Never seen an opera before?

Local outfit Tenth Muse Initiative plan to blow your pre-conceptions about opera out of the water with The Priestess of Morphine, a tale of addiction and queer identity that will be making its Australian premiere at The Blue Room Theatre this summer.

Founded in 2020, Tenth Muse Initiative (TMI) provides a platform for diverse voices in classical music. For this latest project they’ve turned to a forgotten page of LGBTQ+ history.

A short contemporary opera set in the 1920s, The Priestess of Morphine is based on the true story of German artist and morphine addict Baroness Gertrud Günther von Puttkamer, and her alter-ego and nom-de-plume Marie-Madeleine, a Jewish writer who published erotic, sapphic poetry in the midst of conservatism and emergent fascism.

The Third Reich would try to erase her legacy, but The Priestess of Morphine reclaims and shares Gertrud’s story.

Ahead of the season, Seesaw Mag’s Rachel Denham-White caught up with The Priestess of Morphine’s director Rachel Doulton and performer and artistic advisor Jessica Taylor.

Rachel Denham-White: Rachel and Jessica, for Seesaw Mag readers who don’t know you, can you tell us a bit about yourself and your work? 

Rachel Doulton: I am a trained classical singer, with a background in theatre. I’ve previously directed and performed in opera, theatre and pantomime.

I believe my style of directing has come naturally from my curiosity and needing to see layers of people and stories. This is a relatively new role for me, but it feels exciting and, surprisingly, incredibly natural. I truly believe that it’s a testament to our incredible team of creatives that makes it feel so comfortable.

Jessica Taylor: I’m also a trained opera singer, having studied at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, University of Queensland and Queensland Conservatorium. In 2021 I sang in and helped produce Cloak and Dagger for Fringe World – a gender-bent queer adaptation of Puccini’s Il tabarro.

Later that year I joined the team at Tenth Muse Initiative (TMI), a group focused on diversifying and challenging the status quo of the arts music scene.

I’m always inspired by the work done by disruptive opera companies like Lost and Found Opera – it’s clear that there is an appetite amongst Perth audiences for challenging and diverse operatic works. I’m passionate about putting on shows and concerts that align with my values and challenge the audience’s expectations. 

RDW: Tell us about The Priestess of Morphine, the opera you are presenting at The Blue Room Theatre’s Summer Nights season

JT: The Priestess of Morphine is a short contemporary chamber opera. It delves into the life of Gertrud Günther, and her nom-de-plume Marie-Madeleine. She was a Jewish German lesbian erotic poet, who was declared a degenerate by the Third Reich, ultimately leading to her mysterious death.

RD: When I was approached by Tenth Muse about staging this work back in 2021, I could not say no!

Over the next two years, we tirelessly went back and forth discussing how we could get this project off the ground with no budget, little time and a whole lot of enthusiasm. About mid last year, I thought of The Blue Room Theatre’s Summer Nights program. Even though it’s known as more of a theatre (rather than music) venue, I thought, “why not?”

Our producer Hannah worked tirelessly on the application, and we were absolutely floored by their acceptance. And as far as we know, we’ll be the first opera at The Blue Room Theatre!

The team at The Blue Room have been so incredibly generous with their time, feedback, and advice. They truly are behind independent artists and their value in the performing arts sector in WA is unmatched.

RDW: What inspired you to perform in The Priestess of Morphine? How did you encounter this work?

JT: In 2021, I was making a playlist for our Spotify of works by trans, nonbinary, and genderqueer composers. I stumbled across The Priestess of Morphine – this very new Canadian opera composed by Rosśa Crean, with libretto by Aiden K. Feltkamp, both of whom are non-binary, like myself.

I immediately really, really wanted to sing this beautiful music, and the more research I did into Gertrud, the more I was intrigued by her fascinating, but largely unknown contribution to queer history.

Her books were burnt by the Third Reich, she was denigrated as an addict, and her legacy largely lost. I’m so glad that TMI, The Blue Room, and all of the artists we’re working with, are also invested in unveiling her work to a new audience, and bringing her to life again on stage!

“They tried to burn me, to bury my words. They tried. They tried, but they failed.”

RDW: Take us behind the scenes of this opera, into the creative and rehearsal process…

RD: The music inspired this spectral, dreamscape setting. I imagine that Gertrud is telling us her story from a space that doesn’t quite exist. Is she in the afterlife? a dream? a hallucination? I believe if she were to choose, she would speak to us from the period of her life she was most fulfilled.

I chose to set this in the late 1920s, when she would have seen a thriving Berlin full of exciting art, social reform, and economic prosperity. The 1920s art movements have been a big part of informing the production elements of the show, with its use of light and shadow creating a space that feels just beyond the realm of reality. Elements of Art Deco and Art Nouveau have also helped me shape the two sides of Gertrud that we see on stage.

RDW: What do you hope audiences will take away from The Priestess of Morphine?

RD: Opera and classical music often has a reputation of being stuffy, upper-class and antiquated. So much of what TMI is about is breaking those boundaries and expectations. In a genre that is so inaccessible, it’s exciting to see emerging composers and artists produce work that reflects modern values, so I hope that audiences connect with an art form they may have dismissed before.

I also hope that they are inspired by Gertrud Günther’s story, a woman who didn’t apologise for who she is. Her existence was resistance, and by knowing her and her story, we can stand with pride in the face of continuing conservatism.

The Priestess of Morphine is at The Blue Room Theatre, 31 January to 4 February 2023

Pictured top: Performers Ava Charleson (top) and Jessica Taylor. Photo: Cole Currie

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