Opera Australia

“This is where actors and musicians decompress after evening performances; arrive after 11pm for the post-show creative crowd.”

“The backstage reality differs significantly from the exterior magic: limited wing space, a labyrinthine loading dock, and a pit that orchestral musicians describe with considerable feeling. Every performer who works here has strong opinions about the building. Form them yourself. Book Opera House tours in advance to see the performance spaces before your first rehearsal call.”

“The Star complex surrounds the theatre with restaurants, bars, and casino operations — the performance atmosphere is different from the Opera House or Walsh Bay precincts. For long-run commercial engagements, the Pyrmont light rail (L1) provides direct transport from Central Station. The theatre's dressing rooms and technical facilities are contemporary and well-maintained.”

“The Capitol is worth visiting for the ceiling alone — arrive early enough to be seated before the house lights dim and look up. The atmospheric ceiling creates a mood of theatregoing as an atmospheric experience, not merely a transactional one. The 1995 restoration is considered a model of adaptive heritage reuse in Australia.”

“The Walsh Bay location means the theatre is part of an arts precinct that includes the Wharf Theatre, Bangarra, the Australian Chamber Orchestra, and Sydney Dance Company. Arrive by ferry from Circular Quay (10 min walk from the Walsh Bay wharves) for the most atmospheric approach. The STC's backstage culture is collaborative and the green room community is tight.”

“Belvoir operates as a subscription company with a community of shareholders — over 2,000 individuals who 'bought' the building collectively in 1984 to save it from demolition when the Nimrod Theatre company that occupied it was wound up. This ownership structure means the company has a genuine community investment and the audience is unusually committed. A Belvoir credit is one of the most important in Australian theatre.”

“Angel Place is a narrow CBD laneway off Martin Place — the entrance is easily missed. Allow time on a first visit to locate it. The hall's acoustic demands and rewards projection: unamplified voice carries clearly to the back of the stalls. The building also houses a bar and function spaces that are open before and after performances.”

“The industrial scale of the space creates production possibilities unavailable at conventional venues: extreme heights, massive floor areas, industrial infrastructure. Productions that use Carriageworks typically do so because the building itself is part of the artistic conception. Check the Sydney Festival programme and the annual Carriageworks season for what is programmed here.”

“The Walsh Bay precinct's bars and restaurants (including the STC's own spaces) serve the arts community and their audiences. Arriving by ferry from Circular Quay (10 min) then walking along Hickson Road is the correct approach — the harbour view on arrival sets the context. The precinct is most alive on performance evenings and during the Sydney Festival.”

“The Lord Nelson Brewery Hotel (19 Kent Street) brews its own ales on the premises and has done since the 19th century. The Nelson's Blood porter is the correct order. The Hero of Waterloo (81 Lower Fort Street) has an 1840s sandstone interior largely unchanged from its original construction. Both are heritage pubs worth visiting before a performance at the Opera House or Walsh Bay.”

“The Five Ways intersection (junction of Glenmore, Goodhope, and Heeley Roads) is the social centre of Paddington — restaurants and cafés radiate from this point in all directions. The Paddington Inn (338 Oxford Street) and the Royal Hotel (237 Glenmore Road) serve the arts community that lives and works in the neighbourhood.”

“Take the Manly ferry (F1, approximately 30 min each way) at least once during any Sydney engagement. The return journey across the full harbour — with the Opera House, the Bridge, and the CBD in view — is the defining Sydney experience. Departs frequently from Wharf 3; the last return from Manly is around 11:30 PM. Buy your Opal card here if you have not already.”