank Corsaro.
Directed by Disability Advocate Dan Graham (Sam I Am), three-time Green Room Award nominee and Opera Australia regular, Jane Ede (Carmen, La Boheme, Madama Butterfly) stars as Charlotte, with pianist Kate Johnson.
The one-hour-performance includes a brief post-performance Q&A with the artists and leading Disability Arts guests about access and opera. All performances offer wheelchair access, Braille flyer insert and post show touch tour. The performance on Friday 9 September will be Auslan signed, and Saturday 10 September is sensory friendly.
Director: Dan Graham | Featuring: Jane Ede, Kate Johnson (pianist) | Stage Manager: Pearl Junor | Production Manager/ Movement: Roman Berry
Before Breakfast
107 Projects, 107 Redfern Street, Redfern
Season: 7 – 10 September 2022
Information and Bookings: www.sydneyfringe.com
Image: Jane Ede stars as Charlotte in Before Breakfast – photo by Malcolm Ede