Theatre & Dance
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Theatre, dance, musicals and opera on now in Sydney
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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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Four winter getaways that will help you afford your spring getaway
Everyone knows the best rewards are the ones you get by doing the things you love, right? Well here’s something for those of you with a bit of wanderlust. When you book a stay at one of over 200,000 hotels worldwide with Qantas Hotels, you'll get rewarded with Qantas Points for every dollar you spend. If you’re not familiar with Qantas Hotels, don't fear. It’s a hotels booking platform with the added benefit of earning coveted Qantas Points on your bookings. What's more, they even have a price match guarantee so you won't have to worry about paying more for your stay*. Here’s the deal: you’ll earn three Qantas Points per A$1 spent on the site. Those points can then be put towards your next stay, so you’ll be paying less, which means you can go away sooner**. Earning those extra points is also a super compelling reason to plan your next getaway, right? Sounds pretty peachy to us. Below we’ve selected four very appealing accommodation options you could go on with Qantas Hotels.
Thrones! The Musical Parody
The night is dark, and full of... jazz hands. A far cry from Westeros’s blood-soaked wedding venues and questionable leadership choices, Thrones! The Musical Parody is a retelling of the epic story you know in a tone you don’t. It follows a group of Game of Thrones fans as they attempt to cheer up their friend, Linda (the only one among them who hasn’t seen the show) in the wake of her divorce by re-enacting all eight seasons – yup, it will include the final one! Shenanigans unfold as the group works through the overarching story and a cast of over 40 characters, singing catchy original showtunes with titles including ‘Stabbin'’, 'Hold the Door' and ‘You Know Nothing’. The show arrives brandishing five-star reviews from the Edinburgh Festival, where it has played for four consecutive years. It will premiere in Sydney on Wednesday, June 5 at the Playhouse and run for three weeks. Luckily, you don't have to pay the iron price – tickets start at $45 per person plus an $8.50 booking fee. Book yours on the Sydney Opera House website.
How Cities Work
If your little roadrunners have a fascination with the concrete jungle around them, you can blow their minds with architectural and urban design facts at How Cities Work. This exhibition at the Museum of Sydney will showcase everything from the city's green spaces to the secret underground world of sewers in the belly of the city. It’s the world premiere of this family-friendly exhibit, which is based on the popular Lonely Planet children's book of the same name, written by Jen Feroze and illustrated by James Gulliver Hancock, who’s collaborated with Sydney Living Museums to create this exciting exhibition. This is one exhibition where you're allowed to, and are even encouraged to, touch the exhibits. Kids can take what they’ve learnt off the pages and get to know the city even better through a series of interactive, tactile experiences. They’ll be poking through buildings, wandering around city streets like Godzilla among the skyscaper miniatures and exploring the underground without leaving the museum. This thriving metropolis will be on show from December 15, 2018 until July 21, 2019. Entry is free for Sydney Living Museums members and kids under the age of five.
Win a trip to Jamaica with Red Stripe
Red Stripe is a smooth, full bodied amber lager from the sandy beaches of Jamaica where it was first brewed, over 90 years ago. Named after the red stripe that used to run down Jamaican police uniforms, Red Stripe is an unpretentious drop that goes down nice’n’easy. Fans of the beer have the opportunity to win a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Jamaica in July 2019. The prize includes return economy flights, hotel accommodation in Montego Bay, and daily activities. To win one of two trips for two people, simply purchase a Red Stripe from a participating venue, take a creative photo with the Red Stripe promotional coaster that you’ll receive with your purchase, and post it to Instagram, tagging #RedStripeAus and the venue where you bought your Red Stripe. Remember to have your Instagram set to public. The two most creative posts will win. The competition is open from February 1 to May 19, 2019. The prize trip must be taken on July 17-21, 2019, and cannot be changed, transferred or redeemed for cash. Go here for more information and terms and conditions. So, where can you enjoy Red Stripe and get that promotional coaster? Here's the list: Rosie Campbell'sA Caribbean-themed bar that gets the holiday vibes pitch perfect, they're bringing the island vibes to Surry Hills. Grab a cocktail or a round of Red Stripe lager and a juicy chicken thigh with a spicy, fragrant jerk crust. The AnchorIt’s a salty crowd at Bondi’s nautical hideaway. The tanned and the beautiful will be sha
