Outdoor theatre show Track Works makes opera accessible to rookies at Mortuary Station

An out of service train station has been transformed into the set of an opera, in a “relatable” storyline exploring the things people miss when they don’t pay attention to others on transport.

It might be hard to believe, but this train station was once used to transport the bodies of loved ones to be laid to rest.

Now, Sydneysiders will have the opportunity to enter Chippendale’s Mortuary Station as they’re whisked into an opera designed for “aficionados and novices”.

Track Works, directed by Clemence Williams and artistic director Thomas De Angelis, uses the works of opera icons like Cucine and Verdi — which audiences are sure to recognise from advertisements and jingles — to bring an operatic experience for everyone.

“We’re trying to bring opera to the masses,” Mr De Angelis said.

A big part of achieving this comes down to the unique location, Mr De Angelis said, as Mortuary Station was a public space at one point.

“So we want to invite the public in to come and see the show that hopefully they’re able to relate to really easily, because all the characters are straight out of 2023.”

Track Works is using relatable characters in a public space to open up opera to those who may not have ventured into operatic shows in the past. Picture: Justin Lloyd.

Actors Sophie Mohler, Elizabeth Harper, Anastasia Gall, Eden Shifroni, and Michael Kaufmann bring the opera to life at Mortuary Station, which has been widely untouched since the late 80s. Picture: Justin Lloyd.

The opera follows the lives of five strangers who meet at the railway station after a very long day as they wait for the last train home.

The characters include a lawyer “who used to fight the good fight”, but has been “chewed up and spat out by the corporate machine” as she loses sight of why she chose to be a lawyer in the first place.

Two young school girls — with a smuggled bottle of vodka in tow — a rough sleeper, and a comedic station master comprise the rest of the cast led by Elizabeth Harper, Eden Shifroni, Sophie Mohler, Anastasia Gall and Michael Kaufmann.

Mr De Angelis described the plot as “very contemporary”, asking the question “What do we miss when we don’t take notice of one another in a public space?”

“We’re surrounded by all these people who each have had really deep and interesting stories, and we only briefly encounter them in these places, and we don’t ever get to really know them or relate to them.”

The opera will run until December 19.