Co-commissioned by Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) and Opera Australia (OA), The Drover’s Wife – The Opera will have its world premiere in May 2026, in QPAC’s new Glasshouse Theatre.
Based on the 2016 play by Leah Purcell AM, adapted from Henry Lawson’s 1892 short story (Purcell subsequently turned her play into a novel in 2017 and a feature film in 2021), the opera features a libretto by Purcell co-written with George Palmer AM, who also composed the score and will direct the production.