Opera Australia have unveiled their leading stars for their 2024 production of West Side Story.
Koa Kuku Yalanji Wakka Wakka soprano Nina Korbe will star as Maria, alongside Canberra-born tenor Billy Bourchier, who will play the role of Tony.
Speaking with NITV, Nina said it’s a great honour to be stepping into the role of Maria.
“I think what's so beautiful about Maria is the story that is told through her is one of adversity and feeling a little bit like an outsider, which is something that I think many First Nations people all over the world can resonate with," she said.
"So there's a lot of responsibility playing this character. And I'm really excited to give it my best job and hopefully connect with people and tell her story truthfully.”
West Side Story is a tale of the forbidden love between Tony and Maria, two people caught up in rival street gangs in mid-1950s New York City.
The musical, conceived by Jerome Robbins, is inspired by Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.
Nina Korbe and Billy Bourchier will take on the roles of Maria and Tony in West Side Story. (Supplied: Opera Australia)
But it marks just the next stage of what has been a lifelong love of theatre.
“Growing up, I loved the musical: the music is just breathtaking and the dance sequences," she said.
It's such a wonderful spectacle to see. So to now be a part of it and to have it as my professional debut, it really feels like such a dream.
Korbe says it's important for her to show young Indigenous kids, who may aspire to tread the boards themselves, that it can be done.
“It's so special and overwhelming and a great responsibility."
"A lot of the work that I do is to show other First Nations kids that are coming through that it is possible to do all of these things, that you're not limited by your culture.
"You can do it."
Harold Blair, one of the first Indigenous opera singers paved the way for many of today's Indigenous opera performers and companies. Credit: The Courier Mail
“Something that was so beautiful about his legacy was his connection back to community," she said.
“He was a world-class opera singer with a career that would be considered astounding even to today's standards.
But he never forgot where he came from, and he always did the work to make sure that he was connecting back with community and helping those who were back home.
"I just hope that I can, in my own way."
