Rochelle Bright is an exciting voice in New Zealand theatre. She works in crossover drama, which blurs the boundaries between plays, music, cabaret and opera. She has written lyrics, librettos, play and film scripts, music and even circus with Gothenburg band Next Stop: Horizon.
Rochelle wrote plays and was interested in theatre and music throughout her childhood. She studied drama in the Hawkes Bay before heading to the University of Auckland, where was engaged in the jazz and theatre departments with a Masters in Creative and Performing Arts.
In 2005, she was the composer and lyricist for Stark Night, which premiered at the Wintergarden Civic Theatre, as part of the Auckland International Arts Festival, with music performed by the Caitlin Smith Trio.
Soon after, she headed to New York to the prestigious Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, where she compled a Master in Fine Arts, in composition, lyric and bookwriting at the Graduate Musical Theatre writing program.
With the American Lyric Theatre, Rochelle has collaborated on opera works with composers Justine Chen (On the Origin, performed at Symphony Space), Christopher Cerrone, Clint Borzoni and Gerald Cohen.
Her production Daffodils had two highly-successful seasons in Auckland last year and has since toured the country to rave reviews.