The moment and the movement that changed Australia.
As his body hit the water, few heard the impact. But the ripple effect of the murderous act defied natural law and swelled to seismic scale.
It’s half a century since the infamous drowning of Dr George Ian Ogilvie Duncan; a moment in time that triggered an alleged police cover-up, a city-wide scandal, national outrage, a Scotland Yard investigation… and a glaring absence of convictions.
Most importantly, Dr Duncan’s death led South Australia to decriminalise homosexuality, ahead of the rest of the country.
Watershed, a ravishing new operatic work and the hit of the 2022 Adelaide Festival, is a collaboration between some of Australia’s most acclaimed creative talents.
Helpmann Award-winning playwright Alana Valentine and author Christos Tsiolkas (The Slap) have created a searing, no-punches-pulled libretto. Brisbane composer Joe Twist’s score is luscious and ultimately transcendent. And Australian theatre and opera legend Neil Armfield’s production is as deeply felt as it is thrillingly physical.
Written as an oratorio, Watershed turns the illicit into the sacred, through powerful choral music, solo voices and dance. It fuses inquest transcripts, press clippings, private correspondence and monologues spanning five decades of anti-gay violence, and pays tribute to the unassuming academic whose untimely death lit a fuse.
See for yourself why Watershed was met with five-star reviews, a sold-out premiere season, and rapturous, teary standing ovations at every performance.
1hr 40min
14th June, 2024
16th June, 2024
★★★★★ "If I could, I would give it six stars.” – LIMELIGHT
CAST
DUNCAN/DUSTAN: Mark Oates
MICK O’SHEA/COP/LAWYER: Pelham Andrews
Opera Australia Orchestra Opera Australia Chorus
CREATIVE
COMPOSER & ORCHESTRATOR: Joseph Twist
LIBRETTO: Alana Valentine & Christos Tsiolkas
CONDUCTOR: Brett Weymark
DIRECTOR: Neil Armfield
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR: Cheryl Pickering
SET & COSTUME DESIGNER: Ailsa Paterson
LIGHTING DESIGNER: Nigel Levings
SOUND DESIGNER: Jane Rossetto
VIDEO DESIGNER: Sean Bacon
CHOREOGRAPHER: Lewis Major
Unfortunately, tickets for this event are no longer available.
Sign up to our mailing list to receive exclusive offers, new show ticket alerts and seasonal promotions. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone, and iPad are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries and regions. App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc. Google Play and the Google Play logo are trademarks of Google LLC.