PRESENTED BY
OPERA QUEENSLAND & QUEENSLAND THEATRE COMPANY
Music & Lyrics by STEPHEN SONDHEIM Book by JAMES LAPINE Originally Directed on Broadway by James Lapine Orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick Original Broadway production by
Heidi Landesman Rocco Landesman Rick Steiner M. Anthony Fisher Frederic H. Mayerson Jujamcyn Theaters Originally produced by the Old Globe Theater, San Diego, CA
Licensed exclusively by Music Theatre International (Australasia).
Is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI) with support from the Into the Woods Giving Circle.
Opera Queensland acknowledges and respects Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Owners of the land and seas where we live and perform. We acknowledge and respect the knowledge, cultures, languages, songs and dances they have created and shared for at least 65,000 years. Our commitment is to listen and walk respectfully with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities, to celebrate the stories and songs of this place and its First Peoples.
Into the Woods Licensed exclusively by Music Theatre International (Australasia). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by Music Theatre International (Australasia). www.mtishows.com.au Into the Woods Giving Circle Dr Philip Aitken+ & Dr Susan Urquhart+, Emeritus Prof Andrew Lister & Ms Kate Lister, Dr Mark Walker, The Warda Family +The Medical Chapter
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INTO THE WOODS
CREATIVE TEAM & CAST CREATIVE TEAM
CAST
Director Patrick Nolan
Baker’s Wife Amy Lehpamer
Conductor/Musical Director James Dobinson
Narrator/Mysterious Man/Granny Kanen Breen
Co-Set & Costume Designer
Witch/Cinderella’s Mother Ali McGregor
Co-Set & Costume Designer
Cinderella Nina Korbe
Choreographer
Baker Justin Smith
Elizabeth Gadsby Charles Davis Dan Venz
Lighting Designer Alexander Berlage Video Designer Craig Wilkinson Sound Designer Geoff McGahan Associate Director Benjamin Knapton Assistant Director Emma Nightingale
Intimacy Director Michelle Miall
Music Preparation Alex Raineri Luke Volker
Jack’s Mother Liz Buchanan Jack Tom Oliver Little Red Riding Hood Carla Beard Cinderella’s Prince/Wolf Darcy Brown Cinderella’s Stepmother Hayley Sugars Rapunzel’s Prince Marcus Corowa Rapunzel Irena Lysiuk Florinda Kate Yaxley Lucinda Gabrielle Diaz
GLASSHOUSE THEATRE, QPAC 12 – 21 NOV 2026 EMPIRE THEATRE, TOOWOOMBA 3 & 4 DEC 2026
Steward Angus Grant Cinderella’s Father Elliot Baker Queensland Symphony Orchestra
OPERA QUEENSLAND / QUEENSLAND THEATRE COMPANY
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DIRECTOR’S NOTE
When my son was a little boy, we would sometimes go on “get lost” walks. This entailed setting out to explore the neighbourhood with no specific destination, except to eventually return home. We’d come to a fork in the road and I’d ask, “Left, or right?” and so our journey carried on. Along the way we would talk about the world, which consisted of naming trees and birds, remembering the names of cousins, uncles and aunts, discussing our favourite foods (read sweets) and if we were lucky, it was council pick-up time, and there would be piles of treasure on the footpath to explore. The purpose in these walks was to allow him to set the direction and, in the process, learn that sometimes to find your way home, you need to venture into the woods and get lost along the way. Every age has its woods. Dante, midway through his life, wakes in a dark wood having lost the straight path, and must descend through the nine circles of the Inferno before he can climb back toward the stars. Odysseus spends years getting home across a sea crowded with monsters, enchantresses and temptations, each one a test of who he is. In 1982, not long before Sondheim and Lapine wrote Into the Woods, Grandmaster Flash found the same wilderness on the streets of the Bronx, “it’s like a jungle sometimes”, where simply keeping your head above water was its own quiet heroism. The woods change shape with every generation, but their purpose remains the same. They are the place we go to understand who we are and who we might become. In creating their woods, Sondheim and Lapine turned away from Disney and back to Grimm, and to Jung, for whom the forest is the unconscious, the place beyond the edge of the village where everything we have refused to look at is waiting for us. Every character in Into the Woods steps off the path carrying a wish, and every one of them meets the part of themselves that wish was hiding. In our production a man casts a shadow in the shape of an enormous wolf. It is theatrical magic, and the fairy tale’s oldest truth; the wolf is never only out there. That is why our production begins at home. Working with designers Elizabeth Gadsby and Charles Davis, we made a family home the first thing you encounter. Home is where most of us first hear fairy tales and, if we are lucky, the safe harbour from which we set out into the world. It is also where our wishes are first formed and our wounds first made. The woods themselves become the backdrop where our extraordinary ensemble of performers can play out their stories. Elizabeth and Charlie, with Karen Cochet, Bianca Bulley and the Opera Queensland wardrobe team, have dressed them in looks that range from the high street to haute couture, as familiar and as strange as the people we know. The first notes sung are two rising notes accompanying the words “I wish”, a phrase that never quite comes to rest. Through Act One the characters sing over the top of each other, each pursuing their own wish. By the end of Act Two they are singing together. The moral to this fairy tale perhaps being, we do not resolve the wish alone, we resolve it in the company of others. This is the great gift of Into the Woods. It does not pretend the woods are safe, or that we will make it through without loss. It tells us that the Witch can be right, the Giant can be good, and that the people who come out the other side are the ones who learned to listen to someone unlike themselves. Love and understanding are not the reward at the end of the journey; they are the key to surviving it. Making this production together, Opera Queensland, Queensland Theatre Company and Queensland Symphony Orchestra have tested that idea in the most practical way, finding strength in our differences and trusting each other through the unknown. It has been a testament to the reward of open and constructive collaboration. Sincere thanks to Criena, Dan and Michael for their commitment to the process. Thanks also to Arts Queensland, Creative Australia and the Into the Woods Giving Circle, whose investment and support has made this production possible. Patrick Nolan CEO & Artictic Director/ Director
OPERA QUEENSLAND / QUEENSLAND THEATRE COMPANY
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Photo: David Kelly 6
INTO THE WOODS
MUSICAL DIRECTOR’S NOTE
Unequivocally one of the greatest works of musical theatre of the 20th Century, Sondheim and Lapine’s Into The Woods continues to enchant audiences 39 years after it premiered at the Martin Beck Theatre on Broadway on November 5, 1987. It’s a singular musical work among the canon; it’s simultaneously soaringly melodic and structured with a formal intricacy that has never been repeated in commercial theatre. (It’s not terribly surprising to note that Sondheim was a student of the great American avant-garde composer Milton Babbitt, whose influence on motivic development is palpable here, as is the influence of Wagner, Schoenberg, Brahms and Ravel.) Typically in a musical written for Broadway, motivic development happens at the length of one song, or perhaps in combination with a reprise in the second act. Here, Sondheim develops motifs at the length of an act or the play. They appear, intersect, tessellate, fragment and reassemble along with the plot; a tune we thought we knew reappears scenes later, transformed, inflected with the journey we’ve been on with the characters, and we’re struck by a completely new understanding of what it could mean. The first two notes sung in the piece, to the words “I Wish”, become a wish going wrong, then a curse, then a warning to be careful what you wish for, then the long-awaited resolution of a traumatic parent-child relationship, and a thousand other fractals as the worlds of these characters whom we thought were just Disney Princesses collide, implode and change irrevocably. It’s a work of profound intellect and the apotheosis of Sondheim’s development as a musician. And for all of these booksmarts, it’s extraordinarily heartfelt and human, and as accessible to an audience with no knowledge (yet!) of musical form as one who has studied it for years. Not for nothing is it one of the most-frequently produced musicals in history, all these years later. It’s fun. It’s riotously funny. It speaks to the ineffable, painful, glorious, complicated nature of needing a family. Not only that, it’s infinitely rewarding to come back to at different stages in your life; since I first saw the PBS broadcast of the original production on VHS at my Aunt’s house in 1992, I’ve been a Jack, a Little Red, a Baker and a Witch (and literally, in one production approximately 20 years ago, a Rapunzel’s Prince). I think right now I’m a Baker’s Wife. I like to believe that, were she in my place, she’d also struggle to make it through No More every time without sobbing, despite it having been in her life for more than 30 years. James Dobinson
Conductor/Musical Director
OPERA QUEENSLAND / QUEENSLAND THEATRE COMPANY
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SYNOPSIS ACT 1 Once upon a time, in a kingdom beside a great forest, a collection of familiar fairytale characters find themselves longing for something more. Cinderella dreams of attending the King’s Festival, despite the cruelty of her Stepmother and Stepsisters. Jack wishes his beloved cow, Milky-White, would produce milk, while his frustrated Mother insists he sell her. Little Red Riding Hood sets off through the woods to visit her Grandmother, and a Baker and his Wife desperately wish for a child. Their hopes take an unexpected turn when a neighbouring Witch reveals that the Baker’s family is cursed. Years earlier, his father stole vegetables and magic beans from her garden, prompting the Witch to punish his family and take his infant daughter, Rapunzel. To reverse the curse, the Baker must gather four objects before the third midnight: a cow as white as milk, a cape as red as blood, hair as yellow as corn and a slipper as pure as gold. Armed with a handful of beans discovered in his Father’s jacket, the Baker ventures into the woods, determined to complete the task alone. His Wife, however, has other ideas. Their search soon brings them into the paths of the other characters. Jack reluctantly trades MilkyWhite for five supposedly magical beans, while Little Red Riding Hood encounters a cunning Wolf on her journey to Grandmother’s house. When the Wolf devours them both, the Baker comes to their rescue and receives Little Red’s red cape in gratitude. Meanwhile, Cinderella’s wish is granted when her Mother’s spirit provides a beautiful gown and golden slippers for the royal festival. There she attracts the attention of a handsome Prince, but finds herself uncertain whether marrying him would truly make her happy. Each night she flees the palace, pursued by the increasingly determined Prince.
