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Sydney’s after-dark scene can get a bad rap, and sometimes (not always!), I get it. Let's be honest, we all miss the OG Freda’s. But now and again a new opening rolls around worth getting excited about, and this might just be one of them. A 150-year-old deconsecrated church on Kent Street is being resurrected this winter as Unholy Playhouse – a boundary-pushing performance venue, creative arts space and bar from nightlife impresario Kat Dopper (the mind behind Heaps Gay and Pleasures Playhouse). Throw open the heavy doors from Wednesday, July 8 onwards, and you’ll find a former house of worship reborn as something a whole lot more hedonistic – serving up a wildly out-of-the-box roster of good times. The lease is for one year, with the option to extend (fingers crossed!).
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Originally built in 1868 and once home to the Genesian Theatre, the heritage-listed building is entering its next act as a meeting ground for art, culture, community – and very good drinks. Equal parts bizarre, debaucherous and oddly sacred, Unholy Playhouse isn’t trying to fit neatly into any one category, and that’s kind of the point.
Programming is as chaotic (in a good way) as the concept. Think live music, DJs and experimental performances alongside gospel choir-backed karaoke, showtune singalongs at the piano and a late-night cabaret series dubbed Holy Flesh. There’s also a Harry Potter cabarave (yep, really), an art ball by performance duo The Huxleys, and something intriguingly titled Possession, billed as Australia’s first live exorcism. If that all sounds like a fever dream, that’s intentional. Dopper’s vision is rooted in creating space for independent, diverse and emerging artists to take the reins. “Dancefloors as worship, art as activism and culture as a shared experience,” she says. “Unholy Playhouse is for the unpolished, the unique, the quirky.”
The venue itself will shape-shift throughout the week. Wednesdays will be free-entry affairs, with a speakeasy-style bar and rotating live residencies from bands and comedians. From Thursday through Saturday, things will kick off with Vespers – a happy hour running from 5–7pm – before handing over to a revolving roster of parties, performances and takeovers from some of Sydney’s most beloved nightlife collectives, including Freda's, Heaps Gay, Kerfew and even the people from Music NSW. Sundays will be reserved for Sunday Mess – an “unholy brunch party” that leans all the way into theatrical chaos. Created in collaboration with Performance Space and Stereogamous, Sydneysiders will be invited to don their “Sunday best” for a ritualistic, joyfully messy gathering that blurs the line between party and performance.
Beyond the stage, the walls of the church are being brought to life by a stacked line-up of local visual artists, including Deborah Kelly, Kim Leutwyler and Kee Kee James. Their works will remain in situ throughout the residency before being sold, with proceeds going to LGBTQIA+ youth organisation Twenty10.
Food and drink also play a starring role. Newtown favourite Bloodwood is taking over the kitchen for Sunday sessions, while the bar is pouring “Unholy Water” – a locally crafted gin made in Marrickville. In a nice full-circle moment, $1 from every serve will go straight back into funding artist grants for the venue. The day-to-night drinks list is stacked with local faves: Doom Juice wines, Grifter beers and a line-up of independent and queer-owned spirits.
For co-programmer Victoria Falconer, the venue arrives at a crucial moment. “When things get tough, culture can lean towards the mainstream,” she says. “But that’s when counter-culture thrives – when people crave something more underground, more avant-garde.”
If Sydney’s nightlife has been feeling a little too polished lately, Unholy Playhouse is here to rough things up. Keen? Us too. You can learn more and book tix to upcoming events over here.
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