From Parramatta to Chippendale, Sydney will be the canvas for 21 days of engaging and immersive events, exhibitions, workshops and talks. . . Sydney Festival.
The festival will embrace the city and its cultural instigators like never before. It's an 'Australian-made' programme realised by the Sydney Fringe team and Artistic Director Wesley Enoch.
"Sydney Festival 2021 is all about kick starting the Australian arts sector by injecting more than $6 million into the pockets of those who have done it tough,” Wesley says.
“Over 1,000 artists, companies and venues have come together in a rare sign of solidarity to produce and promote an all Australian-made programme that will showcase our country’s creative, cultural and artistic excellence."
Sydney Festival will embrace the outdoors in a new way, with a new COVID-safe pop-up stage at Barangaroo Reserve. At 32 metres wide, The Headland stage is set to outdo the Capitol and Sydney Lyric in size. It will feature the festival's biggest theatrical performances and companies including Bangarra (Spirit: A Retrospective 2021'), Sydney Symphony ('The [Uncertain] Four Seasons'), Paul Mac ('The Rise And Fall Of Saint George') and Paul Capsis ('RAPTURE: a song cycle of Desire and Ecstacy, Murder and Mayhem').
Elsewhere in the Headland programme, the likes of Katie Noonan, Christine Anu, Suze DeMarchi and Emily Wurramara join forces to pay tribute to Don Walker in 'Songs Of Don'.
Bangarra - Image © Lisa Tomasetti
Alongside this, the festival's headline events include 'Sunshine Super Girl' – the theatrical celebration of Wiradjuri woman Evonne Goolagong's life story, and 'The Last Season', a new work of dance theatre by Force Majeure exploring human survival and environmental destruction and starring Pamela Rabe, Olwen Fouere and Paul Capsis alongside a cast of 15 young performers.
Circa returns with a new, intimate and joyous love letter to humanity, called 'HUMAN 2.0'. Meanwhile, trans-Tasman creation 'Hide The Dog' directed by Isaac Drandic (Noongar) celebrates friendship, culture and the world's last Tasmanian tiger.
Rounding out the headline programme is 'H.M.S. Pinafore' – a wild reimagining of Gilbert and Sullivan's masterpiece directed by Kate Gaul, and the cult rock musical classic 'Hedwig And The Angry Inch' starring Hugh Sheridan.
"Our internationally acclaimed, homegrown talent have found themselves grounded in 2020 but at Sydney Festival 2021 you can see how the very best of the world can be in your own back yard. Our COVID-safe planning means there will be fewer tickets on sale for January so it’s get in quick and secure your ticket to bring your friends and family together to celebrate Sydney in summer."
Check out the full programme here.