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Elsewhere in the woods, the Witch keeps Rapunzel imprisoned in a tower, accessible only by climbing her extraordinary golden hair. When a Prince discovers the tower and falls in love with Rapunzel, the Witch’s attempts to protect and control her adopted daughter begin to unravel. Jack’s discarded beans grow into an enormous beanstalk reaching into the clouds. Climbing it, he discovers a kingdom of Giants and returns with stolen gold and, later, a hen that lays golden eggs. His adventures bring wealth but also danger, as the furious Giant pursues him down the beanstalk and falls to his death. As the third midnight approaches, the Baker and his Wife finally learn to work together. They obtain Rapunzel’s golden hair and, after several unsuccessful attempts, persuade Cinderella to surrender one of her slippers. But disaster strikes when Milky-White suddenly dies, threatening their entire quest. The Witch restores the cow to life, and the four objects are assembled. When the spell initially fails, the mysterious stranger who has been appearing throughout the woods offers a solution. He is revealed to be the Baker’s long-lost Father. The enchantment is finally broken, restoring the Witch’s youth and beauty, although the Baker’s Father dies as the third midnight strikes. At last, everyone’s wishes appear to have come true. Cinderella marries her Prince, Rapunzel is reunited with hers, Jack enjoys his newfound fortune, and the Baker and his Wife are expecting a child. The characters celebrate their happily-ever-afters, believing their troubles are behind them. Yet, unnoticed by everyone, another enormous beanstalk rises towards the sky.
ACT 2 Some time has passed, and the characters are enjoying the lives they once dreamed of. Cinderella lives in the royal palace, Jack and his Mother are wealthy, and the Baker and his Wife have welcomed their long-awaited child. Yet happiness proves more complicated than anyone imagined. Cinderella feels confined by palace life, the Baker and his Wife struggle with the demands of parenthood, and even those who have found love remain restless. Their fragile peace is shattered when a tremendous crash destroys the Baker’s home. A Giant has descended from the sky, devastating the kingdom and threatening everyone in her path. She is the wife of the Giant Jack killed, and she has come seeking revenge. As the destruction spreads, the characters flee into the woods once again. Little Red Riding Hood has lost her home and cannot find her Mother, while the royal family proves unwilling to help those in danger. The once-familiar forest has become a frightening and unpredictable place. When the Giant confronts the group, she demands that Jack be surrendered to her. Desperate to save themselves, the characters begin arguing over who should be sacrificed. The Narrator is offered up first, but the Giant quickly discovers the deception and kills him. Jack’s Mother fiercely defends her son, only to be fatally injured by the royal Steward. Rapunzel, already distressed by her troubled relationship with the Witch, runs into the Giant’s path and is crushed. The Witch is devastated by Rapunzel’s death, while the royal family abandons the others and escapes to another kingdom. Determined to protect Jack, the Baker and his Wife separate to search for him, leaving their child in Little Red Riding Hood’s care. During her journey, the Baker’s Wife encounters Cinderella’s Prince. Their unexpected attraction leads to a brief romantic encounter, leaving her questioning the choices she has made and the life she truly wants. Realising that fleeting excitement cannot replace what she values most, she decides to return to her
family. Tragically, before she can find her way back, she is killed by the Giant. When the Baker learns of his Wife’s death, grief quickly turns to anger. The survivors begin accusing one another of causing the catastrophe. Jack blames the Baker for the beans, the Baker blames Jack for stealing from the Giants, and everyone searches for someone else to hold responsible. The Witch condemns their refusal to accept responsibility for their actions. Disillusioned by their selfishness, she disappears, leaving them to face the consequences of their wishes. Overwhelmed by loss, the Baker considers abandoning his child. But an encounter with the spirit of his father forces him to confront his fear of repeating the mistakes of the past. He decides to remain and take responsibility for his family. Cinderella, meanwhile, discovers her Prince’s infidelity and chooses to leave him, recognising that the life she once wished for is not the life she needs. The surviving characters, Cinderella, Jack, Little Red Riding Hood and the Baker, finally put aside their differences. Together, they devise a plan to defeat the Giant and succeed through cooperation rather than individual ambition. In the aftermath, Jack and Little Red Riding Hood, both orphaned, find comfort and belonging alongside Cinderella, the Baker and his child. Though their losses cannot be undone, they begin to build a new family. The spirits of those who have died return, reminding the survivors that actions have consequences, and that the stories we tell shape those who come after us. The Baker prepares to tell his child a story, knowing that life will bring new challenges, new choices and new wishes. And Cinderella, contemplating the future, begins once more: *I wish...* OPERA QUEENSLAND / QUEENSLAND THEATRE COMPANY
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DESIGNING INTO THE WOODS We begin with a gesture of the domestic: a single house, turning slowly in the dark. It is the simplest picture of home a child might draw: a door, a window, smoke rising from the chimney. Its steep roof and shingled walls recall familiar fairy tale cottages of witches and gnomes. Our graphic visual language was drawn from Victorian paper cut-outs and woodblock prints of the Golden Age of illustration. The house is a place of familiarity, safety and stability. As it revolves, the set reveals three ordinary households going about their daily lives. Each of our protagonists wishes for something a little bit more: a young woman longs for companionship, a boy to be able to support his mother, and a couple to start a family of their own. As the narrative fractures, so does the house. The Woods descends in its place: a shimmering, labyrinthine landscape from which characters and creatures can materialise and disappear. The Woods are a place of possibility, discovery and transformation. It is also a place of magic. In the world we have created, the more magic something holds, the more it catches the light. The costumes within this gestural world are textured and detailed, a pastiche of eclectic references that traverse the historical and the contemporary. We interpret magic as shimmer, blood as sequined beading and princes as peacocks. The story is punctuated by improbable images: a chicken that lays golden eggs races away from its new owner, a teenager with an impossibly long plait weaves in and out of the trees and a girl, once eaten by a wolf, emerges wearing his skin. Fear takes shape here too. The projections sit at the edge of dream and nightmare: the power and terror of something imagined, almost real, but not quite. A man appears in the woods, but his shadow is that of a wolf. Birds descend to comfort and aid a lonely young woman. A giant moves through the forest. We see the trees crushed in her wake, yet only ever catch a glimpse of her silhouette. When we return to the house in Act 2, its dimensions compress, fold and disappear. The Woods collapse inward. We are left in a void, with no place left to hide. In this emptiness our characters are left to wonder whether home was ever a physical place, or if it is rather the people beside us; those we choose to carry out of the Woods. Elizabeth Gadsby Co-Set & Costume Designer Charles Davis Co-Set & Costume Designer
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OPERA QUEENSLAND / QUEENSLAND THEATRE COMPANY
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CREATIVES
Director Patrick Nolan
Conductor / Musical Director James Dobinson
Co-Set & Costume Designer Elizabeth Gadsby
Currently the CEO & Artistic Director of Opera Queensland, Patrick has created productions for Opera Australia, WA Opera, State Opera South Australia, Sydney Chamber Opera, New Zealand Opera, Seattle Opera, Sydney Theatre Company, Belvoir St, Griffin Theatre, Melbourne Theatre Company, London 2012 Cultural Olympiad, 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games and all the major Australian capital city festivals.
