A live stream invites audiences behind the scenes as the company previews an adaptation of Flaubert’s Three Tales.

It’s not often that audiences get to witness the workshopping of an opera, let alone three. Yet Victorian Opera is giving audiences just this opportunity on Friday evening via live stream as the company previews three new chamber operas set to premiere in 2019.

The new works, taken from Flaubert’s Three Tales, have been assigned to three leading Australian composers: Zac Hurren has written the music for A Simple Heart, a short story exploring faith; Dermot Tutty has composed the score for The Legend of Saint Julian the Hospitaller, a story describing the fate of a sadistic hunter destined to murder his own parents; and Stefan Cassomenos has been tasked with Hérodias, a reworking of the tale of Salome and John the Baptist. Acclaimed Australian playwright Daniel Keene has provided the libretti for all three. The Plexus ensemble (which Stefan Cassomenos is part of) will accompany the singers in the rehearsal room as they perform highlights from the three works.

The live stream is an opportunity for audiences to not only see how the sausage is made but to potentially influence the development...