Maria takes on a diva’s legend

Celebrated Greek-Australian performer Maria Mercedes takes on the role of a lifetime as legendary Greek-American opera singer Maria Callas in Terrence McNally’s Master Class.
Having appeared in the Australian premieres of Nine, Sunset Boulevard and Love Never Dies, as well as films such as Head On and Dreams for Life, Mercedes describes this as her “dream role”.
“I couldn’t be more thrilled to honour the life of a woman I admire not only for her incredible artistry and passion, but for the daring, honest way she lived her life,” says Mercedes.
Acting as the launching production of new theatre company Left Bauer, Master Class was presented at Melbourne’s fortyfivedownstairs in 2014 to critical acclaim and a sell-out season.
Mercedes received the Green Room Award for Best Actress and Daniel Lammin a nomination for Best Director.
Set in 1971, the play depicts Callas’ famed visit to New York’s Juilliard School of Music to conduct a series of master classes.
“At the time, Callas’ career had drawn to a close, her voice a shadow of its former glory,” says Left Bauer artistic director Cameron Lukey.
“Six years later, her death at the age of fifty three sealed her legend as a real life tragic heroine.”
Featuring three of Australia’s most exciting young operatic talents, Master Class fuses opera and theatre like never before, touching opera aficionados and novices alike with the power of Bellini, Puccini and Verdi.
“The music drives the play, each aria reflecting an aspect of Callas’ life and drawing us deeper into her psyche,” says director Daniel Lammin.
“During rehearsals, it was extraordinary to discover the parallels between Callas’ life and the characters she played.”
Forty years after Callas’ death, this searing depiction of opera’s most beloved and controversial diva, a woman forced to choose between her professional and personal lives, is as relevant as ever.
A stunning finale to GPAC’s 2015 Deakin University Theatre Season, Master Class will be in the Drama Theatre from September 16 to 19.
Tickets are $57. Book at GPAC Box Office on 5225 1200 or go online to gpac.org.au.