James is an Australian-American conductor, multi-instrumentalist, orchestrator and record producer. With a particular eye for the development of new musicals, his work has been seen on Broadway, in theatres across New York and the USA, in London and throughout Australia.
Elizabeth Gadsby is a set and costume designer working across theatre, dance, ballet and opera.
From 2009–2014 he was Artistic Director of Legs On The Wall, creating works that toured Australia, UK, Korea and Brazil. In 2015, Patrick was awarded an Australia Council Fellowship to support research into large scale outdoor performance and the relationship between extreme physicality and storytelling. Productions include: Oscar and Lucinda Opera Queensland with Sydney Chamber Opera and Victorian Opera; Tosca, A Flowering Tree, The Marriage of Figaro and Così fan tutte Opera Queensland; Verdi Requiem Opera Queensland with Bleach Festival; Katya Kabanova Seattle Opera and NZ Opera; Notes from Underground Sydney Chamber Opera; A Flowering Tree Perth Festival and WA Opera; Acis and Galatea, Dido and Aeneas, Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda, Eugene Onegin, Pelléas et Mélisande Opera Australia; La bohème, Eugene Onegin New Zealand Opera; the world première of Love in the Age of Therapy by Paul Grabowsky and Joanna MurraySmith for the Sydney and Melbourne Festivals. Most recently Eugene Onegin, a co-production between Opera North, Irish National Opera and Opera Queensland.
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Music Supervisor/Conductor: The View UpStairs (original New York and London companies); Peter and the Starcatcher (original Australian company); Tim Finn’s Twelfth Night; Kate Miller-Heidke’s Bananaland; Clinton (original New York company); Jersey Boys (Queensland Performing Arts Centre); Between the Lines (original New York company); Joh for PM! (original Australian company); seasons at Joe’s Pub at The Public Theater, New York; Cape Fear Regional Theatre, North Carolina; the Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma; The Crown Uptown, Wichita, Kansas; La Boite Theatre Company; Goodspeed Musicals, Connecticut; Berkeley Repertory Theatre; Queensland Theatre Company; and QPAC, among many others. Arranger and Orchestrator: The View UpStairs; Peter and the Starcatcher (also additional music composer); Clinton; Bananaland; Guys and Dolls (2015 US tour); Twelfth Night; Joh for PM!; Carols in the City. Concert and recording orchestrations include work for Caroline O’Connor, Alexis Fishman, Tyce Green, Naomi Price, Max Vernon and Michael Longoria’s single Like They Do in the Movies and forthcoming Motown-inspired album, as well as a collaboration with pianist Alex Raineri released in 2026. Keyboards: Broadway, OffBroadway and touring productions across the US and Australia, as well as serving as bandleader for jazz singer Mitch Winehouse, father of Amy Winehouse.
Elizabeth is currently co-designer on Don Giovanni for West Australian Opera and costume designer on Eugene Onegin, a co-production between Opera North, Irish National Opera and Opera Queensland. Her previous credits include set design for Turandot for Opera Conference; set design for Flora for Bangarra Dance Theatre and The Australian Ballet; costume design for Illume and set design for Horizon for Bangarra Dance Theatre; set design for Gilgamesh for Sydney Chamber Opera; and set and costume design for Così fan tutte for Opera Queensland, as well as the critically acclaimed operas Awakening Shadow and Antarctica for Sydney Chamber Opera. Other credits include set and costume design for Picnic at Hanging Rock; set design for The Talented Mr Ripley; set and costume design for Julius Caesar; and costume design for The Tempest, both directed by Kip Williams and presented by Sydney Theatre Company. Elizabeth was Sydney Theatre Company’s Resident Designer from 2016 to 2019.
Co-Set & Costume Designer Charles Davis
Choreographer Dan Venz
Lighting Designer Alexander Berlage
Charles is an award-winning set and costume designer for theatre, opera, dance and film.
Dan is an accomplished Choreographer, Movement Director, Theatre Maker, and Director, with a strong focus on Musical Theatre and Cabaret.
Alexander Berlage is a multiaward-winning director and lighting designer.
Charles’ opera designs include set design for Rusalka (Opera Conference) and La bohème (West Australian Opera and Opera Queensland); La traviata (OQ, WAO and State Opera South Australia); Médée, Artaserse and The Coronation of Poppea (Pinchgut Opera); set design for The Seven Deadly Sins and Mahagonny Songspiel (Red Line Productions); Breaking Glass and Biographica (in association with Sydney Festival), and costume design for Oh Mensch! (Sydney Chamber Opera); Ned Kelly (Perth Festival and Lost and Found Opera); and Hansel and Gretel (Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University). Charles’ other designs include set design for An Iliad and The Importance of Being Earnest, as well as Do Not Go Gentle, No Pay? No Way!, Rules for Living and The Real Thing (Sydney Theatre Company); Twelfth Night (Bell Shakespeare); Illume (Bangarra Dance Theatre); Elastic Hearts (Queensland Ballet); The Chronicles and Manifesto (Stephanie Lake Company); Circle Electric (The Australian Ballet); and Art (New Theatricals). Charles won a Sydney Theatre Award for Best Stage Design of an Independent Production for Happy Days and was awarded the Mike Walsh Fellowship in 2018. He also received the Kristian Fredrikson Scholarship for Design in the Performing Arts in recognition of his outstanding design work.
Known for his commitment to excellence and compelling storytelling, Dan is a respected and in-demand creative in the performing arts industry. Over a career spanning more than 20 years, Dan has created original theatrical works both nationally and internationally, bringing a fresh and distinctive vision to each project. Dan’s work is grounded in technical precision and dynamic performance, and he has collaborated with leading theatre companies and institutions, including Queensland Theatre Company, Queensland Performing Arts Centre, Queensland Academy of Excellence in Musical Theatre, Brisbane Festival, Shake & Stir Theatre Co, Woodward Productions, Creative Generation, and many more.
Alexander’s lighting design credits for opera include The Oresteia, Earth.Voice.Body and Resonant Bodies (Sydney Chamber Opera); and Orpheus and Eurydice (Opera Queensland, Opera Australia, Circa and Edinburgh International Festival). Alexander’s directing credits include Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (Pinwheel Productions); Young Frankenstein and American Psycho (Hayes Theatre Co); Let the Right One In (Darlinghurst Theatre Company); Future Remains (Sydney Chamber Opera, presented with Sydney Festival); and A Streetcar Named Desire and Hand to God (Red Line Productions). Alexander’s lighting design credits include The Importance of Being Earnest, Julia and RBG: Of Many, One (Sydney Theatre Company); Elastic Hearts and A Brief Nostalgia (Queensland Ballet); Wolf and Peepshow (Circa); Dance Nation (State Theatre Company South Australia and Belvoir St Theatre); New Breed (2018–2024) (Sydney Dance Company); Unqualified and Marjorie Prime (Ensemble Theatre); and Exit the King and Stalking the Boogeyman (Red Line Productions, at the Old Fitz Theatre), as well as American Psycho and Cry-Baby (Hayes Theatre Co). Alexander’s acclaimed production of A Streetcar Named Desire won four Sydney Theatre Awards. His soldout production of American Psycho won nine Sydney Theatre Awards, while his production of Cry-Baby won four. Alexander has also won two Sydney Theatre Awards for Best Lighting Design of an Independent Production, for American Psycho and 4.48 Psychosis.
OPERA QUEENSLAND / QUEENSLAND THEATRE COMPANY
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CREATIVES
Video Designer Craig Wilkinson
Sound Designer Geoff McGahan
Associate Director Benjamin Knapton
Craig Wilkinson APDG is an awardwinning video designer for live performance and Creative Director of optikal bloc. His work sits at the intersection of theatre, film and contemporary visual design, creating dramaturgically driven video designs that are seamlessly integrated into live performance.
Geoff McGahan is an audio engineer and producer with extensive and diverse experience across a number of audio-related fields.
Benjamin Knapton is a director and creative producer who works across theatre, contemporary circus and opera. His work has been seen in 33 countries.
