Producer Craig Baldwin in association with Hayes Theatre Co have announced the final cast members for the upcoming chamber opera The Turn of the Screw. Benjamin Britten’s spine-chilling masterpiece will be presented from 16 August 2024.
Helmed by celebrated director Craig Baldwin (Consent, John and The Flick for Outhouse Theatre Co), The Turn of the Screw will feature some of Sydney’s finest rising opera stars. Julie Lea Goodwin (The Merry Widow, The Phantom of the Opera) will join Sophie Salvesani (La Traviata, West Side Story) alternating in the role of the Governess.
Catherine Bouchier (OA’s The Love for Three Oranges) and Classical Voice student at Sydney Conservatorium of Music Georgia Cooper will play Miss Jessel. In the role of Miles will be Addy Robertson (Theys at the Hayes) and Flora will be played by Sandy Leung (Handa Opera’s Carmen).
They will be joined by previously announced cast members Kanen Breen (The Merry Widow, Sweeney Todd) and Ben Rasheed (Tosca, Rigoletto) who will alternate the role of Peter Quint, and Margaret Trubiano (Carmen) and Ruth Strutt (The Magic Flute, Opera Up Late) who will share the role of Mrs Grose.
“Australia has such a depth of home-grown opera talent, it’s exciting to be showcasing so many of them in this cast. Hearing their extraordinary voices up close in the Hayes is going to be a one-of-a-kind experience,” said Director Craig Baldwin.
This gripping tale unfolds in a remote English manor, as a young governess arrives to care for two orphaned children, Flora and Miles. She soon discovers that the grounds, and the children themselves, are haunted by mysterious apparitions. As the governess fights to protect her wards from the sinister forces that surround them, the line between sanity and madness becomes thrillingly blurred.
Britten’s evocative score weaves a web of tension, combining hauntingly beautiful melodies with dissonant harmonies, perfectly capturing the ghostly ambiance of Henry James’s classic gothic novel.
Presented in whisperingly intimate proximity, this is an opportunity not to be missed. Be immersed in the eerie sounds and psychological suspense of one of the world’s most popular operas. Prepare to question the boundaries between the material and the supernatural, and become enthralled by the dark recesses of the human mind.
The Turn of the Screw will be presented at the Hayes Theatre Co from 16 August – 15 September 2024. For more information, visit: www.hayestheatre.com.au for details.
Image: Sophie Salvesani and Kanen Breen to star in The Turn of The Screw – photo by Marnya Rothe