STELLAR CAST LANDS IN ADELAIDE WITH CINDERELLA REHEARSALS ALREADY CREATING MAGIC FOR FUTURE SEASONS
Lead Image Credit: Ben Clark Imagery
State Opera South Australia’s Cinderella (La Cenerentola) is coming to life, with its leading cast now on the ground and rehearsals in full swing ahead of the global premiere in May at Her Majesty’s Theatre, before touring to New Zealand in collaboration with New Zealand Opera.
Led by one of Australia’s most celebrated mezzo-sopranos, Anna Dowsley returns to Adelaide from an illustrious European career to take on the title role of Angelina (Cinderella), saying that within just a week, rehearsals are already building strong momentum with both cast and creatives.
“There’s a real sense of energy in the room, and I think we can all feel the chemistry. It’s playful, it’s fast-moving, and it’s full of heart,” she said.
Rossini’s beloved opera follows Angelina, a young woman mistreated by her family, who ultimately transforms her fate through kindness, resilience and integrity (and scintillating singing!), in a story grounded in emotional truth.
“Angelina is a deeply human character; she leads with kindness and resilience, and that really comes through in Rossini’s music. To explore that alongside artists of this calibre is a joy, and I’m thrilled to be part of this special production,” Dowsley said.
Dowsley is joined by an exceptional cast made up of leading Australian and international operatic talent including Teddy Tahu Rhodes, Helena Dix, Nicholas Lester, Jihoon Son (making his Australian debut), Pelham Andrews and Indyana Schneider, with Rhodes saying Rossini’s Cinderella offers exactly the kind of escapism audiences are craving right now.
“Rossini is great entertainment – it’s fun, light-hearted, and I think something audiences really need right now,” Rhodes said.
“Playing the slightly outrageous and grumpy stepfather at this point in my career fits me beautifully vocally, and it’s a privilege to be performing in a great opera like this.”
Dix said stepping into Clorinda brings both vocal firepower and theatrical flair to the production.
“Clorinda is outrageous, glamorous and completely unapologetic, she’s such a joy to play. Rossini gives her incredible music, and in this production there’s a heightened sense of theatricality that makes every moment feel bigger, bolder and more playful.”
State Opera Artistic Director Dane Lam said the production also marks a significant milestone for the company, reinforcing its commitment to create and make world-class work in South Australia while exporting local talent internationally.
“Our ambitious company is working across two continents during these rehearsals.
“While Scottish Opera Music Director, Stuart Stratford conducts Cinderella here in Adelaide with the company’s Head of Music, Fiona MacSherry working on the production as repetiteur and continuo player, I am in Glasgow conducting Scottish Opera’s The Marriage of Figaro, directed by Sir Thomas Allen. This is Opera Without Borders in action,” Lam said.
That exchange continues to build, following Scottish Opera’s Flight in Adelaide last year, a co-production of The Gondoliers, and the new opera The Galloping Cure – a global collaboration with Canadian Opera Company, San Francisco Opera and Norrlands Opera, which premieres at the Edinburgh Festival this year before coming to Adelaide in 2028.
“This is solidifying State Opera’s relationship with Scottish Opera, a major European company, bringing the best of the world to South Australia and South Australia to the world,” Lam said.Stratford is joined by an acclaimed creative team, with director Neil Armfield, set and costume designer Stephen Curtis, lighting designer Nigel Levings, and assistant director and choreographer Garry Stewart – with Armfield shaping a playful, stylised world inspired by 1970s Adelaide that heightens the work’s theatricality without losing its emotional core.
State Opera has also announced today that Cinderella will be presented in collaboration with New Zealand Opera and tour there next. It also marks the first of four new productions created in Adelaide this year, reinforcing the company’s commitment to bold, locally made work, and supporting Adelaide’s reputation as a world-class opera-making hub.
Cinderella plays at Her Majesty’s Theatre from 7–16 May 2026. Tickets are on sale now via stateopera.com.au
