Breaksea’s new production Fairy Queen set to showcase local talent in Albany debut

Breaksea’s latest production Fairy Queen will debut in Albany this month, with budding talent from around the region set to star alongside musicians from the UWA Conservatorium of Music.

The new multi-arts production combines acting, opera, dance and shadow puppetry to bring to life a unique take on Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Director Matt Ward has combined Shakespeare’s classic tale with music from the 1692 opera The Fairy Queen by Henry Purcell, which he said were often performed together during the 17th century, in shows that would last more than five hours.

Ward has “taken the most joyful, fun, comedic bits” of the play, and transported the story to a marine setting.

“In the original production, the famous lovers run away into the forest and are intercepted by the cheeky fairies, potions, spells and mistaken identities, which form the backbone of the comedy,” Ward said

“In our production, we are transported to a fictional seaside town, the lovers make their way to mermaid’s cove and, upon entering the cave, they meet the fairy world, oceanic sirens, squid creatures and sunken galleons.”

The production also features shadow puppetry created by Ward after completing a two-week residency with local artists Sue Codee and Jane Davis, and puppeteer Sanjiva.

“The way this performance is designed, and we’ve done similar things in the past, people that have never listened to classical music or opera come along and they are just blown away because it’s about the narrative and the story and you get swept up in the costumes and the performance,” Ward said.

There are local performers throughout the production, with the About Face choir, and choirs from Bethel Primary School and Flinders Park Primary School joining musicians from UWA’s Conservatorium of Music Chamber Orchestra, led by Shaun Lee-Chen, to make up the orchestral accompaniment.

Those gracing the stage will include local actors Jarrad Inman as Puck and Rachael Colmer as Snout, as well as internationally renowned opera sopranos Sara MacLiver and Pia Harris.

Harris plays the titular fairy queen Titania as well as serving as the production’s creative producer, and described the show as “a feast for the eyes and soul”.

“My role is acting and singing, and it’s wonderful to be able to perform this role, I love Shakespeare so I’m really excited that we get to do this,” she said.

“Breaksea productions are all about storytelling, and I love that emphasis. Everything is high-quality and multi-art form, but very story focused and driven which makes it much more compelling for the audience.”

Fairy Queen also features young Albany performer Imogen Taylor, who is undertaking Breaksea’s Regional Youth Mentorship scheme, in the role of Snug. Harris is mentoring Taylor, and running workshops with About Face, and the Bethel and Flinders Park Primary School choirs.

“Youth mentorship underpins everything we do at Breaksea, so it’s very exciting to be able to be the fairy queen, and be able to perform at the Albany Entertainment Centre, but also to provide this really necessary mentorship in the regions.”

Ward described the production as “a showcase performance for our youth mentorship program”.

“We’re really breaking ground in terms of the mentorship we’re providing for children and youth choirs, with our individual one-on-one youth mentorship, and championing talented people from diverse backgrounds to have professional employment in regional WA,” he said.

Ward said there were plans for Fairy Queen to be performed again in Perth in 2023.

The production was supported with funding from the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries Lotterywest Creative Communities COVID-19 Recovery Program.

Fairy Queen is on at the Albany Entertainment Centre on August 20 with performances at 3pm and 7.30pm.

Tickets are available from https://bit.ly/3vzEp78.