The creative development of Speechless, a wordless opera

This creative development is of SPEECHLESS, a wordless opera intended for a major world premiere season in 2018 produced by Tura new music. To be composed and directed by Cat Hope, SPEECHLESS will be a 70-minute experimental opera paying homage to persons rendered speechless by political means. In contemporary society, a number of cultural groups often find themselves in positions of impotency, where they have been left without a voice - legally, politically or culturally. SPEECHLESS will draw thematic material from a range of sources, including Australia's 2014 Human Rights Commission's report 'The Forgotten Children: National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention'. The development will result in high quality documentation to pitch the show to prospective festivals/venues.