Craig’s work has been presented throughout Australia and internationally, including in the United Kingdom, North America, Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia and South Africa. He has collaborated with many of Australia’s leading arts organisations, including Sydney Theatre Company, Bangarra Dance Theatre, The Australian Ballet, Opera Australia, Queensland Theatre Company, Circa, Shake & Stir Theatre Co and Brisbane Festival. Selected credits include Kip Williams’ cinetheatre adaptation of Dracula (West End, starring Cynthia Erivo), Boy Swallows Universe, Round the Twist: The Musical (QTC), Green Day’s American Idiot, Fantastic Mr Fox (S&S), Grief Is the Thing with Feathers (Belvoir St Theatre), Illume, Flora (BDT/AB), The Drover’s Wife (OA) and Shaun the Sheep’s Circus Show (Circa). He has collaborated with acclaimed directors and creatives including Kip Williams, Frances Rings, Marg Horwell, Sam Strong, Craig Ilott, Wesley Enoch, Leah Purcell, Yaron Lifschitz, Lee Lewis and Simon Phillips. Craig’s work has been recognised with multiple Australian Production Design Guild Awards, Matilda Awards and a Sydney Theatre Award. He is an accredited member of the Australian Production Design Guild and has lectured in Live Performance Video Design at Queensland University of Technology since 2015.
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After completing a Bachelor of Music at the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University, he has worked nationally and internationally with renowned musicians, orchestras and bands, as well as on a wide range of other audio projects, to high acclaim. Geoff is highly sought-after for his multifaceted work in studio recording, film and television sound design, live sound design and concert production. His ongoing collaborations include Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Opera Queensland, Camerata – Queensland’s Chamber Orchestra, Queensland Ballet, Queensland Music Festival, The Little Red Company, The Metropolitan Orchestra, Brisbane Festival and Bleach* Festival. To date, Geoff has been involved in countless music productions for ABC, ABC Classics, Warner Music, Universal Music and Deutsche Grammophon. Awards for these projects include ARIA Awards and nominations, Daytime Emmy Awards and nominations, as well as a number of Gold Albums.
Benjamin is currently Director of Programming at Opera Queensland, following 15 years with Circa, where he served as Associate Director and later Associate Artistic Director. He played a pivotal role in Circa’s transformation into one of the world’s leading performing arts companies. Benjamin has an extensive body of work, directing new productions and large-scale civic events. His creations have reached more than 350,000 audience members across 750 performances worldwide. Recent directing credits include Warriors at the Royal Opera House Mumbai; Rise for World Expo Osaka; Mallakhamb Mumbai, which toured Hungary, Mexico, India and Australia. He co-created Wolfgang’s Magical Musical Circus by Circa which toured six countries. He also directed the Athletes’ Village Welcome Ceremony for the 2018 Commonwealth Games and was Revival Director of Circa and Opera Queensland’s Orpheus and Eurydice for Edinburgh Festival. Other selected directing credits include Before Your Eyes (Devant Vos Yeux) (MA Scène nationale, Montbéliard), The Birth and Death of Stars (MZAZA), He Dreamed a Train (Brisbane Powerhouse) and Calling Home (HOTA).
Assistant Director Emma Nightingale
Intimacy Director Michelle Miall
Emma Nightingale is a director and writer whose work centres joy in the creative process and transformative experiences for collaborators and audiences.
Michelle is an intimacy director and coordinator for stage and screen, as well as an award-winning theatre director, producer, teaching artist and playwright.
Emma’s directing credits include Bravo! (Director and Writer) and All Together Now! for Opera Queensland (OQ), and a chamber adaptation of The Marriage of Figaro for Tyalgum Music Festival. She has also directed The Magic Flute for Voxalis Opera, The Boor for Springboard Opera, The Telephone for Brisbane Festival, and The Adventures of Figaro for OQ. Earlier directing work includes OQ Donor Carols and the Dante Alighieri Society Gala Concert.
Michelle’s stage credits include Do Not Go Gentle (Queensland Theatre Company (QTC)); The Drover’s Wife (Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC)), Opera Australia and Oombarra Productions); La bohème, Così fan tutte and La traviata (Opera Queensland (OQ)); Fourteen and Fourthcoming (Shake & Stir); Equus (X-Collective); & Juliet and Legally Blonde (Queensland Academy of Excellence in Musical Theatre); The Boys (PIP Theatre); Grease, 42nd Street, Heathers and Cry-Baby (QPAC and Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University (QCGU)); Horizon (Playlab); Zigzag St, Spike Heels and The Normal Heart (AdAstra); Against the Wall (Passion Productions); and Genesis (A Very Theatre Company). Her screen credits include Apples Never Fall, La Brea, Deadloch, Troppo, Darby & Joan, All My Friends Are Racist, feature films You Always, 7 Snipers, The Possessed and Great White, and short films Little Addy and Hidden Extracts.
As assistant director, Emma has worked on Rusalka, La Cenerentola and Are You Lonesome Tonight for Opera Queensland, as well as The Frog Prince and La Bohème for OQ and FIZZ! for Shake & Stir Theatre Co. In addition to directing, Emma is a lyric soprano, and brings a performer’s instinct to her direction, making inclusive music-driven theatre.
Michelle is a former Creative Resident with QTC and Associate Artist with Queensland Shakespeare Ensemble. She has taught and directed for QCGU, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), the University of Southern Queensland (USQ), the Aboriginal Centre for Performing Arts (ACPA) and independent theatre companies.
OPERA QUEENSLAND / QUEENSLAND THEATRE COMPANY
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CAST
Baker’s Wife Amy Lehpamer
Witch / Cinderella’s Mother Ali McGregor
Narrator / Mysterious Man / Granny Kanen Breen
A Helpmann and Sydney Theatre Award winner, Amy grew up in Geelong and began her musical life playing the violin.
Ali McGregor is an acclaimed Australian soprano, cabaret performer, and producer known for her versatility across opera, jazz, and contemporary music. Beginning her career as a principal soprano with Opera Australia, she has performed in prestigious venues worldwide, from the Sydney Opera House to New York’s Carnegie Hall.
Originally a member of Opera Queensland’s Young Artist Program, Kanen’s subsequent roles for the company have included NankiPoo in The Mikado, Monostatos in The Magic Flute, Ramiro in La Cenerentola, Sir Richard Dauntless in Ruddigore and the role of Andy Warhol in The Perfect American.
Acclaimed as one of Australia’s versatile leading ladies, Amy’s career has traversed everything from singing the hills alive as Maria in The Sound of Music to delivering pop power ballads and comedic asides as Anne Hathaway in & Juliet. Most recently, Amy toured Australia in the musical comedy hit Pride and Prejudice (Sort Of). Other notable roles include Dusty Springfield in Dusty, Cynthia Weil in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Mrs Walker in The Who’s Tommy, Principal Rosalie Mullins in School of Rock, Christine in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, violinist Reza in Once, Sherrie in Rock of Ages, Janet in The Rocky Horror Show, and the 2008 and 2012 casts of Eddie Perfect’s Shane Warne the Musical. In demand as a solo artist, Amy has performed in concert with the Melbourne, West Australian, Queensland and Adelaide Symphony Orchestras. She has also written and performed solo cabaret shows for Sydney’s Teatro, Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) and Opera Queensland. Amy’s screen credits include Australian Epic, Get Krack!n, Utopia and The Time of Our Lives. She is the creator and co-writer of the web series Donnatelegrams. Into the Woods has been a dream show for Amy since she played in the orchestra pit for a local Geelong production as a teenager!
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Beyond the operatic stage, Ali has carved out a celebrated career in cabaret, blending opera, jazz, and pop in innovative ways. She has been a fixture at international festivals, including the Edinburgh Fringe and Adelaide Cabaret Festival, where she served as Artistic Director from 2016 to 2018. She has hosted the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Variety Night for 19 years.
Kanen has been a salaried artist at Opera Australia, his roles including Camille in The Merry Widow, Ralph Rackstraw in HMS Pinafore, Marco Palmieri in The Gondoliers, Caius in Falstaff, Alfred in Die Fledermaus, Monostatos in The Magic Flute, Sellem in The Rake’s Progress, Pong in Turandot, Pirelli in Sweeney Todd, the title role in Albert Herring and Johnny in Bliss at the Edinburgh Festival, amongst others.
Ali’s screen work includes guest appearances on Australian television, including ABC’s Spicks and Specks, as well as music documentaries and arts programs. She has also lent her voice to animated projects, bringing her vocal artistry to new audiences.
For Victorian Opera, Kanen has appeared in the premiere seasons of ’Tis a Pity, Banquet of Secrets and Through the Looking Glass, as Uncle Ernie in The Who’s Tommy and as the Beadle in multiple Melbourne seasons of Sweeney Todd.
