FLUXUS has expanded its inaugural Opera Lab ‘Space to Create’ program, awarding three $5,000 development grants and broadening its mentorship stream following a surge of interest in creating new operatic work.

The 2026 grant recipients are composer Alice Chance for Great Big Tree, a work for younger audiences; writer Teddy Dunn and composer Alex Turley for Suits, a staged song cycle exploring identity and form; and writer Daniel Szesiong Todd for Chinese Medea, a contemporary reimagining of the classical myth in collaboration with composer Evan Lawson.

The selected projects span children’s opera, hybrid music-theatre forms and reinterpretations of canonical narratives, reflecting the program’s emphasis on experimentation and collaboration. Each recipient will receive funding alongside tailored mentorship and industry connections to support early-stage development.

Alice Chance and Alex Turley. Portraits supplied

An additional 12 artists will participate in the expanded mentorship stream,...