Stefan Haag
Encyclopedia
Stefan Haag OBE
(1925 - 25 December 1986) was an Austria
n-Australia
n singer; opera, theatre and television director and producer; lighting and set designer; and arts administrator. He was described as a “complete man of the theatre”.
He was born in Vienna. As a child he sang with the Vienna Boys Choir and Vienna Mozart Boys Choir. The choir found itself stranded in Australia at the outbreak of World War II
in 1939, and he decided to stay. He sang baritone roles with the National Opera Theatre (possibly under the name Louis Waters) and later became a producer for the National Theatre Movement (1948-50). In 1950 he returned to Europe on a Victorian government scholarship to study arts production.
In 1956 Stefan Haag became production director of the newly formed Elizabethan Theatre Trust Opera Company, the forerunner of Opera Australia
. In 1957 he directed its production of Offenbach
’s The Tales of Hoffman. From 1960 to 1962 he was opera company’s artistic director. From 1963 to 1969 he was Executive Director of the Elizabethan Theatre Trust.
He later worked as a television and theatre producer and was artistic director of several arts festivals. He promoted successful productions such as Hair
and Jesus Christ Superstar
and promoted Aboriginal
theatre. He was also a director of the New Zealand Drama Council summer school.
He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire
in 1968 for his development of the performing arts.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(1925 - 25 December 1986) was an Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n-Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n singer; opera, theatre and television director and producer; lighting and set designer; and arts administrator. He was described as a “complete man of the theatre”.
He was born in Vienna. As a child he sang with the Vienna Boys Choir and Vienna Mozart Boys Choir. The choir found itself stranded in Australia at the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in 1939, and he decided to stay. He sang baritone roles with the National Opera Theatre (possibly under the name Louis Waters) and later became a producer for the National Theatre Movement (1948-50). In 1950 he returned to Europe on a Victorian government scholarship to study arts production.
In 1956 Stefan Haag became production director of the newly formed Elizabethan Theatre Trust Opera Company, the forerunner of Opera Australia
Opera Australia
Opera Australia is the principal opera company in Australia. Based in Sydney, its performance season at the Sydney Opera House runs for approximately eight months of the year, with the remainder of its time spent in the The Arts Centre in Melbourne...
. In 1957 he directed its production of Offenbach
Jacques Offenbach
Jacques Offenbach was a Prussian-born French composer, cellist and impresario. He is remembered for his nearly 100 operettas of the 1850s–1870s and his uncompleted opera The Tales of Hoffmann. He was a powerful influence on later composers of the operetta genre, particularly Johann Strauss, Jr....
’s The Tales of Hoffman. From 1960 to 1962 he was opera company’s artistic director. From 1963 to 1969 he was Executive Director of the Elizabethan Theatre Trust.
He later worked as a television and theatre producer and was artistic director of several arts festivals. He promoted successful productions such as Hair
Hair (musical)
Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical is a rock musical with a book and lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni and music by Galt MacDermot. A product of the hippie counter-culture and sexual revolution of the 1960s, several of its songs became anthems of the anti-Vietnam War peace movement...
and Jesus Christ Superstar
Jesus Christ Superstar
Jesus Christ Superstar is a rock opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber, with lyrics by Tim Rice. The musical started off as a rock opera concept recording before its first staging on Broadway in 1971...
and promoted Aboriginal
Australian Aborigines
Australian Aborigines , also called Aboriginal Australians, from the latin ab originem , are people who are indigenous to most of the Australian continentthat is, to mainland Australia and the island of Tasmania...
theatre. He was also a director of the New Zealand Drama Council summer school.
He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
in 1968 for his development of the performing arts.
External links
- http://nla.gov.au/nla.cs-ma-an4287492
- http://epress.lib.uts.edu.au/ojs/index.php/sydney_journal/article/viewFile/666/696
- http://www.teara.govt.nz/1966/T/Theatre/SectionIiDramaticSocieties/en
- The Dictionary of Performing Arts in Australia
- It’s an Honour: OBE