While not confirmed as the opening production for QPAC’s fifth venue, recently named the Glasshouse Theatre, the Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC), in association with Opera Australia and Oombarra Productions, today announced that The Drover’s Wife – The Opera will have its world premiere in QPAC’s new Glasshouse Theatre from 13 to 22 May 2026.
Co-commissioned by QPAC and Opera Australia, this new opera work is based on the play, novel, and film by celebrated Australian artist Leah Purcell AM, who has written the libretto with George Palmer AM and will also direct the season. The Drover’s Wife traces its origins to Henry Lawson’s short story, but it is Purcell’s acclaimed reimagining – first as a play, then as a novel and film – that forms the foundation for this latest adaptation. The opera features a score by Palmer, performed live by Queensland Symphony Orchestra, and promises to reveal the symphonic soul of Purcell’s story in its most expansive form to date.
Queensland soprano Nina Korbe, who recently starred as Maria in West Side Story on Sydney Harbour, will take on the central role of Molly Johnson. The story follows Molly, a heavily pregnant woman left alone to protect her children in a remote Snowy Mountains shanty while her husband is away droving sheep. The production also features Queensland singer-songwriter Marcus Corowa as Yadaka, an Aboriginal man fleeing colonial authorities, whose arrival disrupts Molly’s precarious sanctuary.
Under the baton of conductor Tahu Matheson, the score seeks to capture both the beauty and brutality of the Australian High Country, blending grand opera traditions with contemporary First Nations storytelling. The creative team includes set designer Isabel Hudson, costume designer Tess Schofield, lighting designer Karen Norris, and sound designer Michael Waters, with six dancers under the direction of choreographer Yolande Brown (Bangarra Dance Theatre) completing the ensemble. The full cast will be announced soon.
Leah Purcell reflected on the opera’s journey and scale, sharing:
The intensity and scale of this Australian story makes it ripe for an operatic retelling, I’ve enjoyed the challenge. While this opera may not follow traditional expectations, it will offer something uniquely Australian – bold, grounded and full of heart.
I’ve loved diving back into The Drover’s Wife and looking at how we can use the libretto, First Nations language and the full might of an orchestra to take the storytelling to the next level and distinguish this version from its predecessors.
I want people to say, ‘I’ve read the book, I’ve watched the movie and now I’m seeing the opera.
George Palmer described the new work as a fusion of traditions, stating:
The opera is a confluence of the First Nations tradition of chant and dance and the western operatic tradition. Those traditions, each true to itself, come together without losing their identities and each complements the other, adding textural and contextual richness to the music and the story
Tickets for the season of The Drover’s Wife – The Opera go on sale Wednesday 6 August 2025 via the QPAC Website, or by calling their box office team on 136 246.
