FFO launched in November 2016 at PSAS, Fremantle. Our launch concert, AT THE MOVIES, had all the best bits from movie soundtracks including The Shawshank Redemption, Pretty Woman, Priscilla Queen of the Desert and more, performed by some of WA’s most talented opera singers.
Director, Andries Wiedemann, Designer, Robbie Harrold, pianist Aidan Boase, Lady Diamond and a stellar cast of singers including Emma Pearson (soprano), Jun Zhang (tenor), Ileana Rinaldi (mezzo-soprano), Harriet Marshall and Emma Pettemerides (sopranos) brought opera from the movies back to the stage.
In addition to the amazing singing, the experience was enhanced by a projection designed by Robbie Harrold, the appearance of the wonderful Lady Diamond, and the sponsorship by Cobs popcorn for a real “at the movies” experience.
CENTENARY PAVILION, August 20-28, 2021
ABOUT THE OPERAS:
These two one-act operas are in very different styles and take us to the opposite corners of human experience. Both have family at the heart of them, and a plot that hinges on inheritance. Suor Angelica is about a nun pressured to sign away her inheritance by a family that has rejected her. We push against the sentimentality of the piece by taking it out of the convent and putting it in a modern rehab centre. Addiction affects families of all kinds, and the links between family trauma and addictive behaviour are well documented.
Gianni Schicchi is a screwball comedy lifted straight from Dante’s Inferno. Someone rich has died and the vultures descend. In our version, the corpse is barely cold and the removalists are already stripping the house out. This story concludes with the hero asking if he deserves to be sent to hell for a redistribution scheme with an upside. In both operas the protagonists are trying to survive within a very flawed world. Laughing or crying, naturalism or farce, it is all the same thing. The gloriousand messy business of life. Rachel McDonald
CAST: Robert Hofmann, Nicole Youl, Hattie Marshall, Emma Pettemerides, Brigitte Heuser, Perry Joyce, Bella Marslen, Brett Peart, Tom Buckmaster, Kyle Garces, Ava Charleson, Harriet du Pont, Ruth Burke, Bonnie Staude, Dante Prendergrast, Scout Simmonds, Michelle Pryor
DIRECTOR Rachel McDonald
MUSICAL DIRECTOR Katie How
DESIGNER Robbie Harrold
LIGHTING DESIGN Jerry Reinhardt
STAGE MANAGER Rachael Canning
SURTITLE OPERATOR: Allison Fyfe
MUSICAL ACCOMPANIMENT: Tommaso Pollio, Sophie Curtis and Cathie Travers.
Awards:
Nominations PAWA
Best Production (Musicals and Opera) – Angels and Devils – WINNER
Outstanding Direction, Movement Direction or Choreography – Rachel McDonald – WINNER
Best Performer in a Leading Role – Harriet Marshall – WINNER
This is my first time working with FFO (I’ve long been a secret admirer), and it has been a really wonderful adventure. What a special company this is!
Puccini describes La Fanciulla as his ‘finest work, his most successful opera’, and that is a big statement as it followed Madama Butterfly. It is an incredibly ambitious undertaking for any opera company, let alone our merry troupe of independent artists, to stage The Girl of the Golden West. Certainly, I find La Fanciulla Puccini’s most romantic score, and possibly one of his most musically demanding.
The jumping-off point aesthetically for our La Fanciulla was a series of photographs of the town on the west coast of America, called Trona, taken by documentary photographer Tobias Zielony (look them up; they are fantastic!). Originally a frontier town, it was built on the myth of the Wild West, exploiting individualistic freedom and the taming of the natural world. Trona moved from mining gold and silver at the turn of the century to today, where its main production is sadly methamphetamine.
There are many such towns in our own backyard. Settlements that once encouraged daring explorers west have also drawn misplaced and unwelcome vagrants into the undertow. The original protagonists of Western epics are often misfits or outcasts, and this is what’s celebrated in La Fanciulla. This is an opera that unusually sees our heroine, Minnie (a hard-working bar owner), win big in the hard-drinking world of men, and we love her for it. La Fanciulla is firmly set in the cultural echoes of the American Dream and the lament of longing to blaze brighter than you are.
I would like to thank the cast, creative team (particularly our brilliant Musical Director, Tommaso), musicians, and everyone at FFO and beyond for making this possible. I hope you enjoy your journey to the frontier.
Ax
CAST:
Jack Rance – Teddy Tahu Rhodes
Dick Johnson – Jun Zhang
Minnie – Hattie Marshall
Jake Wallace – Robert Hofmann
Sonora – Lachlann Lawton
Ashby – Jake Bigwood/Brett Peart
Jim Larkins – Brett Peart/Kris Bowtell
Sid – Keaton Staz
Bello – Lachlan Higgins (Rogers & Thick Award Recipient 2022)
Joe – Perry Joyce
Happy – Kohsei Gilkes (FFO Rising Star 2022)
Nick – Ammon Bennett (FFO Rising Star 2022)
Harry – Tom Buckmaster
Trin – Zoe Lancaster
Wowkle – Michelle Pryor
Postmas – Euan MacMillan
Castro – Laurence Westrip
Chorus – Devon Lake, Sam Claxton, Julian Cope, Vin Trikeriotis, Jessica Goodwin and Elizabeth Bruk (appear courtesy of WAAPA)
Rachel Portman’s adaptation of The Little Prince is a rich and multidimensional experience, a heart-warming opera that stays with the audience long after the final curtain falls. The Little Prince has captivated readers of all ages for generations. Its enduring themes of love, friendship, and the importance of seeing the world through a child’s eyes make it a relevant and poignant story to stage. The story explores universal themes, including the beauty of simplicity, the search for meaning in life, the value of human connections, and the importance of imagination. The diverse characters, ranging from the Little Prince to the inhabitants of the planets he visits, provide a visually stunning and exciting experience for the whole family. Freeze Frame Opera is thrilled to collaborate with the young chorus at WAYV and international artists, including Teddy Tahu Rhodes, Rachelle Durkin, and Sara Macliver for this moving opera based on Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s beloved classic.
CAST:
The Pilot: Teddy Tahu Rhodes The Little Prince: Liam Fitzpatrick/Camille Alonso The Water: Sara Macliver The Rose: Rachelle Durkin The Fox: Hattie Marshall The Businessman: Brett Peart The Vain Man/The Lamplighter: Kohsei Gilkes The Drunkard/The Snake: Perry Joyce The King: Jake Bigwood
DIRECTOR Adam Mitchell
MUSICAL DIRECTOR Katie How
DESIGNER Rhiannon Walker
LIGHTING DESIGN Jerry Reinhardt
PRODUCTION MANAGER Stephen Carr
WAYV PREPARATION: Perry Joyce, Katie How, Adrian Soares
MUSICAL ACCOMPANIMENT: Tommaso Pollio, Sam Perry, Adrian Soares and Sopie Curtis
Program:
Awards:
Nominations PAWA
Best Production (Musicals and Opera) – The Little Prince – WINNER
Outstanding Direction, Movement Direction or Choreography – Adam Mitchell – WINNER
Outstanding Musical Direction or Conducting – Katie How – WINNER
Outstanding Ensemble
Outstanding Performers in Supporting Roles – Perry Joyce
Outstanding Composition or Arranging – Adrian Soares
Freeze Frame Opera’s annual Christmas at the Quarry concert.
A beloved end-of-year tradition, this magical concert is a joyful way for family and friends to come together and celebrate the festive season under the stars.
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