A passionate creator and performer, Ali has headlined critically acclaimed shows including Opera Burlesque, Alchemy, and Yma Sumac – The Peruvian Songbird. She has collaborated with leading artists across genres, reinventing classic works and crafting performances spanning jazz, opera, and cabaret. Whether performing with symphony orchestras or pushing the boundaries of traditional repertoire, she continues to captivate audiences worldwide.
Other engagements include Rodolfo in Baz Luhrmann’s Broadway production of La Bohème, the title role in Platée for Pinchgut Opera, a Helpmann Award-winning performance as the Witch of Endor in the Glyndebourne production of Handel’s Saul for the Adelaide Festival, the Malthouse season of Meow Meow’s The Red Shoes, Siegfried in Siegfried & Roy for the 2025 Sydney Festival, and Willy Wonka in the national tour of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Cinderella Nina Korbe
Baker Justin Smith
Jack’s Mother Liz Buchanan
Award-winning First Nations soprano Nina Korbe is quickly establishing herself as one of Australia’s leading young sopranos, praised for her creamy tone, brilliant top notes, and sensitive performances, which continue to delight critics and audiences.
Justin’s recent screen credits include The Newsreader (Season 3, ABC), The Last Anniversary (Binge), The Narrow Road to the Deep North (Amazon), Strife, The Messenger, Last Days of the Space Age, The Artful Dodger and Netflix’s Heartbreak High. Other television appearances include Wentworth, RFDS, both seasons of Secret City, The Letdown, Blue Murder: Killer Cop, The Other Guy, Deadline Gallipoli, Underbelly: Badness, The Straits and Bastard Boys, for which he received an AFI nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
Liz Buchanan is a graduate of QUT with a Bachelor of Arts in Drama (Acting) and a proudly Brisbanebased performer for over two decades. Her Queensland Theatre Company credits include Back to Bilo, Round the Twist (The Musical), L’Appartement, Twelfth Night, The 39 Steps, Much Ado About Nothing, Grimm Tales, Family Values and Mr Bailey’s Minder.
Nina holds a Bachelor of Music from Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University, and a Master of Arts from the Royal Academy of Music in London, where she received a full ABRSM scholarship from 2020–2022 and became the first Australian Aboriginal woman accepted to the school. In 2026, Nina starred in Victorian Opera’s The Pirates of Penzance and the world premiere of Leah Purcell’s The Drover’s Wife, co-produced by Opera Australia and Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC). Other roles include Maria in West Side Story, Heidi in Follies, Lisette in La rondine and Musetta in La bohème. Nina’s repertoire also includes Die Fledermaus, Il barbiere di Siviglia, Peter Grimes and Verdi’s Requiem with Opera Queensland, as well as Flight with State Opera South Australia. She has performed with Queensland Ballet, Southern Cross Soloists, Queensland Pops Orchestra and Goldner String Quartet, and is an alumnus scholar of Melba Opera Trust. A proud Koa, Kuku Yalanji and Wakka Wakka woman, Nina champions First Nations voices and advises the Australian Music Foundation and Queensland Symphony Orchestra. She is also a board observer for Australian Women in Music.
Justin’s film credits include Carmen, starring Paul Mescal, Babyteeth, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Around the Block, Sleeping Beauty, Burning Man, Being Venice and Angst. On stage, Justin’s recent appearances include Phar Lap (Hayes Theatre Co), Into the Woods (Belvoir St Theatre), The Dismissal (Seymour Centre), Dubbo Championship Wrestling (Hayes Theatre Co) and Wudjang: Not the Past (Bangarra Dance Theatre). Other highlights include Billy Elliot the Musical, Small Mouth Sounds, Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam and The Long Forgotten Dream (Sydney Theatre Company), A Strategic Plan (Griffin Theatre Company) and Arcadia. Justin made his professional debut in Jesus Christ Superstar in 1992 and originated roles in the Australian productions of Rent in 1998 and Billy Elliot the Musical in 2007.
For La Boite Theatre Company, Liz has appeared in The Year Nick McGowan Came to Stay, Operator, Red Cap and Long Gone Lonesome Cowgirls. Other theatre credits include, for Queensland Performing Arts Centre, Eurobeat – Almost Eurovision, Women in Voice 17 & 21, Phantoad of the Opera and Sherwoodstock; Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts: One in Seven and Handle with Care; Harvest Rain Theatre Company: Guys and Dolls, Hairspray and The Caucasian Chalk Circle; Oscar Theatre Company: [Title of Show] and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee; Zen Zen Zo Physical Theatre: Vikram and the Vampire; Queensland Cabaret Festival: Seven on Sinatra. Liz’s television work includes Space Chickens in Space, Hoges, The Gruen Transfer, Reef Doctors, Terra Nova, Prank Patrol, H₂O: Just Add Water, Sea Patrol, Mortified, FarmKids, The Sleepover Club, Monarch Cove, Fat Cow Motel and Medivac.
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CAST
Jack Thomas Oliver
Little Red Riding Hood Carla Beard
Cinderella’s Prince / Wolf Darcy Brown
Tom Oliver is an award-winning performer and producer from Brisbane working in theatre, music and live events. As a performer, Tom has appeared in leading roles across every Australian state and internationally throughout New Zealand, the USA, Germany, Asia, Mexico and the Bahamas.
Carla Beard is a Bachelor of Musical Theatre graduate from Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University (QCGU). They are passionate about new Australian work and are ecstatic to have performed in three world premieres of Australian musicals, including Tiger and Dance Captain in Round the Twist the Musical (Queensland Theatre Company); Eileen Inyaface and Dance Captain in Lil Elvis Jones and the Truckstoppers the Musical (Mad About Theatre); and Banjo and Dance Captain in MILF the Musical (Madison Avenue Productions).
Darcy is a graduate of the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA).
Tom’s stage credits include Velvet the Show, opposite Marcia Hines AM and Ingrid Arthur (The Weather Girls); Shake & Stir Theatre Co’s FOURTEEN, Into the Woods, Rent: The Musical, A Midnight Visit and Christmas Actually; and starring as Johnny in Rolling Thunder Vietnam, backed by the John Farnham Band. Tom was also selected for Team Kylie Minogue on The Voice Australia and later joined the Marcia Hines Band on backing vocals. Alongside his performing career, Tom is the Founder and CEO/ Artistic Director of Wynnum Fringe Festival and Queensland Fringe, and owns the 320-seat Augathella Spiegeltent. His producing credits include the Australian premiere of Elf: The Musical at the Sydney Opera House, the international season of Velvet at Hamburg’s Hansa Theater, Rolling Thunder Vietnam and touring productions with Rhonda Burchmore AM and UK award-winning storytellers Wright & Grainger. Tom is a recipient of the prestigious Gold Matilda Award and was named in Queensland’s 40 Under 40.
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Carla received a Matilda Award nomination for Best Performance in a Supporting Role – Independent Production for their portrayal of Little Red Riding Hood in Into the Woods (Ad Astra Theatre Company). Other credits include Henry in Fractured Fairytales (RAVA Productions), Hannah in My Two Blankets (Shake & Stir Theatre Co) and featured artist in A Very Naughty Christmas (Woodward Productions). While studying, they appeared as T-Bird Sonny and Dance Captain in Grease in both its QCGU and Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) seasons, Mae Jones in Street Scene and Serena in Legally Blonde.
Select theatre credits include Calamity Jane (Queensland Theatre Company); Frankenstein, The Twits and the national tour of Animal Farm (Shake & Stir Theatre Co); the oneperson play Peddling (Melbourne Theatre Company); Henry V (Bell Shakespeare national tour); Ghost Stories (Realscape Productions); Oil (Red Stitch Actors’ Theatre); the national tour of The Play That Goes Wrong and the international tour of Peter Pan Goes Wrong (Mischief Theatre/Lunchbox Productions); The Merchant of Venice (Sport for Jove); The Mystery of the Valkyrie (Woodward Productions); A Czar Is Born (Sydney Fringe); Fireface (Stories Like These Theatre Company/Australian Theatre for Young People); We Are the Ghosts of the Future (The Rocks Bizarre Festival); and The Uncanny Valley (Griffin Theatre Company). Television includes Deadloch (Amazon), Why Are You Like This? (ABC/Netflix), Romper Stomper (Stan) and Glitch (Netflix). Darcy’s film credits include Ice Road: Vengeance (Amazon) and the short films SELF-tape, Real Estate and Q & T. Darcy has received a Matilda Award, a Green Room Award and the Mike Walsh Fellowship.
