ABOUT US
Born in 2012 with a bold idea, Lost & Found set out to remake opera from the ground up - selecting rare operas and matching them with spaces that amplify their impact. With the leadership of founding artistic directors Chris Van Tuinan and Thomas de Mallet Burgess, we created immersive experiences, binding performers, place and audience.
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In just seven years we unleashed ten acclaimed productions, sold out seasons, and sparked new energy in Perth’s arts scene. Critics called us “the nation’s most innovative opera company” and “genuinely disruptive.”
Then came change. Our founders moved into new roles, COVID reshaped the cultural landscape, and we paused - deliberately - entering a three-year hibernation to rethink what opera could be next.
Now, we return.
With artistic leadership now in the hands of Mark Coughlan and Mel Cantwell, a strengthened board, and renewed purpose, Lost & Found steps back into the world ready to challenge, to surprise, and to create opera that you can really feel.
We begin again as we began in 2012: with fearless artists, curious audiences, and a belief that opera lives best when it’s found in the unexpected.
The adventure continues…
Lost and Found Opera produces and tours work on a scale that integrates the audience, performance and environment collaborating with artists from a range of disciplines to produce work that extends the boundaries of operatic form and language and speaks to our human condition.
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Our Mission
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- To engage with new and established audiences for opera by exploring and pushing the boundaries
of the art form
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- To emphasise the link between human experience and opera, uncovering the theatrical moment that
speaks to the human condition.
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- To transform the world of the audience by examining the relationship between the architecture of space
and the architecture of opera.
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- To showcase infrequently heard works from the operatic repertoire.
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- To celebrate the relationship between different art forms and the language and the techniques used
to express them.
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- To explore the processes that lead to the commissioning, development and performance of new work.
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- To enhance and diversify the skills of artists in a collaborative laboratory that draws upon diverse
cultural practice.
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- To explore the opportunities presented by new technology.
Mel Cantwell​
Lost and Found Co-Artistic Director
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A director, writer and programmer with over 20 years’ diverse experience in the performing arts, Melissa takes a holistic and inclusive approach to her practice and is committed to developing and showcasing innovative performance works for adventurous audiences.
Mel’s previous roles in the sector include Artistic Director of Perth Theatre Company, Associate Director (PTC) and Program Manager of The Blue Room Theatre. She received an Emerging Leader’s fellowship from the International Society for Performing Arts and has been a guest artist and speaker for numerous national festivals and institutions. She has a BA (Film, ECU) and post-graduate Bachelor of Performing Arts (Directing, WAAPA). Melissa has been a guest lecturer and director for Notre Dame University; Edith Cowan University and WAAPA.
Recent directorial works include Mary Stuart for Perth Festival and Performing Lines WA; The Arsonists (WAAPA); and as Creative Director of independent company The Kabuki Drop: Whale Fall (Perth Festival and PICA); Nocturna; Slap and Tickle (Adelaide Cabaret Festival); The Average Joe (Fringeworld); Blink (Winter Arts Festival) and The Elders Project (Fremantle Festival / Art on the Move). Mel has been commissioned by PICA; Playlab; Black Swan State Theatre Company; City of Perth; Lotterywest; Barking Gecko and Perth Festival.
Mark Coughlan
Lost and Found Co-Artistic Director
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Mark is a major figure in the cultural life of Western Australia. He is a pianist, conductor, artistic director and gallery owner. Mark is the founder and artistic director of the Government House concert series, Music on the Terrace and directs the annual New Year's Eve concerts in the Perth Concert Hall. He is a former Head of Music at UWA and is an Advisory Board Member at WAAPA.
Mark has worked extensively with singers as both pianist and conductor. He is dedicated to supporting young people in the arts and has developed a number of programs offering opportunities to emerging artists. Mark is Chairman of OpusWA Arts Orchestra and Chorale, an orchestral organisation dedicated to supporting the development of young singers, and recently conducted their production of Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro.
Mark is a former board member and CEO of the West Australian Symphony Orchestra, and for many years was a music writer for The Australian newspaper and a judge for The Helpmann Awards. Mark is the founder and director of The Orangery Gallery, a restored arts space showcasing local artists and musicians. He is a three-times finalist for West Australian of the Year in the Arts and Culture category.
Board Members
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Mary-Ellen King (Chair)
Mark Coughlan (Deputy Chair)
Kate Lewis (Secretary)
Anthea Bird (Treasurer)
David Jones
Brad Martin
Margaret Seares AO​
Chris van Tuinen
Jane Walker
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Co-Artistic Directors
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Mark Coughlan
Melissa Cantwell
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Founding Artistic Directors
Chris Van Tuinen & Thomas de Mallet Burgess