Project Description

I have created a show (with a working title of Hormone Explosion!) that uses opera in conjunction with circus to remind us what it was like to be a teenager: the excitement and energy, the rush of hormones, falling in and out of love, parents and independence, coping with the changes in your body and all the pressures of school, the future, fitting in and trying to be popular.

After all, what is opera? Drama. Passion. Heightened emotions. Now, am I describing opera or am I describing puberty?

So you see, opera is the perfect vehicle to portray all the drama, passion and heightened emotions of growing up, and when you combine it with circus skills, you give it the added dimension of vitality and high energy.

Hormone Explosion! uses three young opera performers (Katie Stenzel, Mia Yaniw and Iain Henderson) and Trix Circus Youth Troupe to bring this excitement to the stage. Well, that is, if you help us bring it to the stage with your financial assistance. So, not only are you helping finance this particular show, but you are helping these young performers gain the stage experience that they need to go on to professional careers.

In short, Hormone explosion!:

• Is a 2 hour show (with an interval) using music from opera and classical crossover. Music by Mozart, Gounod, Puccini, Bernstein and others;

• juxtaposes the music and theatrical style of the old (opera) to describe the contemporary problems and pressures of young people today;

• uses the high energy of circus skills and the passionate emotional outpouring of music to explore the issues, joy and pain of youth;

• creates new audiences for opera by showing how it can be relevant to them; and

• Trains young performers (opera and circus) and puts them on the professional stage.

Who am I, you ask, and why will this project be successful? I am a professional opera singer who has had a career working with local opera companies, such as Opera Australia and Opera Queensland, as well as performing in European opera houses and music festivals. My most recent European performance was as Norina in Don Pasquale in Switzerland last year. I started in Sydney and now I live in Brisbane. You can find out more about me and my career from my website www.lesliemartin.com.au.

15 years ago I started creating my own events and began my association with one of the Southern Hemisphere’s largest outdoor opera events - Opera on the Beach - both as an organiser and performer, singing alongside other stars of Opera Australia. The experience and skills gained from this series have been put to great use in producing many other events and, thereby, providing performance opportunities for young performers.

As a performer, I know how difficult it is, when you are young and still learning your craft, to get a gig. And I also know that performing is the only way you can really learn. So, with that in mind, I provide opportunities for young performers wherever I can, as well as educate them in stagecraft and other essential stage skills.

To get this baby on the stage, we need help. The rigging for the aerial work alone costs $3,500. And that doesn’t include staging, costumes and fees for the artists! But $3,500 is all we are asking for. You will literally be helping us to get this show “off the ground”!