Before Breakfast by Thomas Pasatieri, will run from 7 – 10 September at 107 Projects, 107 Redfern St. It is premiering at Sydney Fringe 2022, as part of the
inaugural LIMITLESS, a micro-festival that celebrates Deaf and Disabled artists.
It’s early morning in 1947 Australia. Sunshine streams through the window and birds are singing. But Charlotte is on the war path. Her head hurts, the bread is stale. Why can’t Alfred find a job? A delicate waltz tinkles around the corners of the room, disturbing the ghosts of memory. Remember when she danced for 500 hours? When a poet thought her beautiful? Little does Charlotte know that this morning’s coffee will be served with a side of devastation.
And it all happens, before breakfast...
Based on Eugene O'Neill's play, the one act opera Before Breakfast puts a marriage under a magnifying glass, revealing a domestic landscape littered with dashed dreams, hardship and unfulfilled aspirations. Set against
the backdrop of the gruelling dance marathons of the 20’s and 30’s, Charlotte’s emotional struggle resonates in a post lockdown world.
Originally composed for Beverly Sills, Before Breakfast combines a haunting, intimate score by Thomas Pasatieri (American Beauty) with a powerfully emotional libretto adapted from the Eugene O’Neill play by Frank Corsaro. Three-time Green Room Award nominee and Opera Australia regular, Jane Ede stars as Charlotte, with pianist Kate Johnson.
Disability Advocate Dan Graham directs, and the 1 hr performance includes a brief post-performance Q&A with the artists and leading Disability Arts guests about access and opera. All performances offer wheelchair access, Braille flyer insert and post show Touch tour. 9th September will be Auslan signed, and 10th September is sensory friendly.
“Jane Ede stole nearly every scene in which she was involved."
Barney Zwartz, The Age
"Jane Ede's Fiordiligi was ravishing"
Gregory Pritchard, Concerto.net
Production Team:
Soprano – Jane Ede (Carmen, La Boheme, Madama Butterfly)
Pianist – Kate Johnson (Opera Australia)
Director – Dan Graham (Sam I Am)
Stage Manager – Pearl Junor (Sam I Am)
Production Manager/ Movement Director – Roman Berry (Divergent Theatre Collective)
Playing: September 7 at 6.30 pm
September 9 at 6.30 pm
September 10 at 8.30 pm
107 Projects, 107 Redfern Street, Redfern 2016
(02) 9167 6999
Tickets: From $39 - $43 (https://sydneyfringe.com/events/before-breakfast/)
BEFORE BREAKFAST: Artists
Jane Ede – Performer
Described as ‘show stopping’ (Jason Whittaker, Daily review) and ‘a
revelation’ (Peter Rose, Australian Book Review), Jane Ede is one of
Australia’s most versatile sopranos. Jane has been performing as a
principal soprano for Opera Australia for over a decade, with roles
including Fiordiligi (Così fan tutte), Countess (The Marriage of
Figaro), Musetta (La Bohéme), Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni), Alice Ford (Falstaff), Adina (L’elisir d’amore), Pamina & First Lady (The Magic Flute), Wellgunde (Ring Cycle), Helena (Midsummer Night’s Dream), Lady Billows (Albert Herring), Valencienne (The Merry Widow), Berta (Barber of Seville) and Frasquita (Carmen) and the title role of Madame Butterfly for the Opera Australia Regional tour.
Jane has established a reputation for intelligent refined singing and
dramatic flair. In addition to her performances with Opera Australia, Jane has covered extensively and initially attracted much notice for her opening night ‘jump in’ performances of both Adina and Lady Billows.
Roles for other companies include all the soprano roles in The Flight of Les Darcy with Music Theatre Sydney and the world premiere of Robert J Bradshaw’s chamber opera Gabriel for the International Trumpet Guild conference. Jane has also performed in numerous recitals and
oratorios, including Handel’s Messiah, Canteloube’s Chants D’Auvergne, Vivaldi’s Gloria, Mozart’s Exultate Jubilate and Laudate Dominum, Vaughan William’s Dona Nobis Pacem and Faure’s Requiem.
Born in Sydney, Jane holds a Bachelor of Creative Arts from Wollongong University with a double major of Music and Acting, and a Diploma of Opera from the Sydney Conservatorium. Jane was twice a finalist in the McDonalds Operatic Aria, as well as a finalist in the Opera Foundation’s New York Study Award, Covent Garden Scholarship and the Metropolitan Opera Award. In 2009 she won the inaugural Moffatt Oxenbould Young Artist Competition to join the Opera Australia Young Artist program in 2010.
Jane has been nominated for three Green Room Awards for opera for her portrayals of Fiordiligi, Alice Ford and Frasquita and has twice been mentioned in Paul Selar’s OperaChaser Awards for ‘Outstanding Female in a Supporting Role’ for her performances of Musetta and the Countess. She is featured in Opera Australia’s DVD recordings of Lakme and Rigoletto and on the
Wirripang CD ‘A Poet’s Composer’.
Kate Johnson - Pianist
Kate Johnson has worked extensively in Australia and internationally
with some of Australia’s finest singers and is highly regarded as a
collaborative pianist and vocal coach.
She began her work as a repetiteur with Opera Australia in 1995, and
over the years has assisted in the preparation of an extensive range of
the operatic repertoire. Kate has performed continuo for much of
Opera Australia's Baroque and Classical repertoire and has acted as
prompter and Children’s Chorus Master for numerous productions.
