The Blue Room Theatre and Tone List are collaborating to bring audiences an experimental opera by composer, singer and poet Sage J Harlow.
As part of The Blue Room’s 2025 season, O,D,E promises an occult, queer reimagining of the tragic Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice.
Traversing scenes of intimate love, brutal suffering and ethereal magic in a single act, these characters sing, whisper and howl as they change bodies and sign eternal contracts.
Drawing inspiration from opera greats, hardcore music, contemporary dance and experimental sound design, O.D.E brings the best of Perth’s underground arts scene together in this interdisciplinary piece.
“O,D,E has many elements which are improvised, meaning it sounds different every night,” explains producer Josten Myburgh of Tone List.
“Each performer is exceptional, but also exceptionally different! The script allows them to bring their full self to the stage, and collides their different musical approaches in a way that’s almost never heard in this city.”
Writer and composer Sage J Harlow is better known by her stage name Sage Pbbbt, whose made a name for herself with her remarkable experimental sound.
O,D,E is Harlow’s second major stage work as composer and writer, and her first opera.
The show’s interdisciplinary cast includes emerging operatic soprano Charis Postmus local rock icon Michael Banting as Death.
The character of O is played first by the composer & therapist Tiffany Ha, and later by emerging
contemporary dancer Lara Dorling.
Dr Jeremy Neideck, course coordinator of the WA Academy of Performing Arts, supports the show as dramaturg.
The show is directed by Harper Nguyen & Liam Longley, with Tia Tokić on costumes and Kelsey D creating the set.
O.D.E is at The Blue Room Theatre from Tuesday, 26 August to Saturday, 6 September. For more head to blueroom.org.au
