Cirrus@Austlit

'we only need to tease out the first stray thread, such as the lingering wake left by a white ship forging through grey light to where a thousand seabirds disappear from the collapsing sky . . . and we've begun 

'It is 1954, but not the same way the history books would have it. Events and characters swirl in a vortex of fragments and chance connections.

'Brisbane celebrates the young Queen Elizabeth II's arrival on her first royal tour of the commonwealth. Meanwhile the future is being shaped behind closed doors, laying the foundations for the 21st century...'  (Publication summary)

'The release of the palace letters has put paid to any comforting assumption that the monarchy is above politics, or that the Queen as Australian head of state guarantees national stability. John Kerr’s correspondence with her private secretary Martin Charteris proved that royal impartiality, when put to the test, revealed itself as merely notional and without substance. Yet the disheartening truth is that this was not greeted with public outrage, which suggests the lesson hasn’t sunk in.' (Introduction)

'The action takes place against the background of Federation, with Australia on the brink of independence. The scene is set in a remote town in western Queensland in 1900. Archie Callaway, a popular local identity, farmer and keen advocate of Federation, has died. The opera opens with his funeral and the arrival of his surviving brother to lay claim to a half share in the property.

'The story centres around the dead man’s widow and her spirited daughter Veronica. Caught in a plot of domestic violence played out in the context of Victorian morality, they pin their hopes on women gaining the vote in the new nation. This, they believe, will deliver equal rights and justice in future. The three men implicated in the family tragedy must wrestle with their consciences to find a way forward, which for each of them involves a different choice.' (Production summary)

'Adam's life has been ruined by war ... A veteran of the Iraq conflict who has suffered such extensive bodily trauma that he can only really survive by means of a mechanical skeleton.

'Marianna's has been ruined by men ... A woman who has had to flee the country after her husband lied to the wrong people.

'John Philip's by too much money ... A man who inherits the lost erotic drawings of J. M. W. Turner in the evening of his own life.

'Rodney Hall presents the interwoven story of three people experiencing a period of life they never thought possible and, perhaps, should never have been granted at all ... Each sets out along a separate path, seeking a stolen season in which they can live on their own terms. '  (Publication summary)