Cinderella’s Stepmother Hayley Sugars
Rapunzel’s Prince Marcus Corowa
Rapunzel Irena Lysiuk
Hayley was a member of the Opera Queensland (OQ) Young and Developing Artist Program (20072009). She has enjoyed success in many national competitions, including the German-Australian Opera Grant, which she won in 2010. This resulted in contracts with the Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden and the Landestheater Coburg, where she was a resident soloist performing a wide range of mezzo-soprano roles.
Hailing from Far North Queensland, Marcus Corowa has established himself as one of Australia’s most sought-after performers, building a career spanning performance, mentoring and advocacy.
Irena Lysiuk is a versatile operatic soprano, music theatre and pop singer. Since graduating with a major in Classical Voice from Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University, Irena has worked extensively with Opera Queensland (OQ), Queensland Theatre Company and The Little Red Company.
Operatic repertoire includes Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, the title role in Rinaldo, Mrs Grose in The Turn of the Screw, Rosina in The Barber of Seville, Varvara in Katja Kabanova, Flora Bervoix in La traviata, Mirabella in Der Zigeunerbaron, Suzuki in Madama Butterfly, Cherubino in The Marriage of Figaro, Dido in Dido and Aeneas, Valencienne in The Merry Widow, Prince Orlovsky in Die Fledermaus, Brangäne in Tristan und Isolde, Auntie in Peter Grimes and Marcellina in Le nozze di Figaro. Since returning to Australia, Hayley has performed to great acclaim for OQ, New Zealand Opera and Brisbane Festival. Most recently, she was a featured soloist in Opera at Jimbour, the First Witch in Dido and Aeneas, and Alisa in Lucia di Lammermoor, as part of OQ’s Bel Canto Festival in 2025 and 2026, as Tisbe in La Cenerentola.
As a performer, Marcus has captivated audiences with his soulful voice and charismatic stage presence. Career highlights include the Australian premiere of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Your Song (The Little Red Company), Opera Queensland’s (OQ) Festival of Outback Opera, Opera Australia’s (OA) Bran Nue Dae, Belvoir St Theatre’s Barbara and the Camp Dogs, and Sydney Theatre Company’s (STC) The Secret River, including its 2019 UK tour. Recent stage credits include starring as Yadaka in the 2026 world premiere of OA’s The Drover’s Wife, OQ’s national tours of Are You Lonesome Tonight and Do We Need Another Hero, Wonder, Victorian Opera’s The Visitors, There’s Something About Music and The Sunshine Club (Queensland Theatre Company). Marcus is also a dedicated mentor and leader, drawing on his Aboriginal and South Sea Islander heritage to champion diversity and inclusion in the arts. A former Ambassador for the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence and participant in the British Council’s Accelerate Program, he is passionate about inspiring the next generation of Australians.
In 2022, Irena made her debut with Queensland Theatre Company in the lead role of Rose in The Sunshine Club, written and directed by Wesley Enoch. In 2024, she was a swing in Round the Twist the Musical, produced by Queensland Theatre Company and Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC). Irena has worked with The Little Red Company in Christmas Actually (2020–2025), There’s Something About Music (2021, 2023), Your Song (2021, 2022, 2026) and Sisters Are Doing It for Themselves (2022, 2023). In 2023, she helped develop OQ’s Lady Sings the Maroons and performed the soprano role in Derek Deane’s Strictly Gershwin with Queensland Ballet and Queensland Symphony Orchestra. Irena’s OQ mainstage roles include Barbarina in The Marriage of Figaro (2021), with ensemble credits in Ruddigore (2017), Don Giovanni (2018), A Flowering Tree, Tosca and Orpheus & Eurydice with Circa (2019). Her musical theatre credits include Carmen in Sweet Charity (Brisbane Powerhouse, 2019) and Anne Egerman in A Little Night Music (Brisbane Philharmonic Orchestra, 2018).
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CAST
Florinda Kate Yaxley
Lucinda Gabrielle Diaz
Steward Angus Grant
Kate Yaxley is a Melbourne-based performer and graduate of the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University, where she completed a Bachelor of Musical Theatre.
Brisbane soprano Gabrielle Diaz brings together her classical training and cross-genre versatility in performances spanning opera, musical theatre, and contemporary repertoire. She holds a Master of Music (Vocal Pedagogy) and a Bachelor of Music (Performance) from Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University and is a two-time recipient of the Donald Penman Prize for Voices in Combination.
Into The Woods marks Angus Grant’s Opera Queensland debut. He previously performed the lead role in the world-premiere Australian musical Come Rain or Come Shine with Melbourne Theatre Company.
Kate recently appeared in the Australian production of Wicked (Crossroads Live) as a member of the ensemble and understudy for Madame Morrible. Previous musical theatre credits include Groundhog Day (GWB Entertainment), covering Rita and Nancy, The Sunshine Club (Queensland Theatre Company) as Patti Maguire, Sweet Charity, The Mystery of the Valkyrie, and A Very Naughty Christmas for Woodward Productions. Kate’s theatre credits also include the title role in The Gruffalo’s Child, Animal Farm, Revolting Rhymes and Dirty Beasts, Fancy Long Legs, touring productions with Shake & Stir Theatre Co, and appearances at the Melbourne Cabaret Festival. Screen credits include ABC’s White Fever, and she has also worked as a digital presenter for the Australian Open.
Gabrielle made her professional debut with Opera Queensland in 2021 in Le Nozze di Figaro, later appearing in La Traviata and The Enchanted Forest. In 2022, she joined Opera Queensland’s schools tour in collaboration with Shake & Stir Theatre Co, performing Mimì/Shez (La Bohème) and Juniper (The Frog Prince), and has since returned as Adina (FIZZ!) and Gretel (Hansel & Gretel). In 2025, Gabrielle joined the national touring cast of Are You Lonesome Tonight, with performances across Australia and at the Darwin Festival, and toured regional Queensland in All Together Now!, including the Cairns Festival. Other notable engagements include performances with The Little Red Company, The Seven Sopranos, Voxalis, Queensland Art Song Festival, Brisbane City Pops Orchestra, Hearts Aflame Tyalgum, Byron Music Society, and the Lismore Symphony Orchestra. Gabrielle is thrilled to join Opera Queensland and Queensland Theatre Company’s production of Into The Woods.
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Angus grew up in Brisbane and was a member of vocal groups Voiceworks, Vocal Point and Livewire before moving to Melbourne to study at the Victorian College of the Arts. His other theatre credits include Cock (Melbourne Theatre Company); Much Ado About Nothing (In the Park Productions); Here, There, As We Mean to Go On, After All This and Venus in Fur (Elbow Room); 3 X Sisters, Spring Awakening and Platonov (Hayloft Project); King John (Eleventh Hour Theatre); A Man for All Seasons (Complete Works Theatre Company); Requiem for the 20th Century (Theatre @ Risk); The Cherry Orchard (Pieces of Work); and Legally Blonde and Mamma Mia! (Kyneton Theatre Company). Angus was a series regular on the ABC drama series MDA. His other television credits include Big Reef, Carla Cametti, The Doctor Blake Mysteries, City Homicide, Rush, Howzat! Kerry Packer’s War, Stingers, Neighbours, Blue Heelers, Medivac, Flipper and Space: Above and Beyond.
Cinderella’s Father Elliot Baker Elliot was most recently featured in the Australian Tour of Anastasia (Opera Australia/XRoads Live) as Count Ipolotov/Tsar Nicholas II. Before this he played Caiaphas in the Australian Tour of Jesus Christ Superstar (Crossroads Live). Elliot’s other credits include Don Attilio in The Phantom of the Opera (Opera Australia/Really Useful Group), Monsieur Lefèvre and Don Attilio in The Phantom of The Opera on Sydney Harbour (Handa Opera/Opera Australia) and Male Swing in Friends! The Musical Parody (SK Entertainment). Elliot would like to thank his family Lachlan, Wendy and Eliza Baker for their unwavering support, love and faith.
COVERS Jack’s Mother, Cinderella’s Stepmother, Cinderella’s Mother Heidi Enchelmaier Heidi Enchelmaier is a performer, vocalist and teacher with a diverse background spanning musical theatre, live performance and music education. A graduate of Queensland University of Technology, Heidi has developed an extensive range of performance and teaching experience, appearing in productions and events across Australia. Performance credits include the nationally televised Lord Mayor’s Carols in the City and engagements with Underground Opera Company, and as a touring member of Arrival Australia. Her musical theatre roles include Elphaba in Wicked and Roxie Hart in Chicago. Alongside her performing career, Heidi has extensive experience facilitating performing arts workshops and working with emerging performers. She is passionate about developing vocal and performance skills and is currently completing a Master’s degree in Vocal Pedagogy at Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University, furthering her expertise in vocal technique and teaching practice.
