South Australia is a state full of stories, and some of those stories are headed for the stage as part of a world-first opera initiative.
The Our Opera, Our Story project will see State Opera turn real stories from everyday South Australians into four original, professionally staged productions for the 2027 season.
The project represents a fundamental shift in how opera is made.
Stories can be submitted in written, audio or video form, across any category such as sport, food and wine, migration, community, politics and First Nations. No arts background is required, just a great yarn that needs to be shared.
State Opera Artistic Director Dane Lam said that opera had "always been built on the stories that matter most like; love, loss, betrayal, revenge, resilience and humour".
"These human universals are the reasons why operas from hundreds of years ago still capture people’s imaginations today," Mr Lam said.
"But we equally believe that opera is the supreme vehicle for storytelling in all its guises, and it must also reflect today's world, and the people living in it, as we look to the future.
"Our Opera, Our Story gives South Australians a direct hand in shaping new work at the highest professional level.
"We want their stories that matter, or how a moment in time shaped our state forever. Your story could be immortalised forever. I hope you embrace this opportunity and share your story today."
Submissions close 19 June 2026 and shortlisted stories will go to a public vote from 24 June to 1 July, with four selected to be developed into 20-minute micro-operas by leading Australian composer-librettist teams, performed alongside the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra as part of the 2027 season at Elder Hall.
Those selected will receive full creative credit, VIP opening night tickets, behind-the-scenes access throughout the creative journey and season passes.
Submissions already received include stories of the 2020 bushfires through the eyes of someone who lived it; an Italian family whose post-WW2 migration story of hardship and resilience is now woven into the contemporary fabric of So
uth Australia; and an Adelaide Crows supporter recalling the back-to-back 1997-98 premierships and what it meant to the whole state.
But Port Adelaide fans should rest assured that there’s someone in their corner too.
Nick Ryan, one of the country's best-known food and wine writers, is also one of Port Adelaide's biggest fans.
He recalls watching his beloved team's AFL dreams get publicly shredded in 1990. A secret deal leaked, condemned as treachery and killed by legal action, while the Crows were handed what Port had fought for.
He waited seven years for the moment Port finally ran onto an AFL ground.
From that young, gutted Port supporter to one of the club's most passionate fans today, Nick wants to see that story on stage - the grit, the politics, the heartbreak and what it built in the people who never stopped believing.
"This is not just a football story – it is a South Australian story about what it means to fight for something, to be denied, and to never let go of what you believe in," Nick, pictured right with son Wilbur, said.
"Port Adelaide fans carried that story with them for seven years, and we still carry it today. If opera can capture that – the passion, the politics, the heartbreak and the eventual triumph – then it absolutely deserves to be on that stage."
South Australians can submit their stories via the State Opera website (external site).
