Theatre & Dance
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Theatre, dance, musicals and opera on now in Sydney
A guide to Sydney's theatre scene
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Sydney Opera House
This Australian icon sits on Bennelong Point and is Sydney’s premiere venue for classical and contemporary music, opera, theatre and dance. As peaceful as it looks now, the House had a controversial beginning: while it was designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, by the time the building was completed in 1973 its architect had been fired. Many have pondered the building’s design over the years, comparing it variously to shells, waves and even a family of swans. Utzon never revealed his vision, only that it involved spheres. The Opera House offers different tours that allow you to get intimate with the building, including some hosted in different languages and full ‘experience' packages. If you don't feel like shelling out, it's still free to sit on the steps for a quick lunch and walk by the water and gaze in marvel at those 1,056,000 pearly, self-cleaning Swedish tiles. Where to eat and drink near Sydney Opera House For the ultimate Opera House dining experience, book a pre-theatre dinner at Bennelong, or just pop in for a drink and a snack at the raw and cultured bar. Check out the Opera Kitchen, a harbourfront dining area that features a host of Sydney food identities including John Susman. Meander around to Bulletin Place for cocktails. Later in the evening kick the glamour up a notch at Hemmesphere and enjoy matched cigars and more cocktails into the morning. Backstage tour With access into areas normally reserved for stars and their minders, this tour will have y
Sydney Theatre Company
It’s Andrew’s final season, so one might expect him to throw caution to the winds and get some wish-list i tems out of the way. Overall it’s a rather demure season as far as Big Names, with the exception of Rose Byrne, who will be fronting Andrew’s production of David Mamet’sSpeed-the-Plow. But there’s plenty of top shelf local thesp talent – like Robyn Nevin, Sarah Peirse and Helen Thomson; and there are actors made popular on screen returning to the STC stage – including Lisa McCune, Ryan Corr, John Howard and Lachy Hulme. But there's no William Hurt, Phillip Seymour Hoffman or Steven Soderbergh. And we’ll miss Hugo, Rox and Cate. The big international star of the season is British director Rupert Goold (Enron, Macbeth), now artistic director of London’s Almeida Theatre. He’ll be bringing his hit West End production of Mike Bartlett’s King Charles III to Sydney. Also heading down under from the UK are 1927, with their take on the Golem myth. For an Australian classic, we get Louis Nowra’s Golden Age; for new work, there are premieres by Sue Smith (Kryptonite), Angela Betzien (The Dark Room), and a portmanteau of new works by emerging playwrights Melissa Bubnic, Michele Lee, Nakkiah Lui and Debra Thomas – with a fifth from veteran Hannie Rayson. The Secret River, arguably Cate and Andrew’s greatest programming achievement in their tenure, returns. For new international work: besides King Charles III from the UK, Upton is bringing Pulitzer Prize winner Disgraced, from the
Belvoir St Theatre
This once shabby tomato sauce factory is now the entirely respectable Belvoir St Theatre, home of company Belvoir, which stages productions in its intimate 350-seat Upstairs Theatre and its more intimate 80-seat Downstairs Theatre.
Riverside Theatres
Each year this western Sydney cultural hub hosts an exciting programme of theatre, dance, opera, circus, musicals and solo shows. The theatre is also a NT Live screening venue, so throughout the year you can catch London's National Theatre productions screened live in HD. Visit the Riverside Theatres website for the full 2014 program.
Carriageworks
Worth visiting for the space alone, Carriageworks is the latest incarnation of the Eveleigh Rail Yards. Built in the 1880s, its cavernous interiors are faithfully preserved, giving it a limitlessness very different from the plush cocoons of most theatres. With a program of large-scale theatre, dance and installation works, and as a host of the experimental and cross-disciplinary theatre company Performance Space, Sydney Chamber Opera and Moogahlin Performing Arts, Carriageworks is gaining a reputation as the venue for the most progressive Sydney drama, dance and art.
