Christ Church Cathedral will host its first ever opera next month.
The church on The Hill will be transformed for Underground Theatre Company's Operarte on October 28.
"So we call it Operarte because it does marry up art and opera," Underground Theatre Company founder and director Bruce Edwards said. "We actually travel with an art exhibition and install the exhibition into the cathedral. Each piece in that exhibition has been produced to best represent each piece in our show."
The artist who produces the works is Gordon Hanley - Australia's only "Living Master" of art, whose pieces sell for up to $70,000 and are drawn using 24 karat gold, silver and platinum.
"As he's producing these works, we take time lapse photography, and those are all put into a video, which we project up onto the screen behind us to create our backdrop," Edwards said.
The show includes all the opera classics, but with a modern influence as well.
"You've got the likes of Nessun Dorma in there," Edwards said. "You've got the Pearl Fishers duet, the Lakmé duet. Louise does this fantastic Habanera from Carmen, which is a rather seductive piece. And then of course, you have things like Bohemian Rhapsody. It's an entertaining show."
The cast are world renowned, and Edwards said they are all performers, rather than just singers.
"Glen Lorimer, he's ex English National Opera company," he said. "He toured the world for 10 years. He's got a voice that is going to ring through this cathedral.
"Then you've got our beautiful soprano Rebecca Cassidy, she's absolutely sublime. I get goosebumps during rehearsals when I hear her Un bel di from Madama Butterfly.
"Louise Dorsman my mezzo, she is just outstanding, engaging and just one of those performers that you can't not look at.
"Jon Maskell is our big, boomy baritone. I love listening well, actually, I hate listening to him because I get extraordinarily jealous that I can't sing like he can."
Edwards, a Queensland native, was in Newcastle this week preparing for the show, in what will be his first in the city. He has a passion for seeking out unique venues, including the Jenolan Caves and a power station. He also spent three years converting an old underground water reservoir into an opera space in Brisbane.
Edwards said he hadn't found an underground location in Newcastle for the show, but loved the cathedral's acoustics.
"It's just sublime," he said. "It's beautiful. Even just standing here and talking, you can hear the acoustics in the building."
For tickets, visit undergroundopera.com.au/operarte-in-the-cathedral.
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