BY ALISON PARIS
Based on the much-loved children’s poem by Edward Lear, The Owl and the Pussycat invites youngsters into the world of opera with a charming set, an energetic cast and, of course, new music composed by Lisa Cheney – with libretto by Kathryn Marquet.
We had the chance to talk with Kathryn and find out what it was like creating a new opera for children, what challenges had to be overcome, and what it was like working alongside Lisa Cheney. 
What inspired you to take on the challenge of The Owl and the Pussycat?
I’ve known the producers, Alicia Cush and Penny Challen at Little Match, for some time, and they approached me and asked if I would be interested in working with them to write the book and lyrics. I love wordplay and silliness, I love children’s literature, and I love poetry, so it was a really exciting project for me.
I worked hard to imitate Edward Lear’s style of writing — so you’ve got these truly silly, nonsensical moments in the piece that children really enjoy — and the whole thing is in rhyme.
What do you think is the importance of introducing children to art music and opera?
We know as a society, intrinsically, that culture is important for humanity. We understand the importance of stories and what they mean for developing empathy and compassion and understanding in human beings. We know these things, but we don’t always put them first or second or even third, particularly in Australia, so I think that these projects are really important.
I had a taxi driver the other day who had coincidentally brought his 9-year-old daughter to the show. This was her first introduction to the opera style and she has now announced that she’s going to be an opera singer. She hasn’t stopped singing the songs. I think that’s really inspiring. We need to give kids these opportunities so they know what the possibilities are for them — so they can dream. But there’s something deeper, too, about the live performance experience and how that has the capacity to create empathy in audiences. This show is about universal harmony and accepting difference. I think that’s a really important message for children to hear, particularly in our contemporary divisive climate.
This production isn’t an ordinary opera; you also use interactive elements to further engage your young audience and get them more involved in the performance. What led you to make this choice?
From the very start of the collaboration, the producers of Little Match – Alicia and Penny – were very clear that this was to be a musical work that invited its audience in. Sometimes, the operatic form can be hard to access and the heavy singing style can be off-putting. We wanted to give children a real chance to discover the beauty of the opera style in a playful and interactive way.
We thought long and hard about how to engage our audience’s creativity through the use of unusual and very tactile musical instruments and sounds, through the creation of a welcoming and visually exciting performance space, and through moments of audience interaction when the children become sailors on the Pea Green boat, or stars in the sky. And, these moments, I think, give the children a sense of agency within the story, because the owl and the pussycat need the sailors and stars to get to the next part of their journey.
How did you hope your young audience would respond to The Owl and the Pussycat upon its premiere in Queensland in April this year?
My hope was that it would be well-received and that children would enjoy it, but the response was amazing. There are moments in this piece when we really ask a lot of our young audience. We ask them to sit and listen to arias for four minutes. And they do. The children are completely engaged.
Our performers are amazing and they work really hard to let the children in. The response has been magic. And parents too are shocked that their children sit for 45 minutes without moving while watching an opera!
What was it like working alongside this opera’s composer Lisa Cheney?
Really brilliant. I’m used to collaboration, coming from a theatre background, but it was magical to hear the words I had written be lifted and livened by Lisa’s extraordinary music. I love the music in this opera: it’s lyrical and moving and playful. I often find myself singing it after rehearsals.
I always find that, with collaboration, one plus one can equal far more than two. With generosity and compromise, you can create a piece of art that far surpasses your expectations.
Lisa is a perfectionist and she works incredibly hard. Her talent and her commitment inspired me, and whenever she brought in a new piece of music, I was blown away by the originality and beauty of it.
As the librettist for this opera, how did you go about creating a script that children could relate to and understand?
I have always loved children’s literature, and this is my second adaptation of a children’s classic (the other being The Secret Garden). The key, I think, is to get into a playful place (find your inner child, if you like) and write something from the heart that appeals to you.
I don’t write down to children. I don’t simplify or condescend or think in black and white. I leave out the gory stuff and the swearing, but the depth of thought and the wordplay – I think that children are as drawn to that as adults. Children like to be challenged. The children’s works that appealed to me when I was younger were the ones that activated my imagination and made me feel something. That’s what I try to keep in the back of my head when I’m writing for children.
Brisbane Festival and Channel Nine present The Owl and the Pussycat at QPAC from 26-29 September.
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