Florinda, Lucinda, Rapunzel Tashana Hardy Soprano Tashana Hardy is establishing herself as a versatile performer across opera and chamber music. Originally from Newcastle, she completed a Bachelor of Music in Classical Voice and a Postgraduate Certificate in Classical Performance at the Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University, in 2025. In 2024, Tashana made her professional debut as Hansel in Opera Queensland’s (OQ) touring production of Hansel and Gretel and performed in Stuart Maunder’s The Pirates of Penzance at Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC). In 2025, she toured as Rosina in OQ’s The Adventures of Figaro, performed as Iro in the Australian premiere of Elena Kats-Chernin’s Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria and as Pamina in Die Zauberflöte at the Tyalgum Music Festival. In 2026, she reprised Rosina in OQ’s regional tour and received the Margaret Schindler Vocal Scholarship with Southern Cross Soloists. Recent engagements include performances with pianist Aura Go and the Mount Tamborine Orchestra, and Walton’s Façades.
Jack Liam Jackson Liam Jackson is an emerging Australian tenor who recently completed a Bachelor of Music in Performance at the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University. During his studies, Liam’s notable roles included John Styx in Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld, covering Rinuccio in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, and covering Lord Tolloller in Gilbert and Sullivan’s Iolanthe. His professional credits include Frederic in The Pirates of Penzance with Kirkman & Scott Productions, Rudolph in Schubert’s Der häusliche Krieg with the Lisa Gasteen National Opera Program, and The Soldier in Stravinsky’s The Soldier’s Tale. He also appeared as a supernumerary in The Australian Ballet’s 2023 production of Swan Lake, and as a member of the ensemble in Prospero Arts’ production of The Pirates of Penzance at Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC). Liam was most recently seen as a soloist in Voxalis Opera’s Cabaret Studio Session.
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QUEENSLAND SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
CHIEF EXECUTIVE Michael Sterzinger As one of the largest performing arts companies in Queensland and the state’s only professional symphony orchestra, Queensland Symphony Orchestra (QSO) is renowned for its high quality, breathtaking performances of both classical and modern compositions that engage audiences of diverse musical tastes, interests, and ages. We play a vital role in Queensland’s cultural community: educating; mentoring aspiring performers; touring regional centres; broadcasting; and performing with state, national, and international ballet and opera companies. Each year, QSO attracts the world’s best conductors and soloists as part of our acclaimed concert season, in addition to presenting unique blockbuster events. QSO is passionate about commissioning innovative new programs and Australian works and continues to invest in collaborations, recordings, and digital initiatives. Powered by music, our passionate and talented team works hard on and off the stage to bring out the best in people, and share in a sense of wonderment and excitement that is truly for everyone to enjoy. At our core, we believe we all have the power to enrich lives and this becomes true with every uplifting experience we deliver for our audiences, partners, and supporters. qso.com.au
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VIOLIN 1 Glenn Christensen ≥ Eliza Scott Brenda Sullivan Stephen Tooke ° VIOLIN 2 Katie Betts Jane Burroughs Claire Tyrell ° Helen Travers VIOLA Yoko Okayasu >> Nicole Greentree Graham Simpson Charlotte Burbrook de Vere Molly Collier-O’Boyle ° Nara Dennis ° CELLO Shuhei Lawson ∞ Kathryn Close Alison Smith O’Connell °
DOUBLE BASS Phoebe Russell ~ Alexandra Elvin ° FLUTE Lilly Yang ° CLARINET Brian Catchlove >> BASSOON David Mitchell >> HORN Ian O’Brien Hannah McLellan ° TRUMPET Robert Schultz ° PERCUSSION Zach Brankovich ° Ella Hicks ° PIANO Narelle French ° SYNTHESIZER Luke Volker °
~ Section Principal ≥ Associate Concertmaster >> Associate Principal ○ Guest Musician Information current at time of printing.
QUEENSLAND PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE
PO Box 3567, South Bank, Queensland 4101 T: (07) 3840 7444 W: qpac.com.au CHAIR Ian Walker TRUST MEMBERS Leanne Coddington Dr Sophie Galaise Rebecca Pini Susan Rix AM Patrice Scott EXECUTIVE STAFF Chief Executive Rachel Healy Executive Director – Philanthropy and Partnerships Zoë Connolly Executive Director – People and Culture Gemma Davidson-Butler Acting Executive Director – Marketing and Ticketing Kate Hardy Executive Director – Venue Infrastructure and Production Services Bill Jessop Executive Director – Curatorial Ellen Kavanagh Executive Director – Venue Services and First Nations Strategy Kurt Schulte-Schrepping General Counsel Scott Pugh Chief Financial Officer Brett Walker-Davies
ACKNOWLEDGMENT The Queensland Performing Arts Trust is a statutory body of the State of Queensland and is partially funded by the Queensland Government The Honourable John-Paul Langbroek MP Minister for Education and the Arts Sharon Schimming Director-General, Department of Education Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) rests on the lands of the Yuggera and Turrbal peoples. We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of this country and recognise their rich cultural heritage and enduring connection to the land, waters and skies. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are this country’s original storytellers, and it is our privilege to continue to share stories and be a place of gathering on this land that has been a meeting place for millennia. THANK YOU TO ALL OUR DONORS FOR THEIR GENEROUS SUPPORT OF THE QPAC FOUNDATION, WHICH ENABLES US TO REACH BEYOND THE STAGE AND BRING A SENSE OF BELONGING, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, AND JOY TO ALL QUEENSLANDERS. QPAC FOUNDATION Patron Gina Fairfax AC Chair Professor Peter Coaldrake AO Foundation members Ian Walker, Brendon Mann, Holly Livingstone, Bryce Camm AM To find out more about the QPAC Foundation and how you might support its work please email philanthropy@qpac.com.au We give heartfelt thanks to QPAC’s Principal Partners Hyundai and MinterEllison and we acknowledge the valued support of all our corporate partners who help make our work possible.
Patrons are advised that the Performing Arts Centre has EMERGENCY EVACUATION PROCEDURES, a FIRE ALARM system and EXIT passageways. In case of an alert, patrons should remain calm, look for the closest EXIT sign in GREEN, listen to and comply with directions given by the inhouse trained attendants and move in an orderly fashion to the open spaces outside the Centre.