She has worked and performed with companies including Sydney
Philharmonia Choirs, Sydney Chamber Choirs, Gondwana Choirs,
and The Song Company. In recent years she toured Australia in recital
with soprano Greta Bradman, and the Baltics with the Gondwana Chorale.
Kate studied piano and harpsichord at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, and in the United Kingdom, Paris, and the USA. She is well-known for her work as a vocal coach and recitalist with established as well as emerging singers. Kate enjoys assisting them in role preparation and encouraging them to develop their vocal style and technique by embracing the connections
between language, musical style, and dramatic intention.
Dan Graham – Director
Disability Arts Advocate Dan Graham directs Before Breakfast. His Directing and access work have seen him travel all over Australia and the world to research and explore access and inclusion.
Dan has engaged with companies across Australia such as Bell
Shakespeare, MTC, Sydney Festival, Sydney Fringe, Antipode Theatre
Company. His recent collaborations in the US have included Roundabout Theatre Company, Atlantic Theatre Company and the Pasadena Playhouse and in the UK, National and the Globe Theatre.
Dan is a fellow of the Australia Council’s Future Leaders Program, an
Ian Potter Foundation Scholarship, and Create NSW Fellowship recipient. He has a stellar director resume and uses his success to advocate for other artists who identify as neurodiverse.
Dan studied BA (Communications + Cultural Studies and MCA (Theatre specialising in Directing at the University of Tasmania and Honours in Performance Studies at the University of Sydney. His Honours paper focused on the playwright’s intent and how this is realised in the director’s vision. Dan also holds a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment.
Dan is a board director for Arts Access Australia and a regular peer assessor for the Australia Council for the Arts. He is the co - chair of the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) artists with a Disability. Also on the ACON disability advisory board, the Hickson road Group for Accessible Arts and NSW Queer Screen Disability advisory board.
Roman Berry – Producer
Born from Cebu City, Philippines, Roman migrated with his family to
Ceduna, South Australia, where he discovered his love for community
theatre and the arts. He trained at Flinders University Drama Centre
(Acting) and Centre for Performing Arts (Dance). Performance career
highlights include Cameron Mackintosh’s Australian Premiere of Miss
Saigon; Harry Miller’s Pageant: The Musical. He was the Artistic
Director II Commonwealth Youth Games Opening & Closing
Ceremony (Australia) and created/ facilitated & conceptualised Body
and Mind, Wellness Workshops (The Voice of Domestic Workers UK).
He recently returned to Melbourne, after ten years in London, where
he collaborated as Director/ Movement Director on several Off West End and Fringe Theatre productions, focusing on New Plays & New Musicals. These were with companies such as Get Over It Productions, The Bread & Roses Theatre, Goldsmiths University, The Hope Theatre, The Jack Studio Theatre, Arrows & Traps Theatre Company, just to name a few. He was also an
Artistic Associate and later promoted as Marketing and Production Manager at The Bread & Roses Theatre, London.
He directed Lorna Wells’ sold-out season of It Tastes Like Home, The Musical (London). Whilst back in Melbourne, he directed Jamila Main’s Butterfly Kicks for 2019 Queer Quickies Festival at Theatreworks (Melbourne); Creative Advisor for Narre Warren South P12 College's 2019 production of Hairspray The Musical; workshopped a development reading of DTC’s Illegals The
Game Show at Multicultural Arts Victoria and directed Electric Dreams The Musical by Drew Lane, produced by Music Theatre Melbourne.
He is the Artistic Director for Divergent Theatre Collective, which champions new work.
Pearl Junor -Stage Manager
Pearl Junor is a graduate of Charles Sturt University in Bathurst with a
Bachelor of Communication (Theatre/Media). Throughout her studies,
she focused on building her skills in management and scenic/costume
design practice, finding a passion for highly collaborative works with a
community focus. In 2020, Pirates! her original major work, created with
2 other peers received the Blair Milan Touring Scholarship allowing for
further development and production in Sydney. The company recently
attended the Bathurst Arts Residency NSW to further develop the show.
Pearl works at the Majors Creek Folk Festival as the Assistant Stalls
Coordinator and Festival Design Coordinator, focusing on zero waste
and high sustainability. From its development in 2019 through its debut
in 2021 as part of the Midsumma Festival, Pearl was Sam I Am's stage
manager and costume designer (Antipodes Theatre Company),
providing a platform for queer and disabled artists.
Thomas Pasatieri - Composer
Thomas Pasatieri was born in New York City, United States. He began
composing at age 10 and entered the Juilliard School at age 16 and
eventually became the school's first recipient of a doctoral degree.
Pasatieri has taught composition at the Juilliard School, the Manhattan
School of Music, and the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.
From 1980 through 1984, he held the post of artistic director at Atlanta
Opera.
He has composed 24 operas, the best known of which is The Seagull,
composed in 1972. Two of his operas were premiered in 2007: Frau
Margot by the Fort Worth Opera and The Hotel Casablanca in San
Francisco. Other popular operas include La Divina and Signor Deluso.
In 1984, Pasatieri moved to Los Angeles, California, where he formed
his film music production company, Topaz Productions. His film
orchestrations can be heard in Road to Perdition, American Beauty, The
Little Mermaid, The Shawshank Redemption, among many others. In
2003, Pasatieri returned to New York to continue his concert and opera career.