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Spend a day at the Entertainment Quarter this summer
With daily attractions, special events, and premium eating and drinking venues, the Entertainment Quarter has never been so, well, entertaining. Here’s a rundown of highlights these summer holidays – enough to fill a full day and more. As a bonus, visitors can enjoy two hours of free parking on site (terms and conditions apply). Photograph: Supplied Special events If you love the outdoor cinema events that Sydney does so well then you need to try Mov’in Bed Outdor Bed Cinema (until Feb 17) – a season of great movies that you enjoy lying on a double bed in the Showring. WaterWorld Central (Dec 28-Jan 28, closed Jan 1), Australia’s first mobile water park, is making a splash at the EQ this summer; kids 16 years and under can thrill to a series of inflatable water slides. Celebrating cruelty-free living, Sydney Vegan Markets welcome stalls by vegan businesses on the third Sunday of every month (Dec 16, Jan 20 & Feb 17). The world's first Brickman Cities powered by LEGO® City runs from Jan 4-Feb 10. See time stand still in 1923, explore the world’s greatest cities, and build your own with millions of LEGO® bricks. Photograph: Supplied Attractions There’s a whole lot of fun for all ages happening at the Entertainment Quarter every day. Perhaps you’d like to catch a movie at the two Hoyts Cinemas – including an IMAX screen and a Hoyts LUX cinema and bar. More active pursuits can be enjoyed at Strike Bowling, such as Laser Tag, Karaoke and an Escape Room challenge as well a
Maker's and Shakers
Throughout December and January, the Speakeasy Group’s Sydney bars will be serving up a very special bourbon whiskey – Maker’s Mark Private Select.Private Select was created in a one-off special collaboration between Maker’s Mark chief distillery officer Rob Samuels and Speakeasy Group bar managers Alissa Gabriel (Mjølner Sydney) and Max Allison (Boilermaker House).Through the innovative process dubbed ‘Maker’s and Shakers’, Gabriel and Allison, along with other industry bartenders, spent an immersive day with Samuels creating the personalised bourbon whiskey expression. Starting with a base of fully matured Maker’s Mark straight from the barrel, Private Select was customised by the bartenders who were provided five cask stave options, which can create a 1,001 possible stave combinations, resulting in an uniquely personalised finish and profile. Guests will be able to sample the resulting dram any way they like as well as in a very special cocktail created by Gabriel with the expression called ‘Battle Axe Volume 3’.Available at Mjølner Sydney, the Battle Axe Volume 3 utilises chicory root and walnut leaf-infused Maker’s Mark Private Select bourbon, a shiraz and maple reduction, bitters and beeswax. It’s a cocktail that takes the Old Fashioned to a whole new dimension and couples it with a punch of tannins, ages it on beeswax and serves it over block ice. The window to experience this unique whiskey is closing fast, so be sure to get down to Mjølner Sydney and all the Speakeas
Mov'in Bed Outdoor Bed Cinema
Crawl under the blankets with a glass of wine and settle in for another season of movies at the Entertainment Quarter in the Showring. The concept is irresistible – a large inflatable bed to snuggle into, food, drinks and a great movie – but this year they're introducing a few innovations. They include Bottomless Popcorn sessions – with unlimited refills from the Bar – and cheap Grass Tickets, where you can bring your blanket and a picnic and enjoy your favourite movie under the stars for as little as $9 per head. Then there's the option to Dine in Bed. Mov’in Bed is partnering with the Rockpool Dining Group – Fratelli Fresh and Bavarian Bier Café – to offer food delivered straight to your bed. You can even order your food in advance online. The Bar, meanwhile, will be serving beer, wine, bubbles, ice cream, candy and popcorn. The line-up of movies is a well curated as ever. Highlights include recent hits such as Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom; Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald; Johnny English Strikes Again; Bohemian Rhapsody; Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again! and Mortal Engines. Also on the line-up are some of 2018’s best films such as Ocean’s 8, Black Panther, BlackKklansman and The Breaker Upperers. Retro greats screening at Mov'in Bed include La La Land, The Jungle Book, Ted, Pulp Fiction, The Lion King, Pretty Woman, Akira and Notting Hill. Keep an eye out too for brand new releases Aquaman, Ralph Breaks the Internet and Mary Poppins Returns, all of which
Four ways to perfectly pair your next night out with Blue Moon
A lot of fuss is made about pairing your food to your wine, but not everyone likes wine. Luckily, beer is often the perfect match to a meal, especially when you’re talking spicy food and delicious salty bar snacks. Blue Moon Belgian White is a refreshing, citrus-laced brew that is increasingly finding its way behind bars across Sydney’s drinking and dining scene. Next time you find yourself at one of these Sydney establishments pair your schooner of Blue Moon Belgian White with one of these meals to experience the beer (and your food) at its best.
