Wanderlust Opera Announces Tour

In an interview with NZ Opera News, Wanderlust director Georgia Jamieson Emms announced it's first fully staged opera, Mozart's Cosi Fan Tutte, with a touring production that was first produced by Opera Otago as part of the Dunedin Arts Festival in 2008.

Jacqueline Coats will once again direct, Bruce Greenfield has come on board as musical director with designs by Brian King of Toi Whakaari and costumes by Brenda Rendell. Jamieson Emms and Matthew Landreth from the original cast will reprise their roles as Fiordiligi and Don Alfonso. Joining the cast are mezzo-soprano Brigitte Heuser as Dorabella, Cameron Barclay as Ferrando, Imogen Thirlwall as Despina and Stuart Coats as Guglielmo.

The Cosi tour will take place in late Feb/early March 2016 and will be visiting smaller towns in the lower North Island, places that traditionally do not see a lot of opera, if any.

Jamieson Emms said: "Seeing what wonderful, quirky, accessible things the small German companies do to bring in new audiences inspired me to start this company and take opera into opera-starved towns. Like the Wairarapa! I should know!"

The opera will be performed in English with a fun new translation, and will be performed in smaller venues and centres because opera really should be for everyone, for people of all ages.

CAST/CREW:

Director: Jacqueline Coats
Musical director: Bruce Greenfield
Set design: Brian King
Costume design: Brenda Rendell
Producer: Georgia Jamieson Emms

Fiordiligi: Georgia Jamieson Emms
Dorabella: Brigitte Heuser
Ferrando: Cameron Barclay
Guglielmo: Stuart Coats
Despina: Imogen Thirlwall
Don Alfonso: Matthew Landreth

TOUR DATES:

NEW PLYMOUTH Tuesday 23rd & Wednesday 24th Feb, 4th Wall Theatre
CARTERTON Friday 26th & Saturday 27th Feb, Carterton Events Centre
LOWER HUTT Sunday 28th Feb (matinee performance), Little Theatre
PALMERSTON NORTH Tuesday 1st March, Globe Theatre
KAPITI COAST Wednesday 2nd March, Southwards Theatre Paraparaumu