DIVA to Make Australian Premiere at Eternity Playhouse

Fresh from seasons in Los Angeles and at the Edinburgh International Festival, Australian-born actress and singer Vivienne Powell returns home to Sydney with DIVA, her remarkable solo play combining theatre, music and a powerhouse performance.

At once funny, poignant and deeply moving, DIVA will have its Australian premiere at Eternity Playhouse from 9–20 December.

Described by The Quintessential Review UK as “a magnificent piece of musical theatre”, DIVA explores memory, ageing, ambition, love and loss through the story of Louisa McCrae, a once-celebrated fictional Australian opera star whose past is unlocked by a suitcase of treasured mementos.

As Louisa's fractured mind moves between past and present, the people, performances, loves, triumphs and losses of her life return with vivid force. Powell transforms before the audience, drawing on her formidable talents as both actor and singer to bring Louisa's memories — and the characters who inhabit them — to life.

At the heart of DIVA is the powerful connection between music and memory. As Louisa is transported back to the defining moments of her life, familiar songs become a bridge to the past, revealing how music can endure even as memory begins to fade.

Australian-born and trained, Vivienne Powell has built an international career spanning opera, theatre, cabaret, musical theatre, film and television. She has performed with Opera Australia and Pacific Opera, as well as extensively on stage and screen in Australia and internationally.

Powell received a Broadway World nomination for her performance in Ruben Guthrie with the Australian Theatre Company in Los Angeles and a Best Supporting Actress nomination for Le Miroir at the New York/Long Island International Film Festival. Her screen credits include Shameless, Judd Apatow's Love and other films screened at international festivals including Cannes.