Sydney Culture
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In this section: Sydney's art galleries, theatre, concerts, dance and what's on in Sydney
Sydney's art galleries
Sydney has a lively gallery scene. The best way to get in touch with what's on is to buy a copy of Art Almanac, a monthly pocket-sized booklet that lists galleries and their current exhibitions. The publication costs A$2 and is available at good bookshops and galleries. Some of the best public and commercial galleries are listed below:
Art Gallery of New South Wales
Art Gallery Road, The Domain
Tel: 9225 1744
The leading museum of art in the state, and one of Australia's foremost cultural institutions. Open daily 10am-5pm, Wed to 9pm.
Coo-ee Aboriginal Art Gallery
98 Oxford Street, Paddington
Tel: 9332 1544
Some of Australia's best known Aboriginal artists, including the work of Emily Kngwarreye. Viewing by appointment.
Hogarth Galleries
Aboriginal Art Centre, 7 Walker Lane, Paddington
Tel: 9360 6839
Australia's oldest established Aboriginal fine art gallery, presenting works by established and emerging artists. Open Tues-Sat 10am-5pm.
Museum of Contemporary Art
Circular Quay West, The Rocks
Tel: 9252 4033
Contains several unique art collections, including work by Australia's finest contemporary artists. Open daily 10am-5pm.
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Sydney theatre
The Sydney Theatre Company (STC) is the city's most prominent drama company. Established in late 1978, it is housed in Australia's second best theatrical venue (after the Opera House), the magnificent Wharf complex in Walsh Bay. The company stages new and innovative works, which are dutifully attended by Sydney's theatre-goers.
Belvoir Street is home to Company B, under the direction of Neil Armfield, the “actors' director”. Staging works drawn from a surprisingly broad field, this is Australia's most critically acclaimed company. The Stables, which is literally that - an old horse stable in the back blocks of Kings Cross - premieres many of the plays newly written in Australia. The work is often innovative, as are the myriad ways that the designers utilise a space scarcely bigger than most people's living room - this is what they call an intimate experience.
The Bell Theatre Company does a roaring trade in Shakespeare under the direction of actor/manager John Bell. The company has a fairly high output so there is every chance that the visitor can catch an antipodean rendering of a play by the Bard.
The blockbuster musicals imported from Broadway and London's West End can usually be seen at the Theatre Royal, the Capitol or Her Majesty's Theatre.
Sydney's theatrical troupes also make use of the climate to stage open-air performances. Two of the most popular are Shakespeare by the Sea, which takes place at Balmoral Beach, and the Sydney Fringe Festival each summer, which features the work of new playwrights at various venues around the city.
Bell Shakespeare Company
88 George Street, The Rocks
Tel: 9241 2722
A touring company that stages unusual productions of Shakespeare. In Sydney, the company appears at the Playhouse Theatre in the Opera House.
Belvoir Street Theatre
25 Belvoir Street, Surry Hills
Tel: 9699 3444
An old tomato sauce factory is now home to the innovative Company B. This is the place to see alternative, well-crafted work.
Capitol
13 Campbell Street, Haymarket
Tel: 9320 5000
Built in the 1920s to a design inspired by the grand palaces of Italy, this 2,000-seat theatre hosts major musicals and large concerts.
Her Majesty's
107 Quay Street, Haymarket
Tel: 9266 4800
A large venue for blockbuster musicals and popular international performances.
Stables Theatre
10 Nimrod Street, Kings Cross
Tel: 9361-3817
Home to the Griffin Theatre Company, which performs new Australian works in this very challenging small venue.
State Theatre
49 Market Street, City
Tel: 9373 6861 (box office); 9373 6660 (tours)
A 2,000-seat theatre built in 1929 in Cinema Baroque style. It now hosts the Sydney Film Festival and a variety of musical performances and special events.
Sydney Theatre Company
The Wharf Theatre, Pier 4, Hickson Road, Millers Point
Tel: 9250 1777
Sydney's main company performs Australian, foreign and classic works at the Wharf and in the Drama Theatre at the Opera House.
Theatre Royal
MLC Centre, King Street, City
Tel: 9224 8444
Host to large-scale musicals.
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Concerts in Sydney
The responsibility for providing Sydney with its classics falls to the Sydney Symphony Orchestra (sso) and the Australian Chamber Orchestra (aco). The sso, established in 1932, performs around 150 concerts a year. Its home ground is the Concert Hall in the Opera House, but its biggest gig is definitely Symphony under the Stars, when thousands turn up for a free summer evening concert in the Domain. The aco, also a Concert Hall team, is better known for the youth of its performing members and the eclecticism of its programmes.
Australian Chamber Orchestra
Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point
Tel: 9250 7777 (box office)
This young orchestra plays about 24 concerts at the Concert Hall each year.
Musica Viva
Tel: 8394 6666
This large chamber music association organises tours of national and international music groups. Concerts are held Mar-Nov in the Opera House Concert Hall and the Seymour Centre in Chippendale.
Sydney Symphony Orchestra
Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point
Tel: 9250 7777 (box office)
The largest orchestra in the southern hemisphere, the sso plays about 100 concerts a year at the most famous opera venue, the Opera House Concert Hall.
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Sydney dance
The Australian Ballet, the main classical dance company, is based in Melbourne, but has two seasons each year in the Opera Theatre. The world-renowned company performs all the old classical favourites as well as new works by Australian composers and choreographers.
The Sydney Dance Company, which is based at The Wharf, did the seemingly impossible when it first started in the 1970s; it created a contemporary dance company in a city that was then vaguely suspicious of such things, and made it viable, enduring and most of all, wildly popular. The mover and shaker of the company is choreographer Graeme Murphy, who has been at the artistic helm since the beginning. The work is devastatingly skilled, funny, sensual and highly intelligent.
The Bangarra Dance Theatre, under the direction of Stephen Page, is a mostly Aboriginal company performing works that draw both on traditional indigenous forms and contemporary styles. Their work is highly regarded both at home and abroad.
Australian Ballet
The Sydney Opera House,
Bennelong Point
Tel: 9250 7777 (box office)
This Melbourne-based national ballet company has two seasons at the Opera House: Mar-Apr and Nov-Dec.
Bangarra Dance Theatre
The Wharf Theatre, Pier 4, Hickson Road, Millers Point
Tel: 9251 5333
Combines Aboriginal, Western and other dance traditions.
Sydney Dance Company
The Wharf Theatre (as above)
Tel: 9211 4811
Sydney's main contemporary dance company performs at The Wharf and the Opera Theatre.
What's on in Sydney
For the most comprehensive guide to what's on in Sydney, buy the Sydney Morning Herald on Friday for its “Metro” section. CitySearch (www.sydney.citysearch.com.au), the website of the Sydney Morning Herald, has extensive culture and entertainment listings. For listing of the city's best gay and lesbian events, get The Sydney Star Observer, a widely available free newspaper.
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