Has opera lost its mojo?

The National Opera Report warned of a lack of 'vibrancy' in opera. A new research project hopes to find it.

Released in 2016, the Final Report of the National Opera Review landed with a sizable thud. 

After a two-year study commissioned by former arts minister George Brandis to analyse the financial and artistic viability of Opera Australia, Opera Queensland, the State Opera of South Australia and West Australian Opera, the 140 page-document concluded (among other things) that the opera sector’s ‘artistic vibrancy’ was at serious risk. 

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Acting Performing Arts Editor Jason Blake is a career arts writer, critic and editor. He studied theatre directing at the VCA and NIDA, served as arts editor for the Sydney City Hub, edited subscription TV guides and reviewed theatre for the Sydney Morning Herald from 2009-2017. He was co-founder of audreyjoural.com.au and recently publications manager for the Sydney Film Festival. He shares his home office with a possum.