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OPERA QUEENSLAND
OPERA QUEENSLAND BOARD
OPERA QUEENSLAND
Chair Linda Apelt
CEO & Artistic Director Patrick Nolan
Deputy Chair Katie McNamara
Executive Director Adam Tucker
Treasurer Bruce Cowley
Chief Financial Officer Christine McEwan
Director Mark Fenton
Director of Marketing and Business Development Lucy Childs
Director Jane Keating
Head of Music and Chorus Director Narelle French
Director Kevin O’Brien
Director of Technical Production Alex Loh
Director Scott Young
Director of Programming Benjamin Knapton Executive Assistant Lynne Anderson
HONORARY LIFE MEMBERS
Senior Producer Alicia Cush
Emeritus Professor Christa Critchley
Producer (Festival of Outback Opera) Gabriela Gallardo
Anne Cross AM
Producer Charlotte Walker
Lady Jane Edwards AM
Associate Producer Justine Hansberry
Martin Kriewaldt
Senior Graphic Designer Murray Summerville
David Macfarlane OAM
Marketing Manager Jesse Sobey
Marilyn Richardson
CRM & Ticketing Coordinator Alexandra Donald
Emeritus Professor David Siddle
Marketing and Content Coordinator Erin O’Brien
Dr Nancy Underhill
Partnerships Manager Nick Elgin Philanthropy Manager Elana Le Roux Development & Events Coordinator Zoé Noble Fox Head of Wardrobe Karen Cochet Principal Cutter & Deputy Head of Wardrobe Bianca Bulley Production Administrator Annette Kerwitz Production Coordinator Rhi Booth Finance Business Partner Sangeeta Khosla
Opera Queensland Ltd ABN 83 010 258 750 Registered Office Queensland Conservatorium 140 Grey Street, South Bank, Qld 4101 Postal Address PO Box 5792, West End, QLD 4101 Telephone 07 3735 3030 Email info@oq.com.au
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Accountant Sara George
PRODUCTION CREDITS
MUSIC CREDITS
TECHNICAL CREDITS
Music Staff Alex Raineri, Luke Volker
Director of Technical Production Alex Loh Production Coordinator Rhi Booth
PRODUCTION CREDITS
Production Administrator Annette Kerwitz
Production Manager Stephen Brodie
Head of Staging Adam Paine
Stage Manager Mak Purdy
Deputy Head of Staging Jason McKell
Deputy Stage Manager Carli Griffin
Head of Lighting Tim Gawne
Assistant Stage Manager Skye Heales
Deputy Head of Lighting Mei Yu See
Assistant Stage Manager Izzy Markham
Lighting Desk Programmer & Operator Riley Silk
Head of Wardrobe Karen Cochet
Lighting Technician (Preproduction) Eloise Collins
Deputy Head of Wardrobe Bianca Bulley
Follow Spot Operator Emma Richards
Wardrobe Assistant Beth Cook
Sound Engineer & Operator Geoff McGahan
Principal Pattern Maker Bianca Bulley
Floor Sound & Radio Mic Technician Israel Leslie
Pattern Maker Jacinta Vella Campbell, Marie Dupuy, Lukas Schilling
Wig, Hair & Makeup Artist Rachael Appleyard, Anderson Bueno, Faith Hall, Shannon McKean, Dynae Wood
Tailor Arlie McGill Art Finisher (Wardrobe) Hannah Moroney Costume Maker Colin Bellert, Beth Cook, Marie Dupuy, Alex Heien, Yesim Kara, Raphaela Kuhn, Grace Louie, Samuel Murray, Lukas Schilling, Alle Sellens, Jacinta Vella Campbell Wig Stylist (Preparation) Lindi Bester, Karen Kelly, Nicola Pulvirenti, Dynae Wood
Performance Wardrobe Supervisor Madison Lyons Dresser Chorus Goold, Alex Heien Lighting Supplier Krank’d Audio-Visual Productions Audio Supplier Captivate AV Projection Supplier Pixel Line Automation Theatre Safe Australia
Wardrobe Volunteer Chorus Goold
Local Transport Live Event Logistics
Props Coordinator Hasen Degebrodt
Thanks to Paine Production and Events
Trees and Beanstalk Construction Ashleigh Bradfield, Liz Buchanan, Oscar Buchanan, Buck Buckingham, Emilie Dumont, Ione Milnes, Adam Paine, Emily Price, Traleen Ryan, Noah Scantlebury
Program Illustration and Photography Murray Summerville
Set Fabrication Queensland Theatre Company
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Scan the QR Code to discover our 2027 Season
A Musical Thriller
Stephen Sondheim Book by Hugh Wheeler
Music and Lyrics by
Directed by Daniel Evans
6 JUL — 15 AUG 2027
BILLE BROWN THEATRE
From an Adaptation by Christopher Bond
Originally Directed On Broadway by Harold Prince
Orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick Originally Produced on Broadway by Richard Barr, Charles Woodward, Robert Fryer, Mary Lea Johnson, Martin Richards in Association with Dean and Judy Manos Licensed exclusively by Music Theatre International (Australasia). Production Partner
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Every Great Performance Starts With The Right Cast. Connecting talent, developing leaders, and helping organisations perform at their best.
OnTalent is a specialist talent advisory firm connecting people and purpose through executive recruitment, leadership development and career transition services. ontalent.com.au 07 3305 5800
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OUR DONORS LEGACY DONORS The Estate of Lois Schultz & June Wheeler, the Estate of Marie Jameson INTO THE WOODS GIVING CIRCLE Dr Philip Aitken† & Dr Susan Urquhart†, Emeritus Prof Andrew Lister & Ms Kate Lister, Dr Mark Walker, The Warda Family ARTISTIC DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE Dr Philip Aitken† & Dr Susan Urquhart†, Emeritus Prof Ian Frazer AC & Mrs Caroline Frazer, Prof Frank Gannon & Mrs Mary Gannon, Mr David Gow & Dr Kirsten Gow, Mr Hien Le, Emeritus Prof Andrew Lister & Ms Kate Lister, Mr Michael Harvey, Mr Peter Thompson & Mrs Nicole Thompson, Emeritus Prof David Siddle & Emeritus Prof Christa Critchley FOUNDATION DONORS $15,000 AND ABOVE Dr Philip Aitken† & Dr Susan Urquhart†, Mr Philip Bacon AO, Emeritus Prof Peter Coaldrake AO, Dr Paul Eliadis†, Mr Tim Fairfax AC & Mrs Gina Fairfax AC, Tim Fairfax Family Foundation, Frazer Family Foundation, Hall Brown Family Foundation, Mather Foundation, Mr Douglas Murphy KC & Mrs Geraldine Murphy, Ms Marion Pender, Emeritus Prof David Siddle & Emeritus Prof Christa Critchley PLATINUM DONORS $10,000+ The Hon Justice Thomas Bradley§ & Dr Matthew Yoong†, Dr Mark Walker, The Warda Family
GOLD DONORS $5,000+ Miss Adele Dickman, Ms Gayle Carter, Dr John Gough & Ms Ann Page , Mrs Andrea Kriewaldt & Mr Martin Kriewaldt, Mr Lee Nevison§ & Mrs Mary Louise North, Dr Ken Piaggio & Ms Jane-Frances O’Regan, Geoff Ross Endowment – Australian Philanthropic Service Foundation,Anonymous 2 SILVER DONORS $1,000+ Dr Richard Baer, Mr Damian Bartholomew§, Dr John Bashford & Ms Deborah Sinnott, Ms Jeneth Boughen, Ms Sue Boyce, Emeritus Prof Catherin Bull AM & Emeritus Prof Dennis Gibson AO, Ms Anne Cross AM, Mr Robert Cumming§, Mr Gordon Cumming-Harris, Ms Judith Cush, Mr Terence Daubney, Mr Bruce Davis, Mr Will Fellowes & Dr Michael McLaughlin†, Mr Russell Fortescue, Prof Frank Gannon & Mrs Mary Gannon, Dr Ruth Gough & Prof Ian Gough AM, Ms Jean Heimgartner, Ms Valmay Hill & Mr Russell Mitchell, Dr Annette Kortlucke† & Dr Peter Kortlucke†, Prof Andrew Lister & Ms Kate Lister, Mrs Gay Lohse, Dr Ranjeny Loneragan, Mr Michael McErlean & Mrs Lyn McErlean, The Hon Margaret McMurdo AC§, Mr Dean Mole & Ms Helen Spencer, Mr Patrick Nolan, Ms Michelle Norris, Mr Kevin O’Brien, Ms Lyn Parsons, Mr Ian Paterson, Mr Louis & Mrs Diana Peterson, Mr James Pisko, Dr John Quinn† & Mrs Deborah Quinn, Dr Jonathan Ramsay, Mr William Rivers, Mr Richard Seville, Mr Allen Smith & Mrs Mitzi Smith, Mr Damien Thomson, Ms Coralie Williams, Mr Scott Young, Anonymous 4 BRONZE DONORS $500+ Mr Vincent Andrijich, Mr Geoffrey Beames, Dr Paul Bertsch & Mrs Lynn Bertsch, Ms Marilyn Christiansen, Mr Don Cooper, Mr Daniel Crump, Mr Toby Cumpstay, Mr John Grant, Dr Pamela Greet, Mr David Harwood, Dr Sally Pitkin AO, Mr Douglas Porter, Ms Judith Sneyd, Ms Melinda Russell, Mr Martin Tansey, Ms Aegidia Timmerman, Mr Neil Viney & Mrs Judy Viney, Ms Coralie Williams EDUCATION GIVING CIRCLE Dr John Bashford and Ms Deborah Sinnott, Mr Ian Briggs & Mrs Leonie Briggs, Mr David Gow & Dr Kirsten Gow, Dr David Looke & Dr Kate Looke †The Medical Chapter §The Legal Chapter
The information in this document is current as of 05/11/2026.
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INTO THE WOODS
OUR PARTNERS Opera Queensland is proud to partner with leading organisations who are committed to enriching lives through this wonderful artform. Each of our partnerships is unique and meaningful. We deliver a tailored suite of exclusive benefits with the intention to exceed expectations. If you would like to join us, please phone 07 3735 3030 or email development@oq.com.au
GOVERNMENT PARTNERS
PHILANTHROPY PARTNERS THE SIGANTO FOUNDATION FRAZER FAMILY FOUNDATION
PRINCIPAL PARTNER
MAJOR PARTNERS
SUPPORTING PARTNERS
PERFORMANCE PARTNERS
ORCHESTRA PARTNER
MEDIA PARTNER
OPERA QUEENSLAND / QUEENSLAND THEATRE